The 2016 Election in a Nutshell...

So...  This year's election is off the rails so to speak.   Donald Trump has become the sole candidate for the Republican party.  The establishment is still in a state of pseudo denial.  I believe they will come around...In time.

What does this say about Republicans?

They have completely lost touch with their base.  The Tea Party and Fox News have been fanning the flames of conservatism. Why would that not bring about a candidate like Donald Trump?

You can't have it both ways...

You can't ride the wave of public anger over the failures of establishment politics and then freak out when people vote for an anti-establishment candidate.

Now before you try and throw Ted Cruz in the mix let me tell you how I feel about this guy.

Cruz he is a master of pandering politics and word on the street is a serious asshole...

Cruz should know you can't run for office as the guy to discombobulate the Fed.  What kind of candidate tries to get elected as president under the premise of hey, vote for me and I'll completely make it so the government has no power.

You think its not working now?  I wonder is someone told him you use the office of the president to lead the country.  Any nitwit can just go in and reverse EVERY executive order that Obama made.  That has greatest pandering effect to the haters.

I wonder if he realizes that by dismantling the government he will in effect diminish his own ability to lead?  Who does that?!

The Democrats are in a pickle as well... I'm not a fan of Hilary Clinton, yet she is the safe bet in my opinion.  If you like the way things are now then she is your candidate.

Her presidency, in my opinion, will offer little in the way Washington gets things done.  A vote for Hilary is a vote for the status quo.

The conservative media  would LOVE for her to be president.  All their copy will still work, just replace Obama with Hilary.  They will have no problem whatsoever attacking her because she is a woman.  Its pretty common knowledge that conservatives don't dig on strong women.

And Bernie...  I won't lie, his message resonates with me.  He is trying to change things. But and its a big BUT; I don't think this country is ready for ANY candidate that even hints at a flavor of socialism.

Fanboys such as myself think of the GOOD kind of socialism... Socialism that leads to Star Fleet and the exploration of space.  

In what I call the real world I believe SOME socialist systems could help even out the playing field. But, yet if we don't set some sort of realistic boundaries we might end up like the abomination that is Venezuela.

Any way, I apologize if this post is somewhat scatter brained.  I'm a writer in process and I hope to develop my style in good time.

Keep The Faith!

Writing for a living

Sooooo...

I'm going to take a stab at this whole writing for money thing.

I've got the whole marketing thing down and I have been 'training' to become a writer for a couple of years now.  The funny part is I have READ about becoming a writer without actually writing.

I'm committed now, Hell or high water I will write.

You WILL buy something from me, I know it.

:)

So I'm a writer...

Today I decided to be a writer.

I don't have a paying job as a writer and I haven't started a novel or anything but I am proclaiming that as of today I write.

Not sure if I am particularly good at it but I am willing to give it a shot.

I hope to inspire with my words.

Tell people there is a better way.

Maybe my legacy will be to start a movement of rational thinking.

Using data to solve problems and to set our differences aside.

Maybe its a dream.

Maybe no one will care to listen.

I have to try.

It starts now.

Almost 50...

So I'm knocking on 50's door...

OK so I still have another year to go, still it feels like I am nearing the end of an era and starting a new.

I don't feel this old, yet here I am.  I have a lot of the same fears, hopes and dreams I had over 10 years ago yet I feel like I have been moving forward the whole time.

I guess life is about change, so as long as I got that going on I'm good.

Some days I feel nostalgic for the old days... Some days I'm thankful they've past.  And other days I'm like I should not still be sitting here trying to figure stuff out.

I do have these weird sort of feeling that things will be alright... I have been through tough times and good times and always emerged a better person.  That's about the sum of my life until now.

Que sera, sera...

-H

I Find Your Lack of Faith Disturbing...

Some of you might recognize this quote, it’s from the first Star Wars movie, Darth Vader says it as he force chokes an Imperial officer for chiding him that the Force is not enough against the rebels.

 This post is not about Star Wars but about my own lack of faith which I find... disturbing.

 As the events unfold in the shooting in San Bernardino, CA my heart sinks as it is has been proven to be an act of radical Islam. In light of this, the folks on the right are feeling a sense of justification for their fear and this will boost anyone that has an “us vs. them” world view.

 That is pretty much guaranteed. For me it takes a darker turn. I lose faith, what little I have left, that there is a God out there and that He cares at all about what goes on down here.

 I know there are those that say that we are responsible for all this evil in this world, but what about innocent people?

 They don't deserve this and I refuse to be made to feel guilty by believing that it is my sin or my lack of faith that is at fault. I don't know, things look dark for now, but hey... you gotta have faith that things will turn around I guess.

Now What?

So you work really hard.  Like REALLY hard.  You work more than one job to somehow get ahead of just having enough money to pay your rent, bills, food etc.  Some people work at the same company for years and just work their way up the ladder.  You get to the top, then what?

Some times I get frustrated because I find myself asking "now What?"  I'm here, I'm making good money, I'm looking for a house, my cars are paid of and my student loans, which I acquired late in life, are almost paid off so I should be living the dream... Welp, I'm not feeling it.

I don't want to be ungrateful, I have a great job, just not particularly fulfilling at times.  I just have a feeling of being underwhelmed.  I'm almost 50, I should be at my prime but yet I feel more is yet to come.  There has got to be more to life than this.

Why People Think I'm Smart

By the subject of this post you might think that I'm writing this just to toot my own horn but I can assure you its not.  I believe most people in my family think I am some sort of genius however in my opinion I just like researching and using Google A LOT.

 If that makes me smarter than the average person than so be it.  I can't fathom living in a world in which I don't answer any question that I have.  With the Internet at our finger tips how is it possible not to answer a question you have or dig deeper for an understanding in concepts you don't get.

It appears that most people don't give a crap.  They just remain in ignorant bliss when the answer is just a few clicks away.  Granted with so many heavily biased and opinionated blogs ( I ain't even gonna lie, my opinions are my own and by no way dictate a truth just my perception of it) it takes some digging to get to the 'Truth".

I think its extremely important that at the very least listen to both sides of a position and try your very best to think outside of your own belief system which I admit is a lot harder than it sounds.  My advice is to keep in open mind and realize that we share this planet with other people who have other viewpoints and and experiences.  T

hat doesn't mean you need to agree with everyone you just need to accept that not everyone is EVER going to agree on everything and don't focus on imposing your beliefs on others but on helping them understand why you believe what you do.

Who knows maybe it will lead you to God forbid change your mind and come to a new understanding :).