The Native Iowan

That zinggggg of the zebco as one hooks a cat fish… remember zebco reels?

So once hooked… its only fair to “play the fish”…

Am I wrong, Professor, to feel that this is a pivotal election cycle? So important that I actually hanker to vote. I want to find someone to cast my vote (not my lure) in support of.

BUT I CANT!

A slow Sunday morn here so you get to bear the brunt of morning manic-mania. My second cup of coffee is being professionally prepared by Gracie. The day glows bright and happy. Spring is here. It rained heavy the other night. The garden is doing great. The big-dawg, KUMA, is layzing in the sun out back. 11 yr old Gpup, Mendoza, is at the neighbourhood skate park. I have the double doors open to the outside… the wind chimes tinkle, the wind rustles, and the migratory birds are a quiet cacophony of confusion…

Perhaps you can help me see things straight, Professor. I need an educated and eclectic mind to assist me to see through the political fog…

Hillary and the democratic machine I supported in my youth is not for me. I cannot agree to the shift of power sitting firmly in the laps of totally unsupportable, tainted, dirty-handed candidates.

Not That I ran with the Bernie mob, but the fact that the system was so blatantly and ethos-ly rigged in favour of the she-devil, proves to me the DNC cannot be trusted, that the machine at the national level is lost to those youthful dreams and hopes and desires.

I have reviewed both the DNC and HillaryC websites and find little to inspire. The rhetoric is simply negative verbiage against the “other side”. There is little of substance I can find therein that supports an intelligent backing of the Party Platform.

How come I can’t think of myself as a republican? I kinda wish I could make the shift mentally. I wish I could think as a republican and think that the republican party made  sense for me. Their platform and both their websites (RNC AND DJT sites) are less frothing-ly at the mouth as the DNC but there is little difference tonally. The substance is a bit better and more sensible, a bit.

I wish I could pick and choose… maybe like a lego set… choose between the 4 main platforms to create one I could support.

I consider myself an old conservative hippy. Maybe a bit of Amish-ish farm boy needs to be added to the old hippy… lets call it a solid dose of midwestern youth from the 60s; where we learned to work very hard, carried guns through town as we went to hunt squirrels, rabbits, and pheasant. We mowed lawns (very big lawns) for 50cents a throw, shovelled the snow form the neighbourhood sidewalks for 25cents and a cup of cocoa. Baled hay, shovelled shit from stinky stables, baby-sat, cleaned gutters (that were 40 foot off the ground), and learned both respect and a work ethic. Add to this a big dose of V8-petrol head, A jigger of Easy Rider, and a country sense of humour.

As I sit here I enjoy the fragrance of the red roses from my garden. We ate taro from our garden last night. We harvest good food from our back-40 over two seasons here. I have a little tractor and till n plant and nurture and enjoy the fruits of the soil. Like all good old hippies I work hard and sweat a lot to create fun for myself.

So, as a conservative old liberal dude sorta guy, what can I do?

I do not think the continuation of the past 8 years of failed policies is supportable.

I have not lived int he USA for decades. But I visit often, drive long distances while there, and talk to many people. I usually ask peoples points of view on topics of importance. Politics, The Economy, Wages, Education, Quality of Life, etc, etc, etc.

I learned a long time ago that the average person wants little from life… security of family, property… a meaningful and contributory position/ job… a future for progeny… a possibility of a comfortable old age.

But there are so many lives, people, social groups that are no longer “AVERAGE”… Some folks simply do not give much of a shit any more. Some would rather burn the 7-11 than mow their lawn.

I am going to get shot for this… BUT some folks simply are not educated/ informed enough to make positive decisions. The Placebo of Democracy is evident where the social masses are so easily excited and directed.

So, Professor, is it a lost cause… a no choice situation… where we write in Mickey Mouse… or, as I have been prone, to sit back and refuse to participate in a rigged, smoke-and-mirror filled voting booth.

Smiles