Answers: Politics and Blogging

It seems like courthouses and answer posts are the easiest topics for me to actually get posted these days.  I have so much more to write about, but for now I'll answer the awesome questions posed to me about blogging and politics!

Summer asks: What inspires your writing?

The places I visit, things I do, books and articles I read, what I think and pray about, and the people I talk with.  I'm also inspired by the five years of posts I already have on this blog, my love of writing, and the kind comments I receive.

Gloria Kluth asks: What made you decide to start this blog?

I wanted a place to share my political thoughts.

Adam asks: Which president do you think was the most under-rated? 

After looking at historical ranking lists,  the most under-rated is going to have to be George W. Bush.  He may not have been the greatest president, but currently he is rated as 10th worst.  That means he's rated worse than Richard Nixon, who actually resigned, and Herbert Hoover, who was president at the start of the Great Depression.  History will think more kindly about Bush than people do today.

Allison asks: What made you so passionate about politics? 

My parents were always interested in politics.  We didn't have a television around our house when I was little, so one of the first things I remember watching was the election results coming in for the 2000 election.  They took us to a Bush rally in 2004.  And instead of reading comics as a child, I read Investor's Business Daily and The Wall Street Journal--which my papa subscribed me to when I was 10 years old.  

When I finally was going to be old enough to vote, my parents took me to see several of the primary candidates in 2011--Santorum, Bachmann, Cain, and Paul.  We went to the Ames Straw Poll together.  I wanted to make sure I voted for someone I could have a clear conscience choosing, and after a lot of research, I decided to vote for Ron Paul.

Ron Paul and I in 2011.

After the straw poll, I read several of Paul's books, and we went to another of his rallies.  I really liked most of his ideas, and I admire that he's a man of integrity.  Being part of the Ron Paul Revolution was awesome.  He inspired me to read Bastiat, Hayek, and Von Mises.  

Today I'm a registered Republican because I like to participate in our state's caucuses (otherwise I may have chosen to be an Independent).  I'm highly skeptical of politicians in both parties.  I'm not passionate about being a Republican.

But I am passionate about liberty.  Why?  Because my family fought and died for it.  

On one side of my family, I'm a third-generation immigrant.  But on the other side of my family, my roots go back to before the Revolution. My family fought for independence from the British.  They died to preserve the Union.  They suffered the life-long effects of mustard gas in World War 1.  They died in World War 2.  My grandpa, a United States Marine, is one of the Frozen Chosin who survived Korea.  My mom served during the Gulf War.  

If I had to walk through snow and bitter wind the five miles to the polls to vote, I would.  They sacrificed far too much for me to forget.  

For me, voting and political involvement and self-education are ways to honor the memory of my forefathers who had the faith to fight for a liberty they could pass on to me.  

Abe Lincoln and I at the Ames Straw Poll in 2011

John Adams wrote, "Posterity, you will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in heaven that ever I took half the pains to preserve it."

Mr.  Adams, may you always be a happy man in heaven.