I was a Democrat for most of my life. I was born and raised in a so-called “Blue” state where I once lived on Cape Cod and watched JFK fly overhead back to Hyannisport in a chopper from Otis AFB. I was in the state of the O’Neils -Tip and “Dapper”. I stuffed envelopes for Michael Dukakis. It never occurred to me that I was anything but a Democrat.

That ended with talk radio. After the “Fairness Doctrine” was repealed in 1987 and Rush and others blossomed, we had an opportunity to hear another point of view instead of the largely leftist-controlled print, television and movies. When I began to THINK about the issues instead of dumbly, reflexively pulling the lever next to the D on the ballot, I realized that I believed in almost nothing that the left believes in.

Which brings me to why I am writing a blog.

I don’t mind if you are a fervent Democrat or a Libertarian, Green, Reform, Constitution or whatever party and have strongly-held opinions. All that I ask is that you be able to discuss your beliefs rationally and back up your positions with facts and figures. It is so depressing when one does a bit of research on a subject and tries to engage a friend in conversation and you just get back a bunch of emotion-filled tirades about what a jerk George Bush is.

We live in troubled times. The rumored ancient Chinese curse “May you live in interesting times” is upon us and none of us can safely sit on the sidelines.

A generational war with Islamo-fascists, Iran, Israel, government-run health care that will drain our treasury, massive transfer payments from a shrinking working pool to retirees that is already draining the treasury because politicians could not keep their hands out of the cookie jar, mandated global warming fines that the U.N. devised to cripple and kill capitalist societies, immigration, dumbing down, YEARRRRGGHHGHH (insert Dean scream here). OK. OK. So I’m ranting a little bit, but seriously folks, don’t you think we might have a few problems here that demand reasonable discussion sans emotion?

When tackling a topic I’ll try and offer facts and figures, my opinions and the opinions of those whose views and solutions seem rational. I’d love to be challenged and to challenge. Let’s have a dialogue. I’d love to try and change a mind or two. Maybe I’ll succeed. Maybe I’ll have my mind changed. But don’t tell me what a jerk George Bush is. He isn’t running in this election.