Y2K Survivor

Politics has always been a big thing in my family.  My Dad is a firm believer in the American system.  When I turned 18 I registered for Selective Service, as required by law, and I registered as a Republican.  My Dad who was a fierce Independent simply said, "Well you made your choice, now you have to live with it."

Sure it sounds rough, but I knew he was tickled inside, because he was a hard core conservative and fit right into the Regan era.  I voted for Ronnie that first year in 1980 and then again in '84.  We suffered through severe recession that touched every life in Oklahoma, but frankly I was in far Western Oklahoma where life revolved around farming and ranching and I had no experience in either.  SO the things I knew anything about did not effect me, and the things I knew nothing about just got worse.

I voted for Bush I in '88, I thought of him as Ronnie Jr by that point.  I mean all the dude did in eight years was attend funerals, how bad could he mess things up.  Then suddenly the Berlin Wall fell, Noriega was run to ground, the Soviet Union collapsed and the cold war was over and I kept thinking, How in the hell can this squeaky little man talk about 1,000 points of light and then go behind closed doors and secretly change the world? 

Honestly it terrified me!  There was the Savings and Loan scandal that benefited his family yet nobody was held accountable.  There was the Iran Contra deal where the people responsible were never held accountable, there were just too many people not being held accountable and it was wrong.

Dad on the other hand remains very conservative and can't seem to see how the Republican Party no longer represents him... other than by cutting taxes.  The fact that he can afford a new truck from the taxes he saves doesn't seem effected by the fact that truck is beat to hell on the roads that never get fixed.  He was proud he bought Life Flight passes should they be needed out in rural Oklahoma.  He really can't comprehend there might not be fuel for the chopper or a pilot on the payroll due to lack of pay.

But Dad called me the other night with a deal.  He knew I no longer trusted the Repugs.  He knew I felt Bush Jr would be the worst thing to ever happen to this country and he knew I have never changed my opinion.  It pains him that we have drifted so far apart when we once shared a common bond in a belief of fiscal responsibility.  Something not even Ronald Regan ever provided.  But he called with a deal, "I'll agree to not vote for the old guy if you agree to not vote for the black guy."

I wanted to scream my disillusionment at the entire system he still maintained faith in, I wanted to swear and rant and rave.  But I ended up expressing futility because the decision is not up to American voters but the delegates in each state.  Oklahoma had an overwhelming majority of primary voters opt for Hillary, yet at a recent Democratic Convention I was informed OUR delegates are undecided on whom they will support.

It's hard to believe in a system that just wont do what it is supposed to do.