This Positive Liberal

I believe it is time to give you a little bit of information about the person behind the blog.

I was born and raised in Alabama, and have lived in the same county my entire life.  Raised around Democratic family members, I first followed the idea, as do many children, to think the same way as those around me did.  However, when I was a teenager, I began to explore other avenues of thought processes.  Paying attention to politics, and learning about government was something I set out to do on my own.

Over the years, certain beliefs about politics have changed as I learned more about the candidates I voted for, and I am not an absolute Democrat on all issues normally associated with the party. However, when I write, it is without preconceived notions.  Writing informative pieces usually takes me on a journey, finding information I did not already know.  I learn a lot when I do research for my Positive Liberals posts.

As for my personal life, I am in my late 30's, a wife, a mother of three, and have gone back to school for my degree, which I wasn't able to finish before I became a mother (as it wasn't planned).  I continued to work for a little while after my oldest was born, but because of several issues, I decided to become a stay-at-home-mom.  Once I was able to, I went back to school.  I've had many interests and have studied many different avenues, but have never been able to settle on one particular interest for my degree.  I've gone from graphic art, to English and Literature, Psychology, Accounting, Government Contracting, and Sociology.  My true interests are in creative fields, like art and writing (both from a research standpoint to creative writing).  When I do graduate, I will have a wide range of knowledge and a B.S. in Sociology degree.  I've been able to juggle caring for a family, a sick mother, and going to school all at once.  I am a 4.0 student, and plan on keeping it that way.  The more life throws at me, the harder I work.

I really enjoy doing research.  I've always been excited about research papers because I like to dig and report.  I love to learn about new things, and because I love reading about politics, I started seeing gaps in what I was learning.  Traditional media tends to give a limited amount of information on talking points.  You hear buzz words, names, phrases, but it is never expanded into a whole picture for the audience.  We are left with only half the story.

For example, when the Keystone XL Pipeline (KXL) was first introduced, environmentalists touted how bad it would be for the environment.  Political figures split on the topic, with some pushing for the KXL while others pushed back.  I wanted the whole picture, and that is why I started reading and learning exactly what I was standing against.  I thought to myself, do most Americans, or even a small fraction of Americans, actually understand what the KXL is, why it isn't the best option for America, and why so many political figures actually wanted it?

After the mid-term elections of 2014, I was angry, livid, with the amount of Republicans voted into office.  I don't despise the GOP, as there truly are good Republicans, however few and far in-between they are.  The same holds true for most Democrats.  Politicians have special interests, and most of the time, those interests are not the constituents who got them elected.  I have seen very few political leaders actually lead with their heart and mind, not programmed by the pocketbooks funding their elections.  That is what I want for America - more politicians who actually care about America.

I told myself to take my anger and turn it into something productive, and that is why I started Positive Liberals.  I can't change the way people think or vote, but perhaps if I make an effort to provide information that is based in research, and not on the media's take on a subject, people will learn something and vote with knowledge, rather than simply voting because that's the way they were raised.

America is the land that has been built into the ideals of equality and justice for all.  Sadly, that hasn't been the case over the past few decades.  We see more inequality and a complete lack of justice in many every-day occurrences.  With my blog, I hope to encourage you to help change America.  Be proactive and get involved in the issues that matter most to you.  Tell others about what you have learned, and the more we know, the more informed we become, the more we will find America moving forward once again.

Please be sure to follow me on Google+ so you can see other pieces I share with my audience, as this blog is just for what I've written.  There are many other wonderful pieces of information out there that are worthy of sharing, and that's what I do on G+.  I hope to see you there!