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I am not one to deny that we as people want to label others in terms of their political beliefs. It makes it easier to have a conversation about someone else when you can say that they are a conservative, moderate or liberal. And there is nothing all that wrong in searching for a way to relate to a person or political candidate. I think the greatest knock on people who want to identify as independents is that they are really just holding out as a swing vote until election time rolls around to appear as if they can be swayed one way or another, but in the end they are either going to vote for a Democrat or Republican. Nothing wrong there either. My vision of what an independent should be is a fully functioning representative tied more to issues than to party. I was a registered Democrat for almost my entire voting adult life, until I realized that not everyone fits into neat little packages when it comes to their belief system, and I began to reject the way local political parties are fiefdoms for small groups of loyalists, with everyone scurrying to get as close to the ear of someone in power as possible. There was something surreal about it, almost like idol-worship. Conversations at political events with everyone in the room always seemed to me to be forced, and the responses glib and expected, predetermined and ultimately unfulfilled on so many human levels. Maybe it was my own unique experience in life that made or makes me feel this way, but I enjoy the company of each and every person I meet, and I want to get to know them for who they really are. I was told by a very wise old Japanese man I met here that it is the second impression that really counts, not the first one. Keeping that in mind, I ultimately determined that I could best work as a servant of the residents by laying out my beliefs, my hopes, dreams and definable goals for you in this blog so you could make your own determination as to whether I fit into a political ideology. I guess in the end we will all be defined this way, but I am curious as to how others perceive me as a person and this candidacy in general. Then again, I can identify with people from all political stripes, so maybe the final tally will reflect that.