Greetings all.

I would like to announce my triumphant return to blogging, after a several year hiatus caused by marriage, career change, two small children, one crazy dog, and a bit of laziness from time to time (if we are being honest).

I promise to blog.  I do not promise to blog on any regular schedule, but as I don’t have a regular schedule, tough for me to commit to that, so I won’t.

For our “first” blog, I’m going to tackle something that everyone is talking about this time of year…the presidential election.  But I’m not going to engage in name calling or try to swing you one way or the other; there are plenty of other bloggers with MUCH better credentials that are perfectly willing to tell you what you should believe.

Instead, I’m going to say, “Vote for who YOU feel is best qualified.”  There’s a caveat, though.  It has to be based on YOUR research.  Not just your gut, not what you parents or spouse or that cute girl down at the Wawa said, and not based on what you read on Facebook.  Read some real journalism and do some real homework, and afterwards, if you want to vote for SpongeBob Squarepants, DO IT.  As long as it’s your own thought and you can defend it, I have no problem.  But please don’t let your high school classmate that spewed vitriol on Facebook about one candidate or the other sway your opinion.

I do have one more thought I want to put out there before I go.  I think we have taken the two party system about as far as we can go.  I feel like we really need a car, and both our options are crooked used car salesmen.  Yes, technically there are other parties available, but let’s be real.  None are viable options.   What if there was?

What if there were a viable third party?  And what if that third party had, as a requirement to join or represent that party in an election, that a person have demonstrated service to the community, state, nation, or world in a meaningful way?  What if, to join the “Service” party, you had to have served in the armed forces, the police department, the fire department, the Peace Corps, Doctors Without Borders, or some other similar group?  What if you had to demonstrate in some way that you were willing to be part of something bigger than your self?

Yes, I know that there have been bad cops, crooked fire fighters, and nutjobs with prior military careers.  But by and large people who have served their communities or nation in some of the categories mentioned above come from all walks of life, come from all different education and socioeconomic strata, and have all at some part in their lives demonstrated that they were willing to put the collective good above their own.  Candidates from such a party would certainly be better versed in teamwork, and would not take lightly committing armed forces to action.

And honestly, could it get any worse than it is with our current two party system?

Interested in your comments!  Until next time…