Beginnings
I grew up climbing cliffs, riding horses, fishing, hunting, bicycling, playing basketball, working and yup, writing in the Colorado Rockies. I was born third in the family of four at the end of the baby boom, to middle aged parents who had lived challenged, but good lives in the wake of the Great Depression. They were resourceful and taught all of us by example what it takes to get along in life.
My Mother in particular talked a lot of the history of her family, the local area and her upbringing. She had a way of telling a story that not only painted every detail but brought emotion to the scenes she described to the point that you could smell the dust, or hear the train coming. Her family like many of the depression era lived simple, resourceful lives and they worked together as a unit to make a living and put food on the table.The paternal side of my family consisted of three brothers and two sisters who’s lives wove together periodically from the time my Father left home at fifteen years old until they each died at various ages. They were held in common bond by the eldest sister who’s job it became to raise the family after their Mother died in the 1918 flu epidemic.
All were hard working and incredibly talented, resourceful and tough in any situation, and by the end of the Great Depression there was not much they could not do. Particularly my Dad was confident and independent; he could build a barn, ride a horse, brand a cow, plow a field or run a business. He worked as a ranch hand, carpenter, business owner, mechanic, cowboy, hunting guide and still had time to follow his love of photography and writing. Both of my parents had no more than an eighth grade education but they learned in those eight grades more than most kids now in twelve.
Being a product of outgoing parents, all I ever wanted to do was to be heard, but I was too insistent from the very first breath, as a result I was encouraged to be “seen and not heard”, which was a phrase that often was applied to kids, and occasionally women. I had opinions from a very young age that were formed by observation and blockbuster outdoor experiences, but by and large I did not express them for my confidence was always in doubt back then.
It wasn’t until I was in my thirties that I began to recognize and understand really who I was, or rather whom I was not. I discovered I am not a timid follower, although I spent some time in my growing up doing just that due to the aforementioned insecurities. Mind you, I never followed anyone over a cliff, but always hoped to have someone to lean on when in doubt. In my thirties I suddenly became aware of being appreciated for who I was, not what I had done and I began to thrive. I began to challenge myself and eventually the world and began to try and understand our government and politics.
Prompted by my Husband, and a good girl friend who’s husband was also not registered, I re-upped my voter registration which had lapsed due to non-participation. I do not know exactly why I gave up that right as an American since I had been so proud to be one of the maiden class of 18 year old kids allowed to vote, but I had. Come to think of it, I was incredibly intimidated by the voting machines which led me to use the three or four other excuses I ended up with. Among the excuses I gave for not voting between twenty two and thirty two years old were: ‘My vote doesn’t really make a difference’; ‘I don’t have time’; well, you get the idea…any excuse to put it off and keep me from a possible embarrassment at the hands of the machines.
You would not know today that I was an ex-patriot when it came to politics for I spend quite a lot of time trying to get to the bottom of issues that confront this nation. I spend an hour or better every morning, in the winter at least, reading two to three different news sources online, and spend the early evening while cooking dinner listening to the world news and different points of view on the tube. I take it very seriously to say the least and with as open a mind as I can. If I do not know something or am suspicious of a statement I look it up; mind you with the Internet it only takes a minute to come up with the nay or yea.
I have no use for, nor do I see reason to discredit any lawmaker simply for the sake of “winning”. If you have another idea or a different take on how things should be then so be it, but name calling is not an idea nor does it foster ideas. Making up soap opera style situations do not move this government forward and simply work only to confuse otherwise well meaning individuals and that will no doubt come back to bite.
My blog is fostered by my intense desire to see fair play on the frontier of politics and to help folks understand why it is not. I am no expert on any of it, but I do understand at least some of the motives that lie under the political current and would like to share that with whomever wants to listen. Politics in general is an ebb and flow of the changing winds that must be sailed with care in order to stay in the current, but that does not mean politicians need to shoot from the lip, which is often the case these days. There are more people out there who have the “right answers” than questions to respond to. The political current of late is more like a kid with a rubber duck in the bathtub; big splashes and erratic waves with seemingly no rhyme or shame in soaking the floor just so long as they win.
As Americans we deserve to be told facts, not innuendos and out and out lies thrown around to be there for the lobbyists when they come callin’. We do not need knee jerk reaction to things, we need legislators to weigh and measure issues and do what is best for the country not what is best for the salesmen or the company they represent.
Politics have always been about winning, but the game of old was about trading favors in voting not being paid to vote a certain way. When it comes right down to it, Americans are paying politicians to vote by employing them, but we can’t compete with the billions offered by special interest lobbyist that crawl around under the table. The game has changed from just winning to making a living.
The purpose of this blog is to get my heavy political comments out of social networking where folks might find them overbearing. I want folks to engage the issues here and post comments, but I do not want slander, rumor or negative talk for we cannot deal with the issues if we engage in childish games. Leave the games to the email forward crowd. Check out the issues and bring them here where we can talk about them and investigate them. Understand that everyone has an opinion, but that does not make them or you right. Every issue has pros and cons from the left and the right. If this blog turns out to be a dud and no one appreciates it, or engages through it, then I will have written my mind which always helps me see the big picture, and I have not stepped on anyone in the process. Cheers and hope to see you on the range!
