Let me start by sharing a link to their values – https://www.forwardparty.com/#values and I am including my specific link to help others to join or sign up, if interested. https://home.forwardparty.com/join?recruiter_id=912302 Impressive, right? Interesting that a party even has values (or ethics) to begin with, let alone a moral compass.

Is it perfect? Probably too early to tell, but I am excited and enthusiastic as this seems like the most sensical(?) party affiliation that I’ve discovered. Too much, as I’ve mentioned before, is there divide in America. Heck, I don’t even need to say it, it’s apparent and obvious. We don’t need division, we need unification. Let’s get passed our differences and come together to get control of our country again through our voice & our vote.

You know what? Fuck it! I’m hijacking my own post and going to start a campaign-not that anyone reads this or cares, but let this be a post about who I am and what I’m about. My name is Nick Stone, I am from Illinois, I am a straight white married almost-40 guy, and I probably just opened a can of worms :-).

I wish I started this journey earlier so I could participate in the race for governor for IL so I could reach 2027 to prove myself before sprinting towards 2028’s election for president. If I run the campaign myself, I don’t want “misinformation” and other BS to go around, though, I’m sure it’s unavoidable, but this can be the home and trusted source to help prove I am who I say I am and what I am about. Who knows, maybe I don’t know what I’m getting myself into… and hell, if I Epstein myself or jump out of a perfectly good high-rise window, well, just know it wasn’t suicide xD. Forgive me ahead of time for the use of YouTube; I would run under these values, ideals, and/or beliefs:

1. Privacy. Check out the 4th Amendment. Big tech has infiltrated the government and allowed harvesting of all sorts of data in order to lie, manipulate, mislead, redirect, obfuscate (hide), and omit- to name a few. They don’t want opposition, so they buy up both parties through various donations or contributions of some sort, and by influencing politicians, well, policies change in favor of big tech. Look at how little actual regulation there is over this. They are the newage data brokers and there’s no signs of slowing down. We need stronger GDPR-like laws to protect our citizens from these predatory companies.
2. Common-sense policy. Too often, everything is intentionally painted black and white. I REALLY don’t like how split the media and 2-party system forces us into such polar opposites on purpose. Anyone ever seen Donnie Darko? It reminds me of the Fear & Love exercise: https://youtu.be/vivEzQUGHOQ?si=2RPGrLnyfTa1EQ19 (it really is a great watch!)
   But, it’s just not that simple, is it? We need policies that give and take, in plain English (not 400+ page nonsense), and make the most sense for the everyday American. No BS, no hidden agendas, no gimmicks. It’s really not that hard.
3. A FOSS mentality. A what? Free & Open Source Software. I want policy that’s reviewable, transparent, collaborative. Shouldn’t all government be that way to begin with? Isn’t that how government started out? Who seriously cares where we come from or where we live; if we truly want the best for one another, it’s time to work together to get it done!
4. A fair wage. Let’s keep this straight-forward as to how I came to my number. If you look at 2007 – 2009, we had jumps of $.70 each year. Let’s be real, we had 12 years of Democrats in office during that time and 7 years of Republican, so neither are really “fighting” for us. Why do we still have a federal minimum wage of $7.25? Let’s look at inflation since 2009 (hint: 53.9%). Check the calculator, too. Sure, several states do in fact utilize a higher stat level minimum wage, but according to the NCSL, 20 states still rely on the federal minimum. If you keep the $.70 rate going, we could be at $19.15/hour, and let’s just say at a minimum we raised it $.50/year on average which puts us at $15.75. So, averaging out to $17.45. Really, I’d aim for $17.50/hr. It’s easier, more consistent, and honestly, probably still a little low. Not perfect, but a good start. This WILL cause a stir-No DOUBT! hence the “Epsteining” myself comment above.
5. Finally, I want to be modern. Better voting transparency and technologies that are built on open source tech so code can be reviewed and improved. I want to be green with energy and encourage alternative and renewable sources for electric, heating & cooling, water filtration, etc. I want to be innovative and collaborative (OK I may have mentioned that earlier too), but I don’t want to isolate ourselves and try to position “America is the greatest” when greatness comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Ever heard of a politician being humble? Neither have I!

I am NOT a politician. I’m not wealthy nor come from money. I’m not an influencer of any sort. I am not on social media. I’m not a lot of things that fits the bill for a typical politician. But… maybe that’s what we need right now. Maybe we need someone who is “One of us”. Honestly, I don’t even care if I am NOT elected. I just want to help restore what we all have come to love, and maybe inspire others in the process. I’d really love to get the attention and support of more versed and influential people like Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Mark Cuban, Claudia Sheinbaum, Mark Carney, and many others. If I receive the support of the Forward Party, I would run as a Forwardist. I have already introduced myself, signed up to volunteer, signed the pledge, and expressed interest in running. Who knows, maybe you’ll get a call from me.

Obviously, this is just the tip of the iceberg and I don’t expect a whole lot of serious traction right away. PLEASE leave me feedback, good and bad, suggestions, tips, hints, blatantly obvious smacks outside the head, anything. I want to know what I could do to help improve my changes. What change do you want? Maybe it’ll help drive someone to think more critically and question their current voting loyalties and look to take a stand.

Unite with me.