I’m a registered Independent, not affiliated with any political party.  I have listened to the news every day since COVID 19 appeared on our radar.  At first, I was only worried about a team member that was visiting family in China. Is she in danger of contracting the disease? Would she be able to come home?  How long will she need to quarantine when she returns? This was back in February.  She returned home to the US and was able to return to work after a self-quarantine of two weeks.  She did, however, choose to voluntarily talk a leave of absence for the rest of the tax season over fears of contracting the virus here in the US. 

I continued to work throughout tax season and to the end of the extended season (July 15).  I only stopped working to take a mandatory two-month furlough required by my employer.  If it were up to me, I would continue to work, not because I need the money, but because I have worked since I was 15 years old and I feel out of sorts when I’m home every day, especially now since I can’t really get out of the house except for essential shopping and doctor appointments and stuff.  I am careful when dealing with others because I would rather not contract COVID 19.  However, I am not scared.  I know that we need to protect our Seniors and others who are immune compromised, but this is nothing new.  There are other diseases such as the ever-evolving flu virus they must be protected from.  Where the rest of us will get ill and recover, chances are, they will not. They could die.

My family has been extremely lucky to not have any loss of jobs or wages during the current “crisis”.  We received the stimulus payment but didn’t need it.  We are fine.  Other families have been hit hard and need help.  The best way we can help them is to let them get back to work.  However, this is not the point of this article.  The point of this article is, whatever political party we are affiliated with, we need to be able to trust our news agencies to tell us the truth.  We need to be able to hear and read all news from the beginning to the end.  We do not need censorship to do the right thing.  We need truth.  We need to be informed, not brainwashed.  We are, for the most part, intelligent human beings and need to be able to make our own decisions and have our own opinions. 

My advice to you, my readers, during this pandemic and this election year, is to get your news from multiple sources. When you feel there is a discrepancy in what you are being told, research, research, research.  If they don’t tell the truth, discover it for yourself.  Do not trust everything you hear from a network television reporter or a cable network reporter, just because you have been listening to that person for years.  Everyone in this political climate seems to have an agenda.  The only agenda you need to listen to is yours.  I’ll say it again.  Research, research, research.  The internet is a wonderful thing.  Search and read everything you can find on a specific subject.  Find out what stories are being censored and read them. What do they not want us to know?  Why do they not want us to know it?  What is the truth?

Once you know the truth, research all of the candidates to determine who shares the most opinions with you.  Who is most likely to do what you think they should do.  Who is most likely to work for the people of this county and not for some political agenda that you may or may not agree with.  Do the right thing. Vote for the person who is most likely to do the right thing.  Of course, the right thing, is just an opinion.  Even if it is your opinion and not my opinion, it is still the right thing.  We all have different goals and challenges in life.  Thankfully, when most of us agree, its typically good for our county.  We are happier and we thrive.