I've been thinking about how long I've been interested in politics, and I can honestly say I've been following politics since I was 12 years old. I have my parents to thank for that. My dad was a union leader, and union people always get involved in politics.

It's trippy to think I've been arguing politics since I was 12 years old. That's a long time. I couldn't wait to turn 18 and vote, and I've been doing it and having political arguments ever since.

I wonder if it's true what the conservatives are saying about the left wing political agenda in publics schools, and how they don't teach kids the importance of civics and voting. I've heard it said on talk shows that left wing teachers are so anti-US government, that they teach kids to protest but not vote. That's a shame, if it's true.

Talk about karma at work as well. Karma says to always do the right thing, and the right thing I feel in teaching is to teach students to study both sides of any issue. Then it's up the student to decide for themselves what is right and what is wrong. A teacher's job is to teach the student to make decisions based on an informed choice.

My left wing hippie teachers rammed it into our heads about the importance of voting, and how one person can make a difference in this world. They cited Martin Luther King Jr, Ghandi, Lincoln, etc. I can almost hear them now saying, "One person can make a difference, one vote can change everything. You can't be a participant is this great experiment called democracy and not vote. It's your duty to study both sides of every issue and make an informed decision. Don't let the media or anyone else tell you how to vote. Cherish your vote. It's one of the few chances you have to make your voice heard in government."

In school we used to study the local, state and Federal elections, and then you would have to debate both sides. I'm not saying there wasn't a left wing hippie liberal bias in my schooling, but at least they presented both sides of any issue. They forced us kids to think through logically what we believed, and why, and to defend it logically as well.

I like politics because it forces you think deeply about issues, and to always clarify for yourself what is really important about government and what you want government to do.

Politics is never black and white, and you have to figure in so many issues when you vote on candidates or propositions. You have to read stuff, read in between the lines, figure out what the bias is, the agenda, etc. You have to compare what a candidate actually says, as opposed to how they vote and what they say in interviews, on their websites, their campaign literature, etc.

My brain gets some serious exercise every time I do my political investigations, and I like it. It's good to think.