Dear internet: Ron Paul is not the messiah, nor is he the great satan. I'm so sick of all the hyperbole surrounding this guy. I voted for Harry Browne in the general election of 2000, so I'm no stranger to Libertarian principles, but I really wish these guys would tone down their rhetoric a little bit if they're going to be running for President. I'm not asking Libertarian candidates to sell out or become moderates, but you can't go around preaching "deregulate EVERYTHING" and expect to get elected in this day and age. We already tried having zero regulations, and a percentage of children in this country were working 70-hour weeks in sweatshop-like conditions (yes, I'm making a 150-year-old reference). On the other side of the coin, if you profess to be "afraid" of what Ron Paul's more extreme viewpoints might do to this country, you have to realize that the President does not get whatever they want. Obama's presidency thus far has highlighted this point. If you want to do something that is considered extreme by mainstream America, congress will not pass it. It's that simple.

This guy should be celebrated for bringing a lot of formerly-unspoken issues to the foreground. He should be celebrated for having integrity and making every decision based upon principle, not funding or popularity or political expediency. I really like Ron Paul, but everyone needs to calm down. It's been obvious from the start that he is not electable. He makes Obama look moderate, for starters. His age is also a factor. If given the opportunity, I'm going to vote for him in the Virginia primaries, but not because I think he's going to save our country. It's because I want him to stick around and have his viewpoint heard in the debates. It's because I want to be one of the millions of people sending a message that political expediency does not help me the citizen, but only the politicians. The fact that the media has done their best to ignore Ron Paul--to sweep his candidacy under the rug--says to me that he's doing something right. The people don't want more of the same. In fact we are growing more tired of it every day. I may not agree with all of his viewpoints, but I celebrate the fact that someone truly different is able to make a splash.

(We now return to your regularly-scheduled program).

We woke up yesterday morning to exactly what we were supposed to wake up to--1" or 1.5" of snow and ice on the ground. Stephen and I went to Home Depot to get some stuff for the house (it never ends) late in the morning. Stephen loved stomping around in the ice in the parking lot. When we got back home, we played a little bit in the front yard and then I had a brilliant redneck idea: we have a lot of large boxes in the garage from moving and buying furniture, so we could sled down the icy driveway on some cardboard. A redneck sled. Turned out to be pretty fun.