politickles

I've been really enjoying Borepatch lately. He's a solid writer who uses humor with gusto to prove his points, and doesn't tote a party line. He's also the guy who gave me this from his blog:



Which pretty much sums up the frustrations of just about everyone I know.

I make no secret of the fact that I'm not apolitical, but tend to be reluctant to sha emy views too heavily. Most people assume I think the way they do when I fail to counter or ally myself with their views. This is interesting from a sociological standpoint, but I just do it because I'm usually too busy, or too wrapped up with something in my own head to bother. The truth is that I'm a conservative and unashamedly libertarian in my leanings. I'm not retarded, so I don't like being pandered to, and Borepatch's position does often coincide with mine: the silent majority is viewed as an underclass by the ruling elite on both sides of the aisle.

In my brief foray in the world of New York Harbor tugboating, I found that the crew of the boats I encountered were staunchly Democratic in flavor, while the captains were a mix. This says something about the role of economics in political views to me. Most guys were outright pissed that I wouldn't agree with their view, and I was accused of being a snob.

Now I work for a mid-atlantic based company, with a heavy proportion of captains and crew from just south of the Mason-Dixon line. The political environment is absolutely more Republican, which should seemingly fit my interests more closely, but, to me, it's all just more folks touting the party line. I think of the individual man or woman when it comes to politics, but the truth is, with the exceptions of the mayor of my old home town, and one friend from my church who's a town counselor, there isn't a single elected official; local, state or federal, who I would trust to babysit my kid, and how awful is that? So, yeah, the truth is, we're trending downward with no sign of the hope and change promised, and no alternatives from the dim bulbs on the other side. I'd rather vote for the people who aren't entrenched like ticks on the ass of a squirrel, and see what they can do. Things will either improve or they'll accelerate, and there's no dignity in this decline anyhow.

Anyways, enough non-maritimy stuff. In a little while, we're going to load up a brandy-newey bulk carrier with a mix of fuels, then, presumably, make the 12-hour steam home tonight, where, with any luck, I'll be able to raise up a few striped bass.