So much of politics is governed by talking points, reciting facts the media give (okay relates mostly to the right, but the left is equally guilty), and of course voting the party ticket as given to each voter, because people are lazy, ignorant, not involved in politics/civics, and an idiot. People feel that their vote does not count or that they are too stupid to have an opinion.
There are many things in life that tick me off, but nothing as much as not doing your homework, having not the facts, and not listening to your heart. I could write a book on how religion has corrupted society and people, but I will bite my tongue on this one for this article. People spout one-liners and are such idiots.
I will pick on the left, as that is so easy to do. For instance, all the Bernie followers that say that he is on the outside and that he speaks to them, blah, blah, blah. “I love you Bernie.” One cannot forget the “Bernie or Bust” and “Write in Bernie”. Seriously, even typing this paragraph I am getting hot. This whole Bernie movement is nothing more than willful ignorance and buying in of the left by the right-wing propaganda of Hilary. She is no saint. Heck, she has many faults, many of them shared with Trump. Both are perfect and entitled, just in different ways on this topic. Okay, Trump is perfect in every way and has the perfect bill of health, even if he does need a chiropractor, exercise, and seriously lose weight.
The right has other issues, not the least of which is ignorance and a dreamlike state of looking at the past through rose-colored glasses. Roses have thorns and the past is best left there, in the past, just educate yourself from the past.
I heard recently that people were much healthier in the past. There was no such thing as autism and various other diseases. Seriously, people are ignorant. Getting diabetes prior to 1924 meant a death sentence, but that fact is lost on people. Cancer meant death. The list goes on. Yes, there was such a thing as the LGBT and everything else back then too.
People of the past, especially during the enlightenment period fought back, because they were not educated or able to keep up, so there was a backlash into religion and being told what to do. We see that same behavior now. The computer age and the internet has educated people, but left an awful lot of others not knowing what to do, so they gravitate to people, who will tell them what to do. Here is where Putin, Trump, and others, even Bernie, come into the picture.
What I want is for people to think for themselves. As I said, there are a huge numbers annoyingly voted for Bernie without any real reason or knowledge of the facts, and of Republicans and Libertarians is to research the facts. Be able to argue the facts. Do NOT use one-liners or talking points from either side.
 
I am an engineer. I guess that I always have been one. I deal in facts and do research on whatever the topic. Even when it comes to the arts, I like to know what I am watching/listening to, which is why I like to attend the preshow before a performance that explains what I will see.
 
It is easy to tell you or anyone else to vote the way that I want you to vote, but that does an injustice. That sets people up for the next lunatic, who can talk. I am the last person on this planet to be a smooth talker. I do not like bars by any stretch of one’s imagination (Bush and why people voted for the guy), but I do know facts and have opinions.
 
It is in facts and logic, where all of us can meet. I love a discourse. Maybe that is from my time in university, but I do love a discussion based on hard core facts and what is best for the country. Too many people, more on the right, but equally as we saw on the left, go into ridiculous ideas of what a President should be.
 
A President is not:
  • an outsider: dumb. A President needs the knowledge of how to work congress and BOTH sides of the aisle. That comes from doing, not book learning or running a company.
  • someone who can talk one-liners: Republicans have this area nailed. One-liners does not do jack shit. Okay, I will create a new one-liner: Green-baby-green. Does that help or is it better to talk of real facts?
  • Someone with whom you can have a beer: What bitch dreamed that up? I need a President to be smarter than I am, to have ideas, to want other people, who are smarter than him telling him facts and standing up for them. In my time in engineering and advising people on job searches (butterflyvista.com and progressivesleading.com), I have found teamwork, where everyone has a vested interest and does their homework works best. I have a Republican colleague and I work very nicely with him. I enjoy his company and we actually see eye-to-eye on several fronts. He has a cute daughter too.
  • one of us: Ask yourself honestly, if you could go right in to the Presidency and lead the entire planet. 99% cannot. It is the same percentage that “trickle down economics” will help them. Helping the rich will NOT help you.
  • Someone who ignores half of America: Think what you want about President Barack Obama, and I should add that I did not vote for him in the first primaries, but he actually did reach out multiple times to the right. That the right did not want to reach out to him, because they were hell bent on denying him everything, is a different story. A President is someone who can united all of America and inspire all of America. That is not Trump or the current Republican party.
It would be nice if Republicans would admit that Fox, Breitbart, The National Enquirer, and The Globe are doing a disservice to humanity.
 
Here is a headline: “Trump kills Hilary Clinton plea deal.” That is such total bullshit, but Republicans eat that up. That is in this week’s Globe, available at your local market at the checkout stand. I love the one about “Trump has a plan to bring world peace,” forgetting that he cannot do that here at home and does the opposite.
 
I think that I speak for Allen Clifton (forwardprogressives.com) and hopefully Keith in that people should open their eyes, get educated, and speak from their hearts. Being told what to think is wrong. Do that yourself.
 
In short, I am not doing anyone a service if I tell them what to think or tell them the facts. Each of you must do your own research. Google and Wikipedia should be your friends. Yes, you can use Bing too, if that is what you like to use. Do not believe either side.
By the way, each vote does count. Please do your own research and do not cite talking points.
One last point: A family, like a chain, is as strong as the weakest link. The United States is like a chain and a family. We are as strong as the weakest among us.
It is through:
  • Education
  • Healthcare
  • A healthy planet
  • Safety
  • Good policies

Health is where we can all thrive. Health is not something with which you play Russian Roulette, but that is a different topic.

Do research and think for yourself. Be able to cite facts.

One last point, destroying is easy and fast, but healing is slow. Anyone who tells you that they can magically wave a wand is an idiot.