Why I don't mind sitting on spikes
The earliest, most integral parts of American thinking developed around the notion that all of us are entitled to opinions. Upon reflection, it may be surprising then that this nation is run primarily by two political parties with such vastly different agendas.

You're not going to hear which party I belong to, nor am I going to go off on some rant that some extremist or niche party has somehow been subjected to an X-Files style conspiracy to be pushed to the sidelines of American politics.

It must be noted, though, that sometimes the best path between two extremes is somewhere down the middle.

Interestingly enough, many of the religious and philosophical ideologies that shaped American thinking included the concept of moderation. As an example, the Bible endorses moderation in the New Testament. Yet we as a nation seem to be hung up on the notion that either of two fairly extreme sets of ideals is correct, and few seem to want to venture outside the comfort of those bounds to encourage broader thinking.

While it's of value for us to have the extreme viewpoints, it would also pay for our system's participants to learn to consider the value of opposing viewpoints, to pick and choose the elements of value in them, and embrace the best as part of the decision process.

Do I like what would often seem to be the conservative notion that money and business reign supreme? No, I think not. Do I think agree with the apparent liberal perception that social causes are so important that we must overlook economic feasibility to pursue them? Negative on that, too.

But I do think that we have to have a thriving economy to make anything else work in this nation. I do also believe, however, that it's important that the government look after the needs of its society, even if those need be considered against available resources.

It is often said that folks who sit on fences end up with spikes in their posterior. I, for one, would rather end up with the occasional sore bum than have the embarassment of falling on either side.

First Post
OK, we're firing up this bad boy for the first time.

I've been thinking for a long while that I could use a public forum for rants, ravings and such. Not only is this a warmup for published writing, but also a possible prelude to web design.

What's on my mind today: Lost Opportunity.

How many of us spend our lives just drifting through it, just wandering on from one crazy thing to the next? How many of us have goals or dreams, let alone well-defined ones? And how many of us have talents that we let drift away or languish idly while we pursue our menial daily lives?

No, this isn't a prelude to a self-help tome. It is however, something I spend a great deal of time pondering, especially when I observe others around me.

Including me. I am guilty party in the shameless waste of life's extra moments, of undirected talent and enthusiasm, of misdirected energies.

A recent bit of personal epiphany led me to opening up a blog, as it became increasingly evident that I needed to do the one thing I was genetically destined for: writing.

So here we are.

Tune in every so often. I'll do my darndest to make it worth a few minutes of your net-time.