About the blog:
520 Chestnut (aka The 520, because it sounds catchier) is a blog about whatever I happen to find interesting or relevant. Mostly that will include politics, public policy, and similar government-related issues. 520 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, also happens to be the address of Independence Hall. I’m fairly certain that Independence Hall was there before this blog, but it turns out some cool stuff happened there in the summer of ’76, so I figured it would be a reasonable namesake. The guys that hung out there back then were kind of a big deal, I hear.
This blog will be updated with varying frequency. I’m not a blogger by trade (read: I have a real job) so sometimes you may have to wait a few days in between posts. I hope you can stand the suspense! You will find that I have a relatively liberal viewpoint on many, but not all, issues. If you agree with me, that’s great. If you don’t, that’s great too. I’d love to hear why. That’s what that shiny new comment box down at the bottom of the post is for! A lot of electrons traveled a great distance for you to have that comment box on your screen, so you should use it.
Of course, I hope that you will find this blog interesting and informative, but most importantly I hope for this site to be a forum for reasonable debate. With so much of the political media devoted to name-calling, soundbites, and tweets containing congressional nudity, it is my goal that The 520 be a place where folks can (and do!) engage in civil discussions about the important issues of the day.
Now go read the blog!
520 Chestnut 
Hey 520, if you don’t mind, can I ask you two questions.
if wish not to answer, no problem.
1. Since you state your views are mostly liberal, I’m assuming more progressive liberal rather than traditional libertarian liberal, yes?
(unfortunately, the word liberal was hijacked by the left at some point)
I myself agree with many of the libertarian tenets and pov’s.
But not all with the progressive/socialist type liberals.
2. May I ask how old you are or what era you were in HS.
From the time I was about 15, when I first became semi-aware of politics,
I was fairly ignorant on politics and even my own values and ideas of how I viewed the nation and the world. from about 18 to 24 I thought of myself as a bit ‘liberal’ I voted for Clinton in ’93, but not in ’97. By that time I was beginning to explore both sides of the spectrum and pay more close attention to politics.
The older I grew, the more conservative I became, eventually finding a balance between conservatism and some libertarian ideals. But I definitely lean more towards the conservative base. Not the GOP by the way. I find both the GOP and DNC to be nothing but self-serving, hypocritical and always lying to further their own agendas. Seems each side panders to their specific base.
In 2008, I voted for Constitution Party’s Chuck Baldwin. This time I will probably vote for Gary Johnson, but I’m not fully decided yet. Our system is unquestionably broken and we need a serious upheaval in politics.
1) yes, I am more progressive liberal, I suppose, although I will agree with the occasional libertarian idea.
2) I began to pay attention to politics beginning with Clinton (a little) and more seriously with GW Bush. The run-up to Iraq made me realize that these things were important to know about. I thought that maybe if more people thought critically, they wouldn’t have bought Bush’s “case” for invasion. Still think that. Voted for Kerry in ’04 but was pissed I had to do so. Would’ve preferred Clark, but that wasn’t going to happen.