[bsmith]

i feel like im learning a lot just now

This is why I believe speaking politics is essential. We all live in the same country and are all affected by politics, yet most of us don't want to speak about them leading to an overwhelming amount of countrymen who are "low information voters". Why is our country going down the road we are on? Because none of us want to talk about the only subject that controls where we go as a country as a whole.

Now, with that, I will say that in all manners, and especially politics, we must learn to communicate, discuss, and debate civilly with maturity and mutual respect. It is unfortunate that many of us allow ourselves to become emotionally charged while talking politics and it is our duty to police ourselves before the communication breaks down entirely. If that means staying out of the conversation completely, then so be it but I would hope that we can learn to talk like adults.

To me Sanders is the worst case scenario, both for the country as a whole, and certainly for our industry.

Agreed, can we please keep politics off the website, or at least argue over who would be worst, not best?

I agree on all your points, but lets keep the politics out of here!!!

It's been mentioned before, you don't get to say what you want and then tell everyone else to stop talking. It's very close minded to speak your opinion and then attempt to make it the final word. If you're going to speak your opinion, listen to others. Conversely, if you truly don't wish to be part of a political discussion then your post should look more like this:

Agreed. Let's stay focused on our business and let the politicians do their thing. No place for a political thread here.

I will agree that this thread should probably be in the "Everything else" section. Not everyone wants to see or hear this but that's admin's job so I'll leave it at that.

I agree that we should keep the focus of this Forum on issues related to our industry, but since the topic was brought up lol....I believe both parties have contributed significantly to the structural issues we face as a country. While they sit around and point the finger back at each other, both of these parties have been in control in some form or another and have helped create many of the issues we face as a country.

Every 4 years (or 2 years if you vote in every major election cycle) we as a country argue over a "Democrat" or a "Republican", both of which (from my viewpoint) have been bought and sold. I identify as an Independent and wish that these two parties didn't hold such a strong monopoly over the political process.

I've always held this sentiment. I've never understood the need for our beautiful country to be ran by two parties that controlled everything. It is far too close to a monopoly, now more so than ever. I believe every elected official should be chosen for their merit, not for their commitment to vote for whoever their party leaders tell them to.