This site is dedicated to civil political discourse.  It is intended as a safe place to discuss issues facing America with people of differing points of view.  There will be no tolerance for name-calling or profanity or any other means of disrespecting someone else or their opinion.   To that end, you should include reasons for your opinion when you share it so that we can all understand your point of view and judge it on its full merits.  All I ask is that everyone listens to what others have to say.  Don’t use this site as a soapbox or a place to vent.

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I’ve never been on any debate team, but I heard somewhere that one of the secrets of successful debating is knowing what your opponent is going to say.  “If you can’t make your opponent’s point for them, then you don’t fully understand the topic.”  This may or may not be something discussed on actual debate teams, but it did strike me as something useful to keep in mind for every day life.  It’s what prompted me to create this page.

My background, my social circles, and, according to at least one study, my genetics, predispose me towards liberal viewpoints.  This doesn’t mean I agree with all of them or have to be a card carrying Democrat, because I don’t and I’m not.  It does mean that even when I think liberals are wrong about something, I understand where they are coming from.  I am barraged daily with news feeds and Facebook posts reinforcing liberal ideas.  I get liberals.  I sympathize with them.  I know what motivates them.

What made me realize there is a problem with this country is not that conservatives doggedly oppose liberals.  It’s that I can’t fathom why anyone supports President Trump or the current Republican party.  I’m left with the liberal idea that conservatives are either stupid or greedy.  The flaw in that reasoning is that I personally know several intelligent and generous people who are conservatives.  They voted Republican and support Trump.  Almost half the country is “red” and they are all Americans too.  If half the country can’t understand the other half and refuses to try, then we’re all going down together.

And that’s the point of this site.  On a personal level, I want to understand the current generation of conservatives.  I used to be more in touch and have held conservative opinions before, but these days I’m not entirely sure what modern conservatism is.  If nothing else, this site will help me understand politics and America better.  My hope is that it will help all of you understand and respect both red and blue points of view whether you agree with them or not.

One additional note I’d like to make is that despite what some media outlets would like you to believe, half the country is not “red” nor is it half “blue.”  There’s quite a bit that’s “purple” or more commonly called independent or undecided.  Whenever I’m more thoughtful and patient considering political issues, I’m more purple than either other color.   This is probably why I’m interested in learning all sides to an issue.  I hope you are too.