Thursday, November 26, 2020

Being Thankful in 2020

 

 
As we are approaching the end of 2020, I have a lot to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving Day. There have been many ups and downs and all arounds in 2020 for all of us, and this year unlike most years the world has collectively suffered in ways that for most of us seemed unimaginable in our days. What we have gone through in 2020 is what we would normally read about in history books and say, "Wow, crazy stuff went on the world in such and such a year." And though there are many people in the world who have suffered things far worse than me in 2020, personally I would rate this year as being more positive than negative. Basically, I've had worse. Some highlights for which I'm thankful for in 2020 were the following: 
 

Monday, November 2, 2020

My History of Voting for the President of the United States

 

Since I started voting, I have always been an Independent.  I have voted for both Democrat and Republican nominees for President. No matter who I voted for, I have always voted 50% Democrat and 50% Republican down the ballot. This is because I believe in government accountability. No party should have all the power. My two main determinations on how I vote for President have to do with the economy and foreign policy. I don't care about social issues, at least when it comes to voting. With this being said, below is an outline of the history of my voting record. Something has now happened where everything I once believed no longer applies as of 2020.
 
According to my parents, of which I have absolutely no recollection, the first time I voted for the President of the United States was for the 1984 election between Ronald Reagan and Walter Mondale. The reason I have no recollection of this is because I was eight years old. Apparently, because my father was nervous about it or not able to read the ballot and understand it properly, since his primary language and education was Greek, my mother had him take me along with him to fill out the ballot. I was told to vote for Reagan. Because of this, I like to say that the first President I voted for was Ronald Reagan in 1984, even though I was born in 1976. The only thing I do remember from this time, is that 1984 was the first year I began to give special attention to the election process and cycle for the United States President, and I remember being really happy and relieved that Reagan won by a landslide, and I stayed up late to follow the outcome.