Welcome and a philosophy

Thanks for checking out this corner of the internet.

This page is aimed at exploring U.S. politics and society through the perspective of the independent voter, and finding and promoting tools and strategies to allow independent and dissenting voters to express their opinions in a way that maximizes their voices and their impact.

In modern society, it can be hard for new voices to be heard without breaking social norms, screaming, risking being seen as unhinged, alienating customers or colleagues, being cartoonish, or satisfying an algorithm that demands a level of constant engagement that is often ever-increasing in quantity and, to put it nicely, inconsistent in quality. The goal of this page is to try to offer content worth reading and a means of access to share ideas to voices with a fresh, well-reasoned perspective.

It's the philosophy of this page that independent voices may have more credibility in making key points in a partisan environment because they have no inherent vested interest in either major party being right or blameless, and have freedom to criticize either party when a criticism is deserved or the party's position is not based in reality.

Identifying or expressing an opinion as an independent voter in the way this page aims to promote is not a monolithic proposition, and is flexible, particularly in the context of the U.S. two-party system. It is an effort towards change that considers when voting for major parties meets independent voters' goals and when it does not. It stresses pragmatism in making both votes and voices count and in developing effective organizations for doing so, rather than simply bowing to the major parties' dialogues and positions--or simply disengaging and grudgingly checking in every so often before going to the polls. The reality is that often those major parties offer many of the most effective mechanisms for engagement at the current moment.

The format is currently a loose, blog format. This page is no one's full time job. Some pieces will be quick hits, some in letter to the editor format, some links to and analysis of articles that are either powerful or have particularly insightful analysis, illustrate a topic worth calling attention to, or illustrate flaws in U.S. media outlets' reporting. Some posts may be images or memes that advance a discussion.

The reality of life is that everyone makes mistakes, and fails to consider positions they may have overlooked. The reality of modern life is that mistakes sometimes live forever, and sometimes unfortunately trigger anonymous mob action. This environment is not particularly conducive to encouraging useful dialogue.

The philosophy of this page is that if we get something wrong, let us know. Legitimate criticism will be taken to heart, and there is no fear of apology in this space. Be as polite as you would be in talking to someone across the table from you, please. We'll re-post (as anonymously as you wish) criticism that helps advance the truth and the discussion at hand. But there's no plan to offer a free-for-all of a comment section here. The point of this page is to call attention to well-reasoned positions, not "hot takes," trolls, and angry rants. There are plenty of other sites available with a lot more content and a lot larger readership if that's the type of forum you're looking for.

If you want to submit an article or other piece, let us know. This page is neither professional nor monetized at the moment, so all content submissions are on a volunteer, letter-to-the-editor type basis at this time. If you can demonstrate that you are a real person for purposes of our internal records, you can make submissions read as anonymously as you'd like.

The initial aim of the page in the coming couple of days with the little time left is to highlight a couple of key issues in the November U.S. elections. In the weeks after the election, this page will turn to criticism of the strategies used by the two major U.S. parties in approaching the election, and of looking further into some tools we looked into that independent voters can consider in making their voices heard in future elections.

Thanks for reading, now and (hopefully) in the future.