Hindsight

On Nov. 8, 2016, I did something I had not done before: I did not cast my ballot for either a Democrat or a Republican in the national presidential election.

Now, it's not as though I voted for a candidate I liked all that much, or that I expected all that much out of on the off-chance that he won. Former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson offered little to love on areas that matter to me, such as religious freedom or a foreign policy that recognizes it's not 1898 anymore. He probably would have dismantled some of the power the executive branch has accumulated over the past century, even though it's doubtful a modern Congress would have either the knowledge or fortitude to reclaim the responsibilities that are of right its to exercise. So that could have been only a temporary help.

And its likely that he would have sailed against strong winds from members of both political parties that like to embrace the parts of libertarianism with which they agree and discard those they don't. Sure, if nobody likes you that might mean you're right but it also probably means you don't get much done.

Still, there was my vote, and I cast it as I thought best.

Nothing in the last week makes me think I should have done any differently.