As I continue to watch the news, I find myself bombarded by politics and propaganda and honestly, I'm perplexed. Generally I try to keep myself out of politics because I don't like to fight about things like that because people generally feel very strongly and it is never an argument that one can have civilly. However, I must put my two cents in.

First, let me announce that it perplexes me that we still have a two party system (disregarding all minor parties that don't get real genuine recognition). The way I look at the political parties in the United States, is that they don't exist. I have yet to figure out how people whole heartedly affiliate to one party. What should happen if the nominee of your party is someone who you cannot stand? What if you don't agree with a single thing they say? Do you just not vote? Do you make some sort of exception where you back the other party because the one you are affiliated to wasn't a valid option? These are some things that puzzle me.

For what it matters, I myself am and independent. For those of you who don't understand that, I do have some reasons why. First, I am keeping my options open. No I'm not too uninformed to affiliate with a single party. I am actually quite informed. I am not looking for the easy way out of politics. By choosing to be an independent, I leave my options open. This way, I can have my own opinions on all matters and whether I may agree with democrats or republicans, I do not have to stick to that party in a future election. I am free to follow whichever candidate I choose. I am also free to not follow any candidate and not feel like I am not being true to my party.

Along with political parties comes voting. Being that this is the first election i can vote in, I am rather excited, like I imagine a lot of first time voters are. Yet, I have lately that a lot of people are not going to vote. Let me just say that this upsets me. While I feel that it is not my right to dictate the lives of other people, but the people who do not vote are going to be the same people who complain about the outcome of the election and the future president in general. Should you ask me, if you do not vote, you have no right to get upset, complain or say "if we had elected the other candidate, none of this would be happening". For all you know, your vote, along with all the votes of the other people who did not vote could have been the deciding factor on who became president. Short and simply, if you did not vote, don't complain.

This is not a shot at those who affiliate with a political party or a hoo rah for those who don't, it is simply something I have felt very strongly about for a while and have finally decided to write about.