In 2016 trolls were at their height of hate and visibility. Social media had little control and painful, traumatic comments were everywhere. Since then social media has done better getting rid of some of that, but mostly we are just more solidly in our own silos.

This is good and this is bad. There are fewer online triggers, but also less challenges to our own way of thinking. There are questions of what should be deleted and concerns that what is deleted might fall under censorship. That is a question for another day. The question for today is how do I engage in political conversation where opposing views are strongly held.

The only way to engage in potentially intense conversations is to ask more questions than to make statements. Be Columbo, or Monk, or Elsbeth looking for clues and details to help you understand their point of view. Ask questions that begin with What, How, or Why.

How did you come to that conclusion?

What fact sources do you use?

Why do you believe that?

If their answers are full of accusations, name calling or over-emotional, this person may not be able to have this conversation. Know when to fold ’em and walk away.

I believe most people want to and are capable of having difficult discussions. Give yourself and them a chance. I think you’ll be glad you did.

I have hope.

There is much despair and fear in our country. The media perpetuates the division in our country. Is it possible to watch the news and not be depressed? The media relies on clicks and viewership to maintain their bottom line and division is the best way to accomplish that goal. We are the victims of this situation. But we can be survivors if we have vision.

The vision of our future is to take back control of our thoughts and minds to imagine a world in which reasonable people can talk with one another about politics. I know, it seems impossible. We have all been led to believe it and trolls seem to make it true. But, I believe there are folks out there ready, willing and able to start a conversation.

Start with someone you know is close to your political stance. Talk with them about politics in general at first and get use to having a political chat. Next try getting into some specifics – what do they believe on a certain issue. Chances are good you both won’t have the same information or differ on facts or see the issue differently. That’s good! This is the beginning of a great conversation.

We need to realize that we don’t all agree exactly on any issue. This is where the Plaid in Political Plaid comes from. Each individual thread has something to offer. We weave a pattern together with all of our ideas.

We can practice on topics that don’t have a lot of disparity and find our way to common ground and potential solutions. Once we get good at this level, we can branch out to folks just out of our sphere of beliefs.

Envision a world where we can talk with one another. Imagine it and it can come true.

The most common way folks consider balancing the American budget is to cut social programs. These programs are seen as something slackers take advantage of and hard-working tax payers don’t want their dollars being wasted on these bums. Where do social programs fail? Have you looked into the fraud rates?

According to the internet, “In 2021, the Department of Labor (DOL) estimated that there was about $8.5 billion in fraud in regular U(nemployment) I(nsurance) payments. The DOL’s Office of the Inspector General also flagged $45 billion in UI applications as potential fraud.” This is due to Identity theft and “claim hijacking”, other fake accounts and some employers may create false accounts to avoid tax liability. Some may continue to collect benefits they are no longer eligible. There are also scam websites. But the vast majority of this is not people sitting on the couch eating potato chips, the fraud comes from scammers and criminals abusing the system.

There is also huge fraud with the same kind of criminal activity in Medicare. Maybe the government needs to be bigger by employing fraud investigators to recover this lost money and prevent further loss. It would be money well spent.

https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2019/02/top-frauds-2018

We are so focused on cutting social programs we ignore the big elephant in the room. People are scared to mention it. You’ll be accused of being unAmerican. Of doubting your government putting your patriotism in question, but have you looked at the military budget lately?

Consider this – “Last year, the DOD failed its fifth audit and was unable to account for over half of its assets, which are in excess of $3.1 trillion, or roughly 78 percent of the entire federal government.“

The DOD or Department of Defense is unable to account for $1.5+ trillion. That amount would fund all of these social programs – cash assistance, health insurance, food assistance, housing subsidies, energy and utilities subsidies, and education and childcare assistance – or, Medicare, – or Social Security.

Why can’t the DOD pass a budget audit? Who is in charge of holding the DOD accountable? We. Are.

Talk to your Congresspeople about fixing this loophole. We all want a strong, fierce military that protects us at home and in cyberspace. But the DOD must justify where this money is going. And only we can make sure that happens.

https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/markey-joins-sanders-grassley-in-bipartisan-push-to-audit-the-pentagon-and-end-wasteful-spending

I overheard a young man at a picnic talking fervently about politics to his friends. There was a young boy about three years old racing around and rolling in the grass. At one point, the young man grabbed the boy by the arm stopping him dead in his tracks, put his face an inch from his nose and loudly proclaimed, “Never trust the government, boy!” He repeated this a few more times and then let him go with a laugh.

If you ever wondered why we hold the beliefs of our families and communities, this is part of the reason why. Political beliefs are dearly held and passed along, or indoctrinated, into the next generation. What is the difference between teaching and indoctrinating, you ask? If a person is just giving their opinion, is that indoctrination?

The example at the beginning of this post is closer to indoctrination than not. It’s putting ideas in the mind of a child without any context or ability of the child to understand. It becomes a belief the child adopts without knowing why.

Teaching is where you explain your political beliefs and why you believe your ideas to be true. It’s done with a person who is developmentally ready to hear what you have to offer. If your beliefs can’t stand up to question and scrutiny, are they as strong as you think they are? Is it possible you were told to believe and do so without question?

How did you learn your political beliefs? How often do you challenge those beliefs by looking at ideas and facts from the “other side”? Can the government be trusted? Not at all ever? Sometimes? How do you decide? Since we must have a government, how would you keep the government in check? The Founders put in checks and balances with three arms of the government. Do you demand your Congresspeople keep those check and balances functioning?

Do you demand transparency? What would transparency look like from the government? How would the government balance national security with transparency?

If you have a belief the government cannot be trusted, be able to state why clearly with facts you can support. Come up with solutions on how to improve government reliability and reduce corruption. Talk with those who are mature enough to have the discussion and enact solutions.

Yelling at kids won’t solve the problem. Thoughtful action will.