Did You Watch the Debate? Neither Did I. Let’s Talk About Something Else.

Did you catch the Republican debate last night?

Yeah, neither did I. I’ll tell you why, then move on.

They lie, so what’s the point of listening? We all recognize the contenders; they are the usual suspects. None are honest. None would do anything but work for wealthy donors.

Oh, look. There is one new guy in the mix, the relatively young, lubricious man wearing the meticulously tailored suit, and flashing a blindingly polished smile. With no political experience, he is marketed as ‘the dark horse.’

What’s his story? One fact sums him up. The slick new guy, the CEO, GOP contender Vivek Ramaswamy, wants to “abolish the department of education” and “end the teachers’ unions.” Weird, right? Not really; stupid people are easier to control. More importantly, Vivek Ramaswamy says 18-year-olds should not have the right to vote. He wants to disenfranchise voters aged 18-21.

Other Republicans feel the same way, but they’re going about it in a more discrete manner. They intend to end registration drives at schools, close polling stations near colleges, limit or end absentee and mail-in voting, which is how many college students and military personnel cast ballots.

Why don’t Republicans don’t want young people to vote? They know the 18-21 demographic understands the conservative agenda is targeting their rights more than those of any other generation. Generation Z is angry, and for good reason. They’re enraged at reproductive rights restrictions, the blind eye conservatives have toward gun violence, the blocking of student loan forgiveness, and their disregard for the planet that they will be left with.

If Gen Z votes, while they still can, the Grand Old Party will desist to exist. If Gen Z doesn’t vote, democracy will cease to exist. I hope they are paying attention. To those who don’t plan to show up on Election Day, know this; your ballot is important. If your vote didn’t matter, they wouldn’t be working so hard to take it from you.

GOP Contender Vivek Ramaswamy Thinks 18 Is Too Young to Vote

This I know is true: The Republican Party protects the interests of the wealthiest 1%. And, behind every self-made billionaire is inherited wealth, labor exploitation, tax loopholes, and government subsidies. They can’t enjoy a meal unless they know that somewhere there is someone who is starving. [cough-ElonMusk-cough]

~~Moving On~~

Let’s talk about something that doesn’t require a benzodiazepine chaser, happiness.

One of the greatest flaws of human nature, is to be dissatisfied. Too much is never enough. That is the driving force behind the ever widening wealth gap. Those who have everything want more, and they use what they have as a tool to take it.

Those of us who struggle to keep what we have seem to be fighting a losing battle because the ‘haves’ keep changing the rules. How can we be happy with the strain of security bearing down on us? We have to change our thinking.

Being happy doesn’t mean you have everything you want. It means you’re thankful for everything you have. That said, happiness requires an awareness of what you have. Maybe we all need to spend a week without to appreciate those things.

Speaking of Bezos, 190-years-ago, Søren Kierkegaard wrote anxiety is the ‘dizziness of freedom’, the dizzying effect of looking into the boundlessness of one’s own possibilities. Without anxiety, there would be no possibility and therefore no capacity to grow and develop as a human being.

Why is anxiety something to medicate, rather than something to motivate? I’m asking for someone with ‘anxiety disorder.’ If we consider Kierkegaard’s words … oh fuck it, where’s my Xanax.