Why is everything a shit show?
I ask myself far too often and I, unfortunately, can follow the path to the shit show. Personally, I like to live by the mottos “don’t be an asshole” and “don’t push your bullshit onto others”. It’s a fairly easy way to live until election season and political pushers rear their heads.
It’s the middle of November 2023 and we’re starting to hear the Sousa march in the distance that generally indicates election season; the political pushers aren’t completely in full swing, but they are getting riled up. Donald Trump just spouted off rhetoric that could only make Nazis smile and Biden is only running to try to stop Trump from winning. What the fuck is going on?!
The political candidates who seem like they might be somewhat okay aren’t red or blue at this point. Let me clarify my perspective by stating that I am a centrist. How do I decide on who to vote for? It’s simple. I read what their platforms are. After crossing out people who are too narrow-minded or who don’t even state what their platforms are (which is a big red flag to me), then I go through the remaining few and basically make a pros and cons list. I read reliable news sources like Reuters to see what news is being printed about the few candidates on my list. I make a decision from there. Wishy-washy candidates, those who only toe party lines, those who wish to impose their belief systems onto everyone else, and those who have no foresight into the future are not worthy of my time. Therefore, I don’t care what party you are with; I just want you to not be an asshole, support Americans (not just some of them), don’t force your beliefs onto others, and be able to look towards the future.
I am a 41 year old single female with 2 dogs, I work a full time job where I’m underpaid, and I’m currently in the middle of getting a masters degree. As a kid, my mom was overly concerned that a serial killer would “get me” because one was active in our area when I was born (Thomas Bunday). I went through the end of the Cold War with the Berlin wall coming down (which we had to watch news segments of in elementary school), the Chernobyl disaster happened and created a weird air of distrust in nuclear energy, the Exxon Valdez oil spill happened, after the Challenger explosion it seemed like space exploration was really put on hold (much to this Trekkie’s dismay), there have been wars, huge natural disasters, terrorist attacks on our nation, a worldwide pandemic, and political upheaval to a fantastically great extent. What the fuck, America?!
No one wants a civil war. No one wants World War 3. No one wants to revisit World War 2.
I graduated high school in 2000, year of the Y2K bug. I missed the boat on PNW coffee-infused counterculture filled with alternative music, independent zines, poetry slams, and open mic nights. By the time I was looking at universities around Seattle, it's like the time for all that had passed. Maybe we need to revisit such a time, just like Portland did around 2010.
I don’t have all of the solutions to fix the nations problems, but here are some not-so-shitty points I’d like to make:
We live on Earth and we need to take better care of it.
Your religion doesn’t limit me, it limits you. Don’t force your religion onto others, asshole.
There needs to be a greater emphasis on higher education, skilled tradesmen, and manufacturing. Always strive to increase your knowledge and skills.
There should be pharmaceutical caps and some standardization of medical pricing (regardless of insurance). For example: a general medical check up should be like $50 everywhere in the country.
I think there should be a tax rebate for tax payers who pass an in-depth physical (as “healthy”) and submit it with their taxes. I actually wrote up a proposal for this, but it was ignored when I sent it out to government officials. It’s meant to encourage people to get into better shape.
Encouraging Americans to be healthier is a good thing. Let’s regulate toxic food chemicals!
We are in the fourth wave of industrialization with computers, internet, and other tech. We need our political leaders to fucking realize this and step up.
Don’t want an abortion? Don’t get one. Don’t hinder someone else’s choice over your own beliefs. Men, have you considered a vasectomy to prevent fertilizing an egg? They can be reversed.
Race, gender, sexuality, heritage, belief systems, and social status are not good reasons to harbor ill-intent and/or judgment towards others.
We should have more focus and more funding for alternative energy.
There should be a revisit to the rules of presidential candidacy that states: “Any presidential candidate in a current criminal court case or currently serving state or federal prison time, is not eligible to run for office until the court case is resolved and, if applicable, their prison time is fully served.”
How do I see the future? One thing I see is an upcoming boom in space commercialization and tourism. Why? Because we’re going to have some commercial space stations launched between 2025-2030 that are going to be big game changers. Imagine a business park, but in space. It’s going to be a big deal.
I also see a possible future of fear, hate, and everything I cannot stand if certain people are elected into the presidency. It’s Trump and other brown-nosing brown-shirt politicians following him.
I do not think my thoughts are extreme. For the most part, it simply revolves around increasing intelligence, improving health, not being an asshole, not flexing on other people, and moving towards the future. Don’t hate people for things they can’t change; hate them for being fucking idiots or intolerant bigots or incompetent workers (all of which they can change with minimal effort).
Thank you for reading my rant.