I woke up this morning( November 8th), and turned on Fox News to hear what Dubya had to say about the Congress "regime change". My dear lord...that was probably the saddest excuse for a speech I've heard since John Kerry accepted his nomination at the DNC in '04.

At the time, I was still thinking about everything I'd been reading HERE the night before that- all the while driving to work. I will confess: when I got to work, I was feeling very overwhelmed about the whole situation- as stupid as that might seem. Much of it, I'll confess, however, was due to the news about Ohio( although the more I thought about it, I realized if it does go to hell, that won't be for many years down the road- by then, I won't likely even care, anymore).

Before I go any further, I'd like you all to know, that the horrendous speech by Dubya was, for me, the final nail in the coffin for my alliance with the Republican party. I've just about had it with them. I now consider myself a right-leaning Independent- overly influenced, of course, by Objectivist philosophies. That's right folks- thanks to last night's election, Bush's speech, my dad's thoughts, and everything I read here, I finally saw the "forest for the trees"- and as even Rush Limbaugh admitted similarly, I found it very liberating.

I will no longer be pulling the lever for the Republicans and hoping for the best. If I don't like the candidate, I don't vote. I will vote on the candidates that appeal to me, and ONLY those that appeal to me.

Now, while I was at work, before my new-found mentality, I decided to discuss some of the election aftermath with two fellow co-workers( big tip- DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME; I WAS REALLY STUPID TO DO THIS): now, remember, I'm in NJ. Take note- the guys I was talking with were two overly patriotic Americans, who don't appear easily swayed by Marxism/Socialism and the like. One of them even fought for us overseas. Anyway, I mentioned my issues regarding how the upcoming governor of Ohio wants to raise the minimum wage, and put in Universal Health Care( though I doubt, in the end, it's gonna really fly with Ohio voters- they voted him in out of disgust over the great grandson of failed president Taft; isn't it amazing how the descendant of a crappy president never winds up being very good, either?)- sadly, both guys I spoke to CHAMPIONED the idea of UHC...claiming it's "better than what we have now". Too bad I can't think on my feet- I could've probably easily defeated the arguments. The one who fought for us, btw, says he believes in the constitution- yet isn't in favor of Corporate America and they're evil Capitalistic goals, nor does he see any relation between freedom and the "evils" of Corporate America and Capitalism...figure that one out.

Anyway, that co-worker was smart enough to end the ultra-mini "debate" when he did. It's cool- I like him. He's a cool guy, despite his beliefs. Truth be told, I like both the co-workers, despite the inconsistensies in philosophy.

There was, however, another thing the guy said that really blew me back- I mentioned to him the Ludwig Von Mises Institute of Economics...and he just referred to it as "oh yeah...that Libertartian think tank".

Guys, any thoughts on any of this? I must confess- I know I strongly believe in these principles, but can't think on my feet to offer a decent argument. You're the experts. Please give me your thoughts on what THEY said to ME, and any recommendations for ME for the future. Thanks a bundle.