Why Not Issues instead of an Agenda

We like to categorize everybody and label them.  Once we do that we assume they support the appropriate agenda.

So Democrat or Republican you become bedfellows with people you don't really agree with.

Now a lot of Americans now declare themselves as independent, which is fine, except in elections they are still faced with picking one of the agendas if they want to vote.  Even worse, they likely didn't have a chance to vote in a primary to help select the agenda.

Now party platforms are a bit of a tradition but because you want to reduce the national debt doesn't mean you are against gay marriage.

The two things are unrelated and lumping these things together in an agenda is a problem.

In an election that was decided by our quirky electoral system, we elected a man with a history of certain liberal leanings who was viewed as a jobs president.

Now a lot of people who voted for him likely had to hold their nose while doing so, but he catered to the anti abortion folks and pro gun folks as well as the out of work blue collar guys with a sprinkling of racists, bigot and then some business people to grab a few swing states.

Now this group is certainly not cohesive and generally aren't all going to the same parties.

Yet they sort of compose the Republican party.

Now, by pretty much any measure you can devise, I'm very liberal, especially when it comes to individual lifestyles.  You want to get married, I don't care who it is, although human is preferable.

You practice an odd religion or no religion at all, not my business.

You speak a different language than I do, hell not my concern.

You want to own a gun, fine, but I do think there should be a few restrictions on where you carry it, hell even in the old westerns they did that.

Now I however do think that we could use a stronger economy and more jobs and a better tax system, although I don't know if I like any of the current proposals.

Defense is important but it has to be the right defense, that actually protects us and our allies, not just a lot more of things we don't need.

Health care should be something that everyone gets when they need it, period.

Immigration?  We are a country of immigrants but we do need to keep out known criminals and terrorists.  Otherwise they help build our country greater.

Now as far as songs and symbols, they don't mean much to me and whether you stand sit or do flips is sort of irrelevant.  How a person behaves, obey the laws, do their part, pay their taxes sort of buys them the right to do stupid things if they want.

Now I sort of think a lot of Americans are in line with most of this, but we are sort of forced to accept things we don't like to get something we do like.

Why not have binding plebiscites?  Let our idiots in Washington debate these things and then put a proposal on the ballot that people can vote yay or nay?

Guess it would cut down on the lobbying contributions but otherwise, why not?