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Who needs a kick in the pants?

Conservatives. Liberals. Pretty much anyone who starts their answers to political questions with things they heard on Rush Limbaugh or Glen Beck or Randy Rhodes without having given fives seconds of time to verify what was said. America has been polarizing politically for years, but recently it's gotten worse. With so much information now flowing to voters, people simply pick the person that shouts the loudest in their particular party and recite what that person says as gospel truth.

This kick in the pants is my way of challenging people to open their eyes and stop voting against their own interests. I'm likely to make more than a few people mad with what I say since my favorite unthinking voters recently tend to be Republicans, but the problem is a lot bigger than either party. The problem is that once upon a time, political opponents debated each other trying to convince one another of the merits of their points. The founding fathers weren't trying to win votes or sway masses, they were trying to test their beliefs and conclusions against those who saw things differently. We've lost that. We don't talk to the other side anymore, we just scream whatever our side said last as a battle cry to engage the liberal traitor or the conservative hooligan.

The loss of that conversation has cost us, we the people, our power. We don't vote for what we believe is best, we vote for who has managed to charm us the most with their carefully crafted words. Well my battle cry is "Thank, damn you! Think!" and I intend to raise a little hell trying to get people to do what's best for them and not the last guy they heard on their favorite TV or radio program.

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