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Life has become so much simpler in 2019, at least it has for me. All it required was just a little time on social media.

From looking at Facebook most days, I’ve learned that only Republicans tell the truth and Democrats always lie.

Of course, some of my Facebook friends turn it around — Democrats always tell the truth and Republicans are the ones lying.

One side, of course, is lying, but I’m just not sure which. They are both so convincing. It’s something I must figure out though and as soon as possible.

It’s really amazing if you think about it. All you have to do is find out what party someone supports to know if they are telling the truth or lying. It would have been so much easier growing up if I had that important information.

Someone posted just the other day that the liberals’ platform for 2020 included raising taxes, suppressing free speech, defunding the military, protecting pedophiles and instituting a world government.

Until then, I had no idea about any of those campaign promises. You just don’t see them on television or newspaper ads. That would help a guy out when he votes if knew one candidate wanted to protect pedophiles and suppress my free speech. You may think that isn’t true, but you should know by now that you can trust a random guy on Facebook much more than that evil media.

Up until this discovery, my basic belief, being a journalist for most of my adult life, was not to blindly follow any politician or political party. Voting for the candidate, not the party, was always my policy. It seemed quite insane to me to believe any political party had all the answers. That sounded too much like following the Nazis or the Communists, which is one reason I never voted a straight party ticket or used one obscure issue to determine who received my vote.

This is all new for me. I never wanted to agree with anyone on everything. Our differences are what make us interesting, or at least that’s what I thought until I learned better with my Facebook experiences. You must agree with your party/team on everything or you could get kicked out and labeled a liar, or maybe even a socialist, just like everyone on the other team.

It’s really fascinating to see how many have bought into this policy, from presidential elections all the way down to the city council. It could be someone you’ve known most of your life, but if they are on the wrong team you know you can’t vote for them, no matter if you are related. Even if it hurts you or your family’s best interests, you must follow your team. They are counting on you, and being a good teammate is the first priority.

As an intense sports fan since age 8, I’ve had practice following one team — good, bad or ugly. Politics is so much easier now. All you have to do is adopt the basic principle – one side good, one side bad. It requires no real thought. It requires no real proof. Just turn off your brain and follow the leader.