Yesterday was Election Day. I went out and voted once Tommy and Kel got home from work. Karissa and Chris voted also. It ended up taking us about an hour and a half between waiting in line and actually voting. By the time we got home, we still had to make dinner, so unfortunately, our arm day at the gym (the garage) had to be put on hold.

I’m not really a political person. Politics intimidates me a little because there is so much to understand, so many different opinions, and so much arguing surrounding everything. I’ve never been someone who follows every political issue or feels strongly aligned with one particular party. But lately, I’ve found myself becoming increasingly frustrated with the direction things seem to be going. I felt that going out and voting was something I needed to do. At the very least, I wanted to feel like I was doing something rather than just sitting back and complaining.

A lot of my frustration comes from things that affect everyday life. The cost of groceries, gas, and just about everything else seems so high. It’s becoming increasingly difficult for ordinary people to keep up with the cost of living. I know inflation and the economy have complicated causes, and I don’t pretend to understand them all. But I do think it’s reasonable to expect our leaders to be concerned about how their decisions affect the people who are just trying to make ends meet.

Beyond that, other things make me uncomfortable. The dismantling and significant reduction of departments like Education, the number of federal employees who have been fired or displaced, and the uncertainty surrounding programs and services that people depend on. I worry about what some of these changes could mean down the road. I also worry about the possibility of losing access to affordable health insurance or seeing other important protections reduced. Maybe some government agencies need restructuring, and I’m certainly not opposed to accountability or making improvements where they’re needed. But there’s a difference between making thoughtful changes and making sweeping decisions without fully considering the consequences.

I also don’t like the intimidation, threats, and scare tactics that seem to have become such a common part of political conversations. I don’t think fear should be the primary way to get people to agree with you or support your decisions. We should be able to have disagreements, ask questions, and challenge the people in charge without feeling like we’re being threatened or made to choose sides.

And honestly, what is with the president wanting to put his name on practically everything? It feels unnecessary, self-promotional, and, in some cases, like a waste of taxpayer money. There are so many more important things that deserve attention and resources.

I also find myself thinking about how different things seem now compared to what I remember. I can’t say I followed politics closely enough in the past to know all the differences, and I’m certainly not suggesting that everything was wonderful back then. I know there have always been disagreements, controversial decisions, and plenty of political problems. But I don’t remember things feeling quite this divisive. It seems like people have become so deeply divided that even having a reasonable conversation about politics can turn into an argument. There are such strong feelings, so much hostility, and so much resentment toward anyone who happens to think differently.

I don’t want to feel like I have to belong to one political side to have an opinion. I don’t want to automatically agree with everything one party does or automatically disagree with everything the other party does. I want to be able to look at individual decisions, consider what makes sense, question what doesn’t, and form my own opinions.

I understand that no president, political party, or administration is ever going to get everything right. Things weren’t perfect before, and they certainly aren’t going to be perfect regardless of who is in office. But there’s a difference between acknowledging that politics has always been messy and accepting everything that’s happening without questioning it.

I guess that’s where I am right now. I’m not claiming to have all the answers, and I’m not trying to convince anyone to think exactly the way I do. I’m just someone who doesn’t follow politics particularly closely but is paying more attention because some of the decisions being made have real consequences for everyday people.

No, things weren’t great before. I understand that. But at this point, it just feels like we’ve gone from the usual political disagreements to something completely different. It’s hard to keep up with, hard to understand, and, quite frankly, sometimes hard to believe. It’s not just frustrating anymore. It’s straight-up unhinged.

I applied to a few jobs today, so even though the day hasn’t been as productive as I would have liked, I’m still happy with what I accomplished.

Kel is home today, and she’s making dinner tonight, which is nice. I just got back from Walmart. While I was there, I wanted to find out why my insurance hadn’t covered my medication. It turns out that the insurance will cover it on Saturday, but not before then. So, I’ll just wait until Saturday to pick up my medicine.

Overall, it was a pretty quiet day.