I was relaxed about politics through the '90s because we had a Democrat president, a budget that was not just balanced but had an actual fucking surplus (there were actual debates about what to spend the surplus on), and a vice president that looked like a sure shot to continue control of the white house and who actually understood technology and was concerned about the environment. And then I woke up the morning after the 2000 election and realized what a complete shit show our country had become.