An Open Letter About the Election From Awesome 98’s Lance Ballance

I'm tired.

Tired of the bullcrap. Tired of politics. Tired of being told what to say, what to think, how to feel, and that I'm wrong if I don't think like you do.

I remember a time when we agreed to disagree, especially around election time. It was civil, and we all felt like we were doing our constitutional duty. And at the end of the day, we remained friends with those who disagreed with us.

Fast forward to today. The election is a dumpster fire, and everyone has lost their damn minds.

I try to never get political on social media nor on the air. Why? Because you don't care. Does it really matter who I vote for, as long as I keep playing great music and making fun of myself every morning? Not really. The last thing anyone needs is more bombardment about the state of the world from a guy who thinks that chocolate milk comes from brown cows.

But that's where we are. Getting angry whenever any mutant gets online and spouts off against our long held beliefs, no matter what they are, and trying to shout louder than them. Good luck with that. It's like turning on a blender, garbage disposal, dishwasher, and vacuum and then complaining that you can't hear the TV.

Last night, I shared this to Facebook.

As you can expect, I'm getting an Olympics-sized ration of crap from friends on both sides. Which just proves my point.

We are all just yelling in a vacuum and changing no one's opinions. Why? Because we don't want to hear it. We don't care about the arguments of the other side because it's all about vilifying those who don't think the way we do.

My kids don't agree with me politically, but I still love them and always will. Unfortunately, a lot of families are being torn apart because of political differences, and that's just wrong. Because we are too stubborn to realize that our devotion to a candidate will never be reciprocated.

That's right. Candidates don't care about you.

A politician's job is to get elected no matter who they have to use or step over to get to that point. Once they're in office, the only thing they care about is the next election.

Governing and legislating is just a distraction between campaigns. Believe me, Candidate X isn't going to do you any favors because you put a sign in your yard, or blocked your aunt on Facebook because she voted for the other guy.

What I'm trying to say is: calm down, and knock this crap off.

I have voted for republicans, and I've voted for democrats.

Full disclosure: In 1992, I voted for Ross Perot. In 1996, Bill Clinton. In 2000, George W. Bush. So tell me I'm an a**hole.

Even around the office, I'm sure that I work side-by-side with people who do not share my political beliefs. But that doesn't matter because I'm still excited to see them everyday and have fun doing what we all love.

Bottom line is this: Don't let politics run and ruin your life. Don't let it destroy your families and friendships, because at the of the day, that's all we have. Don't let the talking heads on the news or 'guy on Facebook' tell you how to think and feel. Vote for who you want to vote for. Then, go outside, find your neighbor, and say "Good Morning, Fellow American!"

Call your kids. Post more cat videos. Make fun of the idiot on the radio.

And...smile. Even under your facemask, we can still see it, and you look great that way.