Someone just called me a liberal

Full disclosure

I received an email earlier this week that was sent to delegates. I’m on that list. I went to the local caucus at EPHS in February before they redistricted. I was voted to be a delegate for the state convention. Then redistricting happened and I couldn’t make the meeting, so I was put on as an alternate delegate. I admit - I’ve not attended any other meetings but I try to keep up on what the group is doing. I am involved in current issues my own way.

Most people in the political world that identify as liberals aren’t really fond of me. Except my friends and family. We just don’t talk politics and we accept each other as is.

So this is interesting. Anyone who knows me, probably doesn’t think of me as a liberal.

I’m guessing this person has not read any of my newsletters because I’ve called out and supported the Pro-America team he/she supposedly is backing. And that’s what this should be about. I’m Pro-Eden Prairie. I want to take what I don’t like about what’s happened to our beautiful community and I want to make it better. It’s time to stop assuming things about people. Do your own research and make decisions based on that.

Don’t vote off some list someone gives you. READ the articles that the candidates write - EPLN and Sun Current has put out information on all the candidates. If you can read you should be able to decide for yourself where people stand. Use your discernment.

I’ve done 2 forums - one with the League of Women Voters and the Rotary. The latter was probably not my best moment and I’ll admit it. We had 30 seconds to answer, which is hard for me. I have a lot to say - hence why I started writing here on substack. But if I sounded ‘liberal’ then why don’t people follow up and ask more questions? I have spoken with many people in EP about their concerns. Trust is the biggest issue so far I’ve encountered. Trust that their elected officials don’t hear or see them.

A self-named liberal that thinks my stance on diversity is ‘egregious’ (his words) because I’m in the middle. To break this down, some people love being labeled. Some people don’t want to be labeled or categorised by skin color. So how do I side with one or the other? Maybe we should start seeing people for their merits and not because they are labeled (BIPOC). Government loves their acronyms. Everything comes down to an abbreviation, probably because they have so many categories. I would say, if I had to label myself, I’m pro-freedom. Do no harm and mind your own business are my two favorite rules. If you follow these two things most other problems melt away.

But, most people don’t fall into this category. Most people like to identify with a pack or group. Safer in numbers, I suppose. We are all individuals, though, and will not agree on everything no matter how like-minded we may be. So, can we, the human race, agree to disagree on things and still treat each other with respect, dignity, and kindness? I reached out to this individual (in screenshot above) to have a face-to-face conversation so I could see his/her point of view. The person declined to ‘possibly after the election’. Why can’t people just talk anymore? Social media has really taken over as being the new form of bullying. And when confronted, there is no backbone to support what they say.

I met Senator Steve Cwodsinski at the Rotary forum. We had a nice conversation. Does that mean we agree with each other politically? I’m pretty sure not. But we can speak civilly. And that’s how things will get done. Respect, kindness and allowing the lines of conversation to stay open. Find a way to meet in the middle. Although I have some very hard lines on certain things, many issues can be dealt with through conversation and collaboration.

I pray for the individuals that can’t see through the political fog. Use your gut and trust your own judgement. Don’t be afraid to be an individual and have your own thoughts and opinions. The last two+ years have been confusing to say the least. Maybe we need to do away with political parties all together. It seems to just keep people divided instead of figuring out ways to work together. Support the person - not the party.

Local municipal offices are non-partisan. I would say, I’m probably the most non-partisan person running for office. I’m an independent thinker who does real research. I’ve found that what we’ve been taught in school and told by our media is not always reality. The person in the Nextdoor post that doesn’t like how I described my stance on diversity and inclusion should go to the Library of Congress and look up the definition of swarthy and also who was described as swarthy. They should also look up how societal classes were described (white/black). Research. It’s all out there for you to find. Don’t be spoon fed from one side that you’ve always listened to because that’s all you know. Expand your thinking - the only way to do that is to challenge what you know and how it makes you feel. Open your mind and learn from both sides of the cortex.