I tend to be a bit stubborn. Even when I was a young child, I preferred doing things my own way. No matter how many times my parents tried to make me wear presentable-looking clothes when we went out in public, I just did not see the appeal of having to put on pants.

I suppose it is typical for a toddler to be stubborn. What is not so typical is for a 19-year-old to be so set in her ways. Look, Pinterest, no matter how many times you tell me there’s a better way to make macaroni and cheese or that I need to clean my makeup brushes more often (or at all, for that matter), I just am not going to listen.

For someone who refuses to accept anyone’s opinion but my own, it is really a wonder I’m not working for Fox News by now. But recently, a miracle has happened. And I’m not just talking about the fact that Missouri weather has managed to stay nice for more than a day without drastically changing or that I had the self control to only eat one slice — okay, three slices — of pizza last night. I’m talking about the fact that I have heard opinions from people besides myself that I not only didn’t hate but I also _*gasp*_ sort of agreed with.

**Health care lottery:** Obamacare, Schnoramafare. (Try saying that three times fast.) Instead of just taking the easy route and letting more of his citizens join Medicaid, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has gone above and beyond and thought of an ingenious new way to care for those in need: a health care lottery. Twice a year, citizens with high medical bills can call a state phone line in hopes of being one of the first 2,500 callers and receiving an application.

It’s like trying to be the lucky caller on the radio. Except instead of getting to choose the next song, you get to, well, not die. I think we should add this lottery idea into other aspects of our lives. From scratch-off tickets to see if you get to eat that night to slot machines that decide whether you’re allowed the opportunity to attend school. It makes life exciting and fun when politicians don’t actually do their job to take care of people.

**Confusing real life with movies:** Sue Everhart, chairwoman of the Georgia Republican Party, has the right idea when she worries that gay marriage should not be allowed because straight men may pretend to be gay just to receive health care. Clearly, she has seen the hard-hitting documentary “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry.” These conservative politicians have me thinking that we need to start worrying about other movies that may be forewarning dangers in society. You know what that means: Someone needs to call up Nicolas Cage so that he can steal the Declaration of Independence.

**Being able to anonymously sneak amendments past Congress:** If there’s one thing America has too much of, it is accountability for our politicians. Luckily, by letting members of Congress write a bill and remain anonymous, we allow them to have the same privacy as people trolling on the Internet. Congress was able to sneak a law protecting manufacturers and farmers of genetically modified crops into an unrelated agriculture bill by stating that the bill had to pass in order to keep the government funded for the next six months. It’s a brilliant plan. I mean, maybe immigration reform, infrastructure repair or gun control laws would have been more desirable to sneak into this bill that Congress had no choice to turn down, but hey, who doesn’t love genetically-altered vegetables?

**Reality Check:** It’s not just my stubbornness speaking — these are all pretty awful ideas. As far as Haslam goes, leaving your citizens’ health up to pure chance simply is not fair to them and is not good policy. With the topic of gay marriage, people need to realize that political, religious and personal beliefs are not needed in this debate. All Americans deserve equal treatment under the law. Simple as that. Those who disagree are going to find themselves on the wrong side of history. And finally, we as citizens need to be aware of what is going on in Congress. I know we are all busy and have plenty of our own problems, but we need to take the time to be aware of what is occurring in the world and be able to hold our politicians accountable. Now _that_ is something to be stubborn about.