who am I and why i created this website

Hello and welcome to this website.  My name is Mike Landy and I live in the Nashville TN community.  I am a husband, the dad to four, stepdad to three and granddad to eleven.  As you can see I have a substantial investment into preserving a positive future for America. I am an average American who counts living in our great nation as a blessing. I feel compelled to speak out now because I see a profound degradation of political life.  I have always been a negotiator in order to make things happen.  In business I had to negotiate each transaction. I owned a wholesale beef distribution firm that exported beef by the semi-truck load to food service distributors across Canada from Halifax to Vancouver. I had to keep the sources, the users, and two governments cooperative and on the same page. There was little room for the self centered mindset "my way or the highway". I became a certified mediator learning just how to navigate agreement when one was difficult and unlikely.

I see an ideological flocking to the left and right. Much of the deep rooted polarization has been based upon disinformation campaigns. Much of it has been fostered on social media sites, which are not bound by what is true and fact. On many occasions the dialog from the White House has been unfit for consumption. It feeds on our worst instincts. The press began to measure political progress made by our elected officials by simply comparing the numbers of lies vs. facts. Our leaders state openly that they are blocking the opposing party's legislation rather than seeking resolution between them. Meeting somewhere in the center is not an option. Even more troublesome is that both major parties have taken part in the insanity.

I have experience in Reform politics. Prior to my residence in Tennessee I lived in Minnesota. I had always voted as an Independent but it wasn't until Jesse Ventura's run for governorship that I began to immerse myself into party politics.  I was a member of the executive committee of the Reform Party of Minnesota which became the Independence Party of Minnesota, for a year or two thought that enough critical mass in terms of party members could be achieved. I like many hoped to move policy forward following a  more "Centered" political philosophy.   People in the late 90's were tired of the constant entanglement of the major two parties. In addition I spent 8 years on the St Cloud Minnesota City Council and 12 years serving on Minnesota's largest airport authority, the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MSP).

Oh why the website?  The circumstances in politics has eroded, hasn't it? No one on either side of the spectrum is content nor happy with the status quo. There is too much infighting, name calling, disrespect, dishonesty, lack of decorum, and self centered behavior. Much of it done in the prospects of re-election.  America has even faced violent insurrection with a mob of malcontents attacking the US Capital building in January of 2021. And there is way way way...way... too much money being raised from unknown sources for unknown political favor. Political campaigns start the day after election day. Additionally seniority dictates who will lead. The current system promotes the development of political dynasties and hampers, the development of new leadership, new ideas, and new perspective.

Maintaining a democratic government is not easy. It is messy as can be, however it feeds our over 330 million individual spirits. It gives each of us a stake in our own destiny, as well as our nations. One sure thing, it is absolutely worth the work. 

If you agree, Let it be known to others.

Thanks

Mike Landy 

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