A friend of mine told me awhile ago, after a vigorous discussion about local politics, that all my political problems stemmed from the fact that I don't fee downtrodden enough.

Apparently, I don't feel left out enough, not disenfranchised enough, not poor enough, not poverty consciousness enough, and I don't feel like the world has messed me over. I don't feel cheated by big business or corporations, and I don't feel angry enough about certain political policies.

He said I was too happy, too idealistic in my own merry way, way, and too optimistic to vote, in his opinion, the right way.

I've been thinking about what he said, and I'm like maybe he's right. I do feel like I've accomplished a ton in my life. I don't think I've been messed up by big corporations and business too much. Sure I've had job insecurities big time, but who hasn't experienced that.

And I am basically optimistic about my future prospects. Maybe I'm like so naive, and I'm still that country girl from Kauai which is a small rock in the middle of the Pacific ocean, but I honestly don't feel that downtrodden.

Maybe I am, but it sure has hell doesn't feel that way to me. I feel very blessed about my life, always have. Things could have gone so much worse for me and they haven't.

Does being happy and blessed about my life make me a conservative person? In my friend's eyes, it does. And I'm thinking, I don't care if I am conservative. I like my life. I wouldn't trade it for the world.