I don't know why I am here, and I certainly don't know why you are.
For the vast majority of my life, I fancied myself a politician in the making, in what I believed to be all of the right ways. I enjoyed public speaking, learning nuances of policy, engaging with would-be constituents, and dedicating my days to the rigors of campaign life.
Then, seven years ago yesterday, twenty first grade students – mere kids – and six educators were gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut. My political aspirations expired not long thereafter.
I enjoy politics in the most West Wing-y of senses. I relish the gamesmanship of negotiating deals, but I love the notion that, at the end of the day, the respective parties would try to find some sort of middle ground to help their constituents. While I have worked on campaigns raising tons of money for candidates and helping to stage some (or at least one) of the biggest events in recent times, I always felt most in my element when I was pounding the pavement to knock on constituents' doors or helping to further policy research on subjects like crime and education.
I studied politics in undergraduate, and I matriculated into law school with the thought that I would be well-positioned to create law when I could understand what the hell the existing ones actually meant.
The Sandy Hook massacre occurred in the middle of my 1L year, and it hit me significantly harder than I could have expected. While after Sandy Hook the definition of mass shootings changed to enable the federal government to provide support to local officials, I was dumbfounded by our Congress' utter inability to pass any sort of legislation to help prevent these types of senseless mass casualties.
Ultimately, I realized my profound disinterest in being a part of a system deadlocked by special interests in a hyper-partisan environment. I decided instead to embrace a familial background in real estate and make as much money as possible, with the hope that I could allocate my private donations better than I could've apportioned public funds.
I have tried – very, very hard – to avoid politics in recent years. Much to the chagrin of some of my more active friends, I generally decline to engage in discussions about politics because, to me, there are no longer genuine debates about what is best for our country. It befuddles me that the internet has shepherded in a new Age of Enlightenment and yet, somehow, we have grown palpably more stupid. People no longer think for themselves, opting instead to align with binary positions on issues far too complicated to be administered the AB testing methodology.
Our political parties routinely take hardline positions with the intent to gain seats in the next elections, winnowing out from existence the RINOs and DINOs (Republicans-in-Name-Only, and their Democratic counterparts) who used to form the middle ground on which politicians could reach a compromise. This void has manifested itself in very perceptible ways.
From the standpoint of this lifelong Democrat, President Trump is certainly guilty of many deplorable (and, likely, impeachable) offenses, but what I find most disappointing is the reckless disregard that Republican politicians seem to have for the U.S. Constitution. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has publicly stated that he is coordinating with the White House on impeachment strategy, before the impeachment trial rules have even been coordinated. While the parties were able to pass rules on trial during the Clinton impeachment hearings by a unanimous vote of 100-0, Senator McConnell seems unwilling to honor even the most basic requirement of his office in these proceedings, the jurors' Oath:
Moving forward, I aver that my intention is to keep this blog generally apolitical and to instead focus on actual policies at the local and national levels that affect my everyday business. As real estate is a business of relationships and my comments could run the risk of jeopardizing such relationships, my intention is to keep this blog anonymous for the time-being. I see this as an opportunity to develop my thoughts, ideate about solutions, and make suggestions that I think could positively impact my community and others.
For now, I rest easy knowing that I, the author, am likely the first and last person who will ever read this sentence.
For the vast majority of my life, I fancied myself a politician in the making, in what I believed to be all of the right ways. I enjoyed public speaking, learning nuances of policy, engaging with would-be constituents, and dedicating my days to the rigors of campaign life.
Then, seven years ago yesterday, twenty first grade students – mere kids – and six educators were gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut. My political aspirations expired not long thereafter.
I enjoy politics in the most West Wing-y of senses. I relish the gamesmanship of negotiating deals, but I love the notion that, at the end of the day, the respective parties would try to find some sort of middle ground to help their constituents. While I have worked on campaigns raising tons of money for candidates and helping to stage some (or at least one) of the biggest events in recent times, I always felt most in my element when I was pounding the pavement to knock on constituents' doors or helping to further policy research on subjects like crime and education.
I studied politics in undergraduate, and I matriculated into law school with the thought that I would be well-positioned to create law when I could understand what the hell the existing ones actually meant.
The Sandy Hook massacre occurred in the middle of my 1L year, and it hit me significantly harder than I could have expected. While after Sandy Hook the definition of mass shootings changed to enable the federal government to provide support to local officials, I was dumbfounded by our Congress' utter inability to pass any sort of legislation to help prevent these types of senseless mass casualties.
Ultimately, I realized my profound disinterest in being a part of a system deadlocked by special interests in a hyper-partisan environment. I decided instead to embrace a familial background in real estate and make as much money as possible, with the hope that I could allocate my private donations better than I could've apportioned public funds.
I have tried – very, very hard – to avoid politics in recent years. Much to the chagrin of some of my more active friends, I generally decline to engage in discussions about politics because, to me, there are no longer genuine debates about what is best for our country. It befuddles me that the internet has shepherded in a new Age of Enlightenment and yet, somehow, we have grown palpably more stupid. People no longer think for themselves, opting instead to align with binary positions on issues far too complicated to be administered the AB testing methodology.
Our political parties routinely take hardline positions with the intent to gain seats in the next elections, winnowing out from existence the RINOs and DINOs (Republicans-in-Name-Only, and their Democratic counterparts) who used to form the middle ground on which politicians could reach a compromise. This void has manifested itself in very perceptible ways.
From the standpoint of this lifelong Democrat, President Trump is certainly guilty of many deplorable (and, likely, impeachable) offenses, but what I find most disappointing is the reckless disregard that Republican politicians seem to have for the U.S. Constitution. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has publicly stated that he is coordinating with the White House on impeachment strategy, before the impeachment trial rules have even been coordinated. While the parties were able to pass rules on trial during the Clinton impeachment hearings by a unanimous vote of 100-0, Senator McConnell seems unwilling to honor even the most basic requirement of his office in these proceedings, the jurors' Oath:
I solemnly swear (or affirm) that in all things appertaining to the trial of [President Donald J. Trump], now pending, I will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws, so help me God.My perspective on this trial, and all other political matters, is simply that our history, our founding documents, and our governing bodies only serve a purpose so long as those in power respect the institutions underpinning that power. Sadly, this seems to no longer be the case.
Moving forward, I aver that my intention is to keep this blog generally apolitical and to instead focus on actual policies at the local and national levels that affect my everyday business. As real estate is a business of relationships and my comments could run the risk of jeopardizing such relationships, my intention is to keep this blog anonymous for the time-being. I see this as an opportunity to develop my thoughts, ideate about solutions, and make suggestions that I think could positively impact my community and others.
For now, I rest easy knowing that I, the author, am likely the first and last person who will ever read this sentence.
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