Please don't judge me....

but,

I....don't....like....politics!

Whew! There. I got it out.

I just don't like it.

Please don't think me an ignorant fool.

I KNOW that the decisions made in our national, and especially local councils WILL affect me. I KNOW that. I know that I SHOULD care. And that every responsible, adult citizen should be informed about whats going on and do their civic duty by speaking out and standing up.... voting wisely and bringing about change for good... making sure that bills being passed match with things that they value. I KNOW that I should not take the sacrifices that hundreds of brave men and women have made lightly...that I should appreciate their continual fight for our freedoms. And I do.

I don't think that my problem is a lack of caring, or wanting to be involved, to be concerned, to be educated.

I think that my problem is lack of knowledge.

I...don't...understand....politics.

That is why I don't like it.

I've tried to understand. Really, I have. I've tried to learn and stay informed and read dry interesting government debates and updates, and get the 'facts'. But that is the problem.

WHERE ARE THE FACTS??????

I am an average citizen. I depend on the media's coverage to learn what is happening. It seems that every news source is biased one way or the other. I could go crazy reading for days trying to find the 'correct' interpretation of events. Or, better yet, the UNinterpreted event, so that I could decide for myself.

It becomes an insane game of he-said, she-said. Some people tell me to look at a topic and read one article from one 'side' and then read another article on the same topic from the other 'side'. Then decide from what little has been gleaned from this effort how I feel about a person's character and what decisions they will make on my behalf, or which group I should align myself with or how I feel about a particular issue.

Do I look like I have that much time on my hands??? (ok. ignore the fact that i'm blogging in the middle of the day in the middle of the week. )

But really. If I have extra time, I want to spend it researching people I actually KNOW. Reconnecting with friends, talking to family, hanging out with my husband...the REAL people in my life.

Yes, I like to learn new things. Yes, I like to know what's going on in the world. Yes, I think its important to stand up for what I value. Yes, I know I am blessed to live in the United States of America where the founding fathers built an amazing government.

But why do I have to choose a party? Why do I have to put myself in a box and be identified by it? I do NOT like the contention it causes. I do not like the narrow-mindedness of it. I do not like the petty gossip and blatant bias. I do not like the obsession with analyzing every utterance and digging into personal lives. I do not like the deception and games.

HELP!

What should I do?

How can I learn to like politics?

Anyone?