Musing:  The “D” and “R” Mindset.

You have to wonder if it’s better to just keep it in “Park”.

I figured I should bring this up before November, when everyone Is completely sick of hearing about it.   I need to warn everyone that I am not particularly political savvy.    That said I think I can safely say our system is inherently flawed.

Funny thing is, it has nothing to do with the system being bad.  It has everything to do with a clear line being drawn in the sand.  I remember being a wide eyed and impressionable child and being really impressed how our system works.  It’s no real surprise that young children would think the President of the United States is a position of Absolute power, but it baffles me how many adults think this too.

Compromise is hard.  It doesn’t really matter what the subject matter is.   It could be deciding pizza toppings, what movie you want to see, or what color paint you want for your living room.   The key problem is that we have two sides that disagree on almost everything uniformly.   I cannot imagine being President can be easy because of this.

The way it is set up now it seems the most important prerequisite for being a good president is to be a good peacekeeper, an impartial third party.    I think that was the initial idea for the Judicial Branch.  We have a Team D and a Team R fighting tooth and nail, and very little gets accomplished.   I think something people in general need to realize is that the other party is right sometimes.   You can look at every key issue and find a scenario where the better approach is the one you don’t agree with by default.   Being pure right OR pure left is the problem, not that it’s one or the other.

That said, it is amazing that things run as well as they do despite that.  Everyone loves to complain how terrible things are, but how bad ARE things?   We live in an age where we can afford to nitpick and complain, in a country where we can claim we have tangible freedoms: because it’s true.

I think political hearings would be much more civil if casual dress was tolerated. Just saying.

I love America, but that doesn’t mean Americans don’t irritate me.   We lock ourselves in a “D” and “R” like we are some sort of car without a way to steer.   Both of them are important.   Differing viewpoints on a civil level is what makes this country great.   And yes, it is civil.  Mudslinging and slander is still a thousand times better than civil wars.

Putting away the soap box now, but just consider for a moment that the most progressive thinking you can make is looking at the other guy’s argument.  Some of the best advice you can ever get can come from those that hate your ideas by default.   It’s usually because they feel strongly about it, not that they hate you.

There’s something satisfying about going up to someone that is on the offensive, looking them square in the eye, and saying: “Thank you.  Even if I don’t agree with you, your opinion matters.”