How can a unaffiliated voter Survive in Red Utah!

Yesterday at work my co-worker came into my vault and said, "Michael, I need to talk to you! I like the way you look at things, and I am confused. I want to know what you think about this economy and the spin both campaigns are putting on it."

I responded with, "What do you mean?" Then it got really interesting. She began by telling me this huge story of how frustrated she is with the candidates, and how she doesn't know what to believe or whom to believe.

I asked her what set her off, and then we started from there. Before I begin writing any more on this post I want to start by saying that I am not a Democrat or a Republican. I am registered as an Independent. I believe that you should vote for the PERSON and not the Party therefore I am an unaffiliated voter. I do however lean more towards the Democratic platform than the Republican one. (This does not mean I am a Democrat!I know how most of Utah flips out when they hear the D word. This statement will lead me back to my post.)

After hearing what set her off it was easy to make her feel better. Needless to say Good Morning America set her off along with a co-worker she car pools with. I stated that she needed to consider the source. Good Morning America is not my first choice to help me get informed on what is going on in America. After telling her my thoughts she relaxed and we started talking about other things and then finally she left the vault in better shape. (Side note: my opinion here) Why is it that we have had this campaign going on for what seems like forever? I'm so sick of it already. This cartoon I saw sums it all up: the elephant's asleep and the donkey is pretty self explanatory. The sad thing about this cartoon is that it was published in 1870 and it still rings true today.

Well back to my title. As an unaffiliated voter in Utah why do people flip out when they hear the D word (Democrat)? To me this make no sense. People should be able to discuss the issues with friends, family, and co-workers. These are trying times. We are at war, the economy is in the toilet, and we still have plenty of terrorists that hate us. In November we have a chance to change the path we are on. I would think it should be discussed. I personally like to hear other people's thoughts and perspectives. It helps me get more informed and see things in a different light. I sometimes need people help to see things in a different way.

So why do Utahans flip out when they hear the D word (Democrat)? Are these people not our fellow neighbors? Are they looking at the same problems and longing for resolution as we are? I don't mean the stupid wedge issues. I mean problems like crime, community, taxes, environment, and education etc.

An Example. School Vouchers. Everyone wants more spending on education. We have all heard the comments like teachers need higher pay, class sizes need to be smaller, we need more supplies for the classroom, more parent involvement etc. So what do our congressmen do? They make school vouchers a law. They don't put it on the ballot. Could this be the answer? Maybe, I don't know, but what gets me is they make it a law without discussion. They assume Utah is so Red that it will pass. (Total Arrogance) To me this makes no sense! A law without representation. (In the 1700's we started a war because of lack of representation on taxes. Remember no taxation without representation! It was called the Revolutionary War.) So what does this community do? We sign petitions to put it on the ballot to vote and it get overwhelmingly voted down. Why did this happen? One side looked at a problem then found a solution without dialog/conversation from the the other side. (Hello checks and balances, you party of total arrogance.)

I personally don't know why one party vilifies the other. We all live in the same land, we all deal with the same issues, we all love freedom, we all long to be happy and live prosperously. We need to step outside our comfort zones and discuss issues with everyone in every party so we can make a better decision for our future.