Simpleton Esquire III
Okay, so my name is not Simpleton nor am I an esquire (no lawyer or young nobleman here). It’s an alias designed to perform two functions: 1) make you aware that I am a novice to politics and policy and most likely just a foolish, gullible person, 2) keep my identity private so I don’t end up with a flamin’ bag of dog poo on my doorstep. You know who you are!
Who I am is a concerned dad, husband and citizen. And unfortunately all of the so called professional politicians, pundits and commentators that I have listen to since the 1990s are heavy on rhetoric and light on solutions. I think they intentionally make the issues overly complex in order to stay in power and/or make MONEY.
I grew up in a small town in Oregon, where my mom and I with three other siblings grew up living next to the railroad tracks. We were dirt poor, but I didn’t know that nor did I realize that we considered by most in the community to be white trash until I was much older.
My mom fought to move us from poverty to working class to lower middle class. It was a life lesson that I will never forget and an experience that has shaped who I am for the last 50 years or so.
After high school I worked in a mill in Oregon making plywood for three years. Yes, I was a Union man. After three years of working graveyard, though, I decided that college may be the way to go. I now have two bachelors and a masters degree.
I’m a registered Democrat but I’m more of a Libertarian. I think we should spend as much as possible on social programs we just need to be able to actually pay for it and every dollar must be well spent and accounted for. Waist should not be an option.
I think Unions are important for the workers, but they can lead to excess and abuse–especially when they stop benefiting the actual clients and only benefit the workers and administrators.
I’m pro-gun; I’m just not pro-crazies having guns. I’m prochoice but I think we should try to reduce the need for abortions by offering a variety of options that encourages abstinence, better birth control, personal responsibility, adoption, etc.
