To Presidential Wannabes: Talk, Already!

The state where I live has not yet held its primaries, and for that I am glad, because I keep hoping that the people who are running for President will detail their beliefs in time for voters to make informed decisions. Yet, with all the tools available to them: professional political analysts, advisers, polls, and surveys (not to mention the widespread use of the Internet, which makes readily available anyone's opinion), our presidential hopefuls have yet to outline WHO THE HECK THEY REALLY ARE. WHY NOT?!?! Is it possible that they don't feel it necessary to identify what they stand for? Does all the information they're getting tell them that it doesn't really matter? Could it be that the entire election process hinges more on the number of dollars spent, the endorsement of specific interest groups, and the strategic use of sound bites, than it does on selecting the candidate who most closely represents the voters? What does this say about our nation? I'm ashamed of our political process, and I want to do something about it. But what? What can I do? Well, here I am, writing my thoughts in a web log. So far, nobody has read any of my blogs, so I doubt it'll make a difference at all, but it makes me FEEL better. What I really want to do is SCREAM it at the top of my lungs: TELL US WHAT YOU'RE REALLY ALL ABOUT! HELP US MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION! STOP MAKING A MOCKERY OF THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS! How can I get my message out? Who cares what *I* think? And the media wonders why so few people turn out to the polls when election time comes around.

Newspapers Should NOT Endorse Politicians!

I know that we live in a free society where our First Amendment rights include the freedoms of expression and the press. I'm also aware that our media outlets are notorious for their biased representation of the facts. But must we give up on the ideal of impartial news coverage and accept political endorsements from the news media?

Why blog?

Does it really make any sense for someone like me to post blogs? Here are my thoughts on this subject: Reasons I should NOT blog:

1. I barely have time to do things that are MUCH more important than blogging, so if I am blogging, I probably should be doing something else.
2. By writing blogs, I am probably assuming that someone "out there" would be interested in my thoughts, and that's pretty egocentric.
3. By posting my thoughts, I open myself up to strangers, and that's probably not safe.

Reasons I SHOULD blog:

1. Sometimes I don't FEEL like doing what I OUGHT to be doing (such as housework--yuck) and would like something else to do. Blogging definitely qualifies. Say what you will, but I doubt I'll be judged by the cleanliness of my bathroom. Rather, it's likely I'll be judged by my character, and that's visible through my thoughts and actions - things I'll blog about.
2. I can't imagine anyone being interested in my thoughts unless they already know me, and some of those people have difficulty following my train of thought if it lasts longer than a typical commercial break. So if nobody ever reads my blogs, it's fine. I consider this a form of journaling - and since writing is SO much slower than typing, this is probably the only form of journaling I'll ever use with any level of consistency.
3. Strangers would be hard-pressed to find anything of mine worth stealing, even my identity, which comes with its own problematic credit issues! Seriously!

Does it seem as if I'm rationalizing? Well, too bad. Get your own blog and see how YOU are judged.