I am a Republican, and honestly, I have no idea what prompted that decision, but I would like to think it was intellectual, knowing that I have always felt like neither party had long-term positive goals with everyday Americans in mind. We are a complicated country made up of remarkably diverse groups. I am very proud to be an American.

I do think I am practical, fair-minded and smart. America has serious problems, not the least of which is a staggering national debt nearing $37 trillion (which neither party seems to be paying much more than word games to resolve), growing ideological differences that are more often resolved by violence than discussion and an unwavering focus in getting involved in international matters we are convinced we are the only ones capable of solving.

I would like to see our current national leadership focus on constructively working on bringing our national debt down so our children and grandchildren can live without the overwhelming debt burden. We need to pay more attention to working with our differing ideological partners practically (I know this is very difficult) where compromise may be the only answer and focus on key structural problems at home rather than abroad.

I don’t believe tariffs, reduced tax burden or continuing international confrontations are the answer. Yes, that means I am not a supporter of the Big Beautiful Bill, no matter what you call it. We have serious problems right here at home, and we need to start working on solutions rather than continually pointing the finger at the other guy. We are all Americans and need to start acting like it.