Y'know, I think I still stand by my vote back in November.
It's becoming apparent, very clear -- and very fast -- that we're heading a certain direction now. With the Democrats having unified control over the government for minimum two years and a good shot at retaining that control in the midterms, things are gonna go the way they will and there's no stopping that.
And while I oftentimes agree with Democrats' ends, I disagree with their means. So that's frustrating. My vote for Trump was essentially a repudiation of Democrats' means. For example, I'm for individual liberty, personal responsibility, and small government. Democrats are more-so for collective good, mandated responsibility, and big government. We have some of the same ends in mind, like empowering working class folks, having people take the right actions, and a functional government that works for the capital-P People. We just don't really agree on the in-between junk.
But I'm okay with it. I do like just how productive and hyper-focused the Biden administration has been so far. I don't like a few things he's done, like halting the pipeline, but I like a few of the other things he's done, like lifting the transgender ban on the military and restoring some LGBTQ+ protections. (Note: believe it or not, regardless of whether you like certain peoples or agree with how they live their lives, everyone deserves basic, fundamental protections and to be treated with decency.)
At the end of the day, is what it is. I stand by my vote. I'm not too hung up on how things have gone/are going and I think it'll be fine in the long haul. I don't think of myself as a hardcore ideologue, so if the other side can make a fair case with evidence for why they're doing things the way they are, I'm happy to hear 'em out and go along with it, if it sounds convincing enough.
I'll say, though, that some things are gone for good. There are certain individual liberties which I fear may now be irreversibly encroached upon per a political agenda with the pandemic being used as justification. There are some economic shifts coming up which I worry about. The world's always gonna be in turmoil, naturally, but nonetheless.
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