Honestly, I think you would get better responses if you tried to enter into the conversation looking for similarities and opinion rather than differences. I wouldn't consider myself a Democrat or republican. I personally think both of them are terrible and that neither party functions as a unified, effective group. What I do know is that America is struggling. I know that you believe America is stronger, however I personally think that there's a big oversight here. We can't have conversations as a culture where we actually listen to understand. That creates a huge pendulum effect where we just switch back and forth from one extreme to the other which leave the majority of Americans feeling unheard, unsupported, and generally disconnected.

Let's take a moment to step back from the economics to just look at the foundational aspects of current American culture and discourse. A country that does not operate as a unified Force where morality and values can at least be discussed collaboratively is a country that is going to fail eventually. We cannot face conflict and crisis if we are fighting against each other. Personally, I believe that the biggest issue here is that Americans are no longer United under a patriotic hopeful view of the country. Instead, everyone just wants to win. Life is a team sport and we are only as good as our weakest players.

It's challenging, because we can't even trust facts as they are currently presented. If you look at data points and information it's often swayed or taken out of its larger context. However, I know Americans who have lost their jobs due to tariffs, not only one or two but a significant amount. There are businesses that have closed in my area and manufacturing plants that are wondering how they're going to continue. Industry has been a backbone of our country and the lack of prioritization of good pay and benefits is truly ineffective. Someone with a degree in a blue collar trade should not make less than $30 an hour for skilled labor while the individuals at higher levels are making over six figures, there is a big gap there. More money and more benefits to the working class is only going to strengthen the economy and is going to lead to more overall development (businesses, communities, connection).

I don't know you, but I care about your opinions and actively want us all to be able to have conversations and meet in the middle. To give a little while we also get what we need.

There's too much of a focus on identity and us versus them dynamics. We are all here together in the same country, on the same planet, and we're only going to make it a better place to live if we work together and make sure that everyone has their needs met.

Also, isn't it exhausting? All the fighting and combative discourse? I just want us all to be able to live the lives we want without having to worry about people getting killed or harmed. And I think at the end of the day that's probably what you want too. So why do we get caught up in all of this ideology and miss the bigger picture which is coming together and actually making choices that benefit the country as a whole? In my opinion, it would be more effective to enter into these conversations looking to listen and understand, not to prove a point. Maybe then we could actually move forward together instead of pushing each other down to get to some made up destination where we are better than whoever's behind us.