I feel like I am between a rock and a hard place when it comes to the upcoming midterm elections. The candidates for State Representative of Minnesota have vetted each other and have informed me about my options.

If I believe them and all their ads, I’ve got a choice between a man who wants to dismantle the health care system, give tax cuts to the rich, allow people on the Terrorist Watch list to purchase guns, and along with Trump, fill our 10,000 lakes with polluted swamp water. He is also inaccessible, and he lies

My other choice is an arrogant rich kid who has a past filled with tax fraud, turned a blind eye to sexual abuse, has a liquor legacy, denied insurance benefits to his employees and he lies.

In another Representative race I can vote for a woman who has a long history of lawsuits and corporate corruption, while amassing millions in ill-gotten gains. Not only that, she discriminated against blacks and bribed foreign officials. Plus, she lies.

Her opponent believes that African Americans have an entitled mentality, and they are waging a racial war by blacks on whites. His comments regarding women ranges from saying that women are driven by emotion and not reason, while lamenting about not being allowed to call women sluts. Oh, and he lies.

It appears that the bar has really been lowered regarding our requirements for public officials. And because they’re all liars, we don’t know what to believe anymore.

My solution, there should be an “Angie’s List” for Politicians. Instead of relying on candidates to be character references for each other, we’ll have them all listed in one place with their credentials. We could crowd source the candidates and get reviews from people they’ve dealt with. They would be rated by the same criteria that Angie uses for companies. They are price, quality, responsiveness, punctuality and professionalism.

Price – What’s it going to cost us if they’re elected?

Quality – What is their character really like? (Anonymous reviews are not accepted.)

Responsiveness – Do they listen to the requests and concerns of the people they represent, and act upon them effectively?

Punctuality – Have they been there for you, when they said they would be?

Professionalism – Do they present themselves and their opinions in a manner that convinces you they know what they are talking about?

If we had an option like Angie’s List available, it would eliminate the need for all of the political commercials. That would make more room for pre-Christmas Sale advertisements. Our focus can be on our daily lives and challenges, confident that we know the people making important decisions that affect us.

Unfortunately, there is no Angie’s List for politicians, so the character bashing will be front and center for the next 20+ days.  In the meantime,  there is a Deb’s  “*list” for politicians available…just ask me.