This Body is Bullshit

I’m tired of the noise.
The shouting. The finger-pointing. The “if you’re not with us, you’re against us” mentality that’s swallowed this country whole. Somewhere along the way, common sense and compassion became radical concepts and that breaks my heart.

I’m a values-first voter. I lean progressive on many issues but see the world through a moderate lens. I believe in empathy, common sense, and protecting the vulnerable, but I also believe in accountability, law and order, and practical solutions. Those things can coexist. In fact, they should.

I support access to healthcare, education, and reproductive rights. I believe immigrants who work hard and follow the rules deserve a path forward. I care deeply about the environment, veterans, farmers, and small businesses. I’m spiritual but not religious. I own a gun, but I don’t think civilians need assault rifles. I’m not far-left or far-right — I just believe we should take care of each other and stop turning every disagreement into a war.

I usually vote Democrat because it aligns closest to my values, but I don’t vote party line. I vote with my heart, my brain, and my conscience. I loved Obama — not because he was perfect, but because he was decent. I hate Trump — not because he’s Republican, but because he’s #@&*$#( fill in the blank). There’s a difference between being conservative and being a Trump supporter, and I wish more people could see that.

I respect wealth and success. I understand that some policies benefit certain groups more than others — and that’s life. But I also believe if you’ve been fortunate, you should pay your share. You don’t have to lose for someone else to win. We rise higher when everyone has a chance to stand on solid ground.

I was a single mom. I’ve struggled to make rent, to buy groceries, to stay afloat. My daughter’s college debt is suffocating, but I wouldn’t change it. Education matters. Opportunity matters. I want her to have a world that doesn’t punish people for being born without privilege.

I believe in helping your neighbor, loving without conditions, and protecting people who can’t protect themselves. I support LGBTQ+ rights, and I’ll never apologize for that. Nobody should have to fight for the right to exist or love who they love.

The thing is, I work with people who are scared — hardworking men and women, many immigrants, many parents — who come in every day and give everything they have. They hear words like “ICE” and “deportation,” and I can see the fear take over their faces. They’re not political pawns. They’re human beings trying to survive. When you see that kind of fear up close, it changes how you look at policy and people. It’s not theoretical — it’s personal.

I’m exhausted watching people treat politics like a team sport where the only goal is to crush the other side. I miss nuance. I miss empathy. I miss when people could disagree without disgust. We’re all living in the same broken system, and yelling at each other won’t fix it.

I want leaders who tell the truth, even when it’s messy. I want people to stop pretending complex problems have easy answers. I want decency to matter again. Accountability without cruelty. Compassion without weakness. Progress without arrogance.

Maybe that makes me naïve. Or maybe it just makes me human — one of many standing somewhere in the middle, tired of the extremes, still believing that good people can disagree and still build something better together.