John Regalado

But I hear this intellectual engagement with where we're at and what could be done and what could change.

And there's a contradiction there, is there not?

Choosing not to vote, but still kind of being so engaged and so in tune with the trajectory of our political system.

Why not yes and, though?

I mean, everything you said about people being more involved in their communities is so valid.

And people are way too under engaged with their communities, not volunteering enough,

People should go to church, not even if they necessarily believe in God, but just to be across from their neighbors and to have an awareness of what's happening in their community and who they live with.

I'm all for that.

But there's got to be a deeper injury, maybe not injury, but dissatisfaction with what it means to vote in our current system for you.

Because your argument would support voting as well as volunteering, would it not?

Like go the extra mile in all cases to be a participant in your community.

But to me, what I'm hearing is like voting in this current system is almost like a, do you think it's degrading or something like that?

Because I'm trying to kind of understand because I still don't quite understand why it's a barrier for you.

Yeah, I hear what you're saying.

I mean, a lot of what you say, I think, is super interesting and valid and something I would support, you know, like removing D and R from.

the names and being like, you gotta know who the person is you are voting for.

You can't just go in and be like, okay, where are the Ds?

Show me the Ds.

Because that in and of itself turns politics into this literal cliff where it's like, we just, we slide one way or the other and everybody's playing kind of the red, blue color coding game and then message the most extreme belligerent messaging you could possibly think of to push people one way or the other.

And that's why kind of our culture is, you know, it's like we've got, it's not like Christian values, it's like Christian nationalism.