The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

So long as there aren't any major shifts in the states which have yet to be officially projected, it appears as though Republican nominee Donald Trump will end up with 306 electoral votes, compared to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's 232. Clinton leads in the popular vote, however, as she currently has 60,981,l18 votes, compared to 60,350,241 for Trump - over a 600,000 vote difference. With most of the remaining uncounted votes being in the blue states of New York, Washington, and California, it's predicted that Clinton will wind up with at least 2 million more votes than her opponent. If we made the Electoral College proportional, the results would currently be as follows: AK (3): Trump - 52.9%, Clinton - 37.7% (DT - 1.59 , HRC - 1.13) ID (4): Trump - 59.2%, Clinton - 27.6% (DT - 2.37, HRC - 1.10) MT (3): Trump - 56.5%, Clinton - 36.0% (DT - 1.70, HRC - 1.08) ND (3): Trump - 64.1%, Clinton - 27.8% (DT - 1.92, HRC - 0.83) WI (10): Trump - 47.9%, Clinton - 46.9...

The most recent episode of The Carmichael Show  Sunday night revolved around the concept of civilized discussion and why it's healthy to consistently hear differing viewpoints. It also subtlely poked fun at the notion that liberals are open-minded yet often times have trouble accepting viewpoints different from their own. In the end, though, it provided hope that, regardless of a family's differing viewpoints, we can all come together to celebrate that which bands us. In light of seeing this show, I thought I'd share a few thoughts on the matter. Through research, observation, and conversation, I've come to the conclusion that, often times, liberals and conservatives have differing viewpoints on the concept of open-mindedness . To most self-described liberals, being open-minded means to accept people for who they are, regardless of age, gender, race, creed, orientation, etc. It also means to accept new ideas until one idea becomes fact. To most self-described conserva...

As long-time readers would know, I don't get personal very often, but in light of some recent headlines, events, and chatter, I felt the need to do so. More than any other, I think a majority of writers despise the following questions and comments:  - "Writing isn't a real job; anyone can write." - "When will you finally go out into the real world and get a real job?" No, I don't know what constitutes a real job from an imaginary one or what separates real work from fantasy work, but almost nothing riles a writer more than comments and questions like these.  Like most jobs, there are definite pros and cons to writing. A major pair of pros are convenience and flexibility. Most days, one can get out of bed, make a cup of coffee, and start working at the computer having not showered nor changed. Whether one is a morning or a night person, he or she can typically work during the time they feel most alert and productive (this of course vari...

I admit, I'm kind of old-school with phones. I typically use them for, well, calling people, and for answering others' phone calls. I'm crazy like that. I admit, I will check my email once in a while if I'm out and about, may take a picture of something I find to be amusing or interesting, and may play a word game or two, but that's about as far as I go. To this point in my life, I have never taken a selfie. You don't believe me, do you? Check my records. Not one selfie. I've also never partaken in these silly photo trends. You know the ones. I'm talking about: Planking, duck-faces, fake mustaches, and I'm not sure what else. I know - I'm no fun. Because, let's face it, when most people think about "fun," the first four things that pop into mind are: 1) Taking pictures of themselves (we're suddenly all professional photographers), 2) Laying out like you're a plank (Captain Hook would be proud...), 3) Making a face only a duc...

While I believe to have plenty of material to write about today, the reason I haven't been writing as much in the past week is that I've been working on books - proofreading and editing to be more specific. While I won't be releasing any new books before the new year, I've been hard at work on making sure more will be released in the first quarter of next year. For the time being, I've proofread, edited, and condensed my coming political satire(s - I'm undecided if I'll fit it all into one volume or split them up into two). I hope to make the decision on whether to form the satire(s) into one or two volumes before the holidays and organize them accordingly. After the new year, I'll then get busy researching, proofreading (again), and finalizing them. I'm currently in the process of finishing the first round of proofreading, editing, and condensing of two comedic works (one censored and one uncensored version of a book - with some notable differences ...

I see voting for the leaders of our country like hiring employees for a company. If we're trying to build a successful company, we're going to want the best, most talented, most qualified people at their respective positions, to improve the company's chances of improving, prospering, and lasting. This is a major reason why I tend to vote Democrat in elections. While their ideas might not always work, I at least hear ideas from Democratic candidates on how to improve education in this country, the environment, and the economy. They also tend to showcase a desire of granting all citizens an equal opportunity under the law - whether they be male, female, gay, straight, black, white, Christian, or Muslim. I just don't hear these ideas or this level of tolerance from most Republican candidates. What I hear is religious, "moral," and anti-government talk. So, to me, the choices come election day are often times simple. I can either go with a candidate who is bright,...