I just have a few things to get off my chest...
- Is this really the list of people I have to choose from for president this year? In a country with 300 million people, we can't find anyone better than the 7 or 8 people we have who are still in the running this year? Really?
- For once, it would be nice to be able to cast my vote for president without having to hold my nose and feel like I'm picking the lesser of two evils.
- Part of the problem with our process of selecting a president is that all of these primaries force candidates to play to the base and move further to the ends of the political spectrum in order to secure their party's nomination. So, by the time the general election rolls around, we're left with two people who have already alienated half of the country with the positions they espoused earlier on in the primary season.
- When did "compromise" and "bi-partisanship" become dirty words? Folks on both sides of the political aisle are more concerned with scoring points with donors and the hardline people in their respective parties than they are with, you know, doing their jobs and passing legislation. Rather than trying to work with people from the other party and attempting to find some common ground that can be used to as a foundation of new laws, they are more concerned with drawing a line in the sand and calling each other names. Those who are supposed to be mature statesmen and stateswomen who have the good of the country in mind instead behave like petulant children doing the equivalent of putting their fingers in their ears and yelling "LA LA LA LA LA! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"
- Does anyone else find it interesting that some of folks who said that Obama was unqualified to be president in 2008 because he was just a first term senator now advocate for Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio who are....wait for it.....first term senators?
- I find it ridiculous that Republicans are "offended" that Obama is going to attempt to fill Justice Scalia's spot on the Supreme Court. They talk about how it's tradition to not fill those spots in a presidential election year, while conveniently ignoring that their beloved Ronald Reagan did exactly that with the nomination and confirmation of Anthony Kennedy in 1988. If the tables were turned and there was a Republican in the White House right now, I'd be willing to bet a lot of money that they would be encouraging him or her to fill that spot as soon as possible.
- Also, I find it ironic that those folks who constantly advocate for the importance of the constitution want to, in this instance, ignore Article 2, Section 2 of the constitution where it states that the President "shall appoint...Judges of the supreme Court."
- Few things in life annoy me more than hypocrisy and in few places is hypocrisy more prevalent than politics, as some of the aforementioned examples illustrate. The "small government" advocate who spends billions on military build-ups and starts a war overseas. The "family values" person who gets caught having a mistress. The "small government" person who advocates personal responsibility and liberty on one hand while actively working to tell people who they can and cannot marry on the other hand. The communications professor who apparently doesn't understand the First Amendment and tells the press that they can't cover protests in a public space at a public university. The billionaire real estate tycoon who blasts a city and metro area one week but then asks for tax breaks and tax money for a development in that same community the next. I may not agree with your position on an issue, but if you are consistent and you can defend your position in a reasonable, educated and mature manner, I can still respect you and your position.
- The amount of money that is spent by individuals and corporations on elections in this country sickens me. Imagine how much good could be accomplished if, instead donating that money to politicians or political causes, that money was donated to charities, churches, schools, scholarship funds, etc.!
Moving on to less contentious topics...
- Why is it that the guy who cuts you off in traffic gives YOU the finger instead of the other way around? Does he have a guilty conscience?
- Am I the only one who sometimes arrives at work and can't recall anything about the drive there? It's alternately frightening and amazing to consider that it's possible to drive, navigate traffic, exit the interstate, etc. without consciously doing any of those things.
- I honestly think that, at any given time in America, either "Friends" or "Family Feud" are on TV.
- I've taught training classes at work for years and my ice breaker at the beginning of the class is always "What is your favorite movie of all time?" Every single time, at least one person says "The Shawshank Redemption." Seriously...I've done this dozens and dozens of times and someone always says that movie. Every. Single. Time.
- I think the most highly compensated people in society should be doctors, nurses, police officers, fire fighters and teachers. People who save lives, risk their lives and educate our children should be compensated such that the cream of the crop in our society pursue those careers. (And I'm not just saying that because my wife is a teacher!)
- "The Blacklist" may be in it's fourth season, but it's still a really good yarn. James Spader is terrific.
- John Oliver is hilarious and I'm so glad that "Last Week Tonight" is back for a new season. I may not always agree with this take on issues, but he always presents them in a hilarious manner. The last segment about New Zealand last night had me doubled over in laughter.
- Those "Wayfair.com" commercials where the people are dancing around their living room after getting their package in the mail? Those have to be some of the most ridiculously annoying commercials in the history of television.
- If you haven't listened to any music by Turnpike Troubadours yet, you owe it to yourself to do so. The muscianship is terrific and Evan Felker's vocals and lyrics are always top notch. They have slowly but surely built a grassroots following that allows them to sell out clubs throughout the country without receiving virtually any radio play. In a sense, they are the country version of R.E.M. from the early '80s. While "Diamonds and Gasoline" is still my favorite of their records, last fall's self-titled release is a gem, too.
That's all for now. Thanks for reading!
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