There is no way to venture into these waters without someone justly or unjustly taking offense - that seems to be the nature of the political division that has and is dividing the country. Statistic links are moot, since in the world of Eds and Op-Eds, most any viewpoint can be 'proven' or 'disproven' depending on the source.
When investigating news stories, I look at sources on both sides of the aisle (there is virtually no middle-ground in American reporting and debating), find the common points and counterpoints, ignore the opinion parts, and consider what I read and see as close to fact as is possible without actually being there. Even non-American news sources from other English speaking countries have a partisan slant when reporting on us.
Sorry you think I may be trying to offend as that is not the intended purpose of my message. We are all Americans here; politics should not be a team vs. team sport, but we have made it so. Many of the issues and legislations from the far right to the far left appeal to me, as well as offend and raise disagreement - I discuss the issues and vote for the person, and make every effort to ignore if there is a D or R by their name. If I do not feel confident I have vetted a candidate, I do not vote for them.
We should not choose our representation by choosing the least-of-2-evils, but the only viable candidates presented by the 2 parties in power seldom break the 'evils of government' barrier. My candidates seldom win, but I sleep much better after voting for the person I feel will do the most good for the citizenry, and not their party.
Thank you for the reply.
albertabrightalberta
