Here I am entering the fourth quarter of my life, assuming that my plan to make it to a hundred pans out, and I’m not at all happy with the way that 2016 has started off. After all, this was going to be the year that ended with just 20 days remaining of the Obama reign. But how much confetti can I toss when his likely successor looks to be Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders or Donald Trump?

One political pro after another has flogged himself for being caught unaware of the growing discontent among the voters. But I don’t think Democrats are discontented. Why should they be? They twice elected a guy who promised to radically transform America and then actually went ahead and did it.

Perhaps all of them didn’t know exactly what he had in mind. Maybe they didn’t realize he intended to weaken the military, to diminish our influence around the world, to befriend our enemies and betray our allies, to divide Americans in almost every conceivable way — ranging from race and religion, to age, wealth and gender. In fact, just about the only area in which he hasn’t turned one faction against another is when it comes to height. But, heck, he still has plenty of time.

What is so confounding about the primary process thus far is how forgiving Republicans have been when it comes to Trump. For the past 50 years, Republicans have measured their candidates against the likes of Goldwater and Reagan. If a politician didn’t rate at least a 90% score by the American Conservative Union, the group that hosts the annual APAC convention, he was universally dismissed as a RINO. But for Trump to achieve a score of even 40%, he’d have to copy off Ted Cruz’s test paper.

This year, Trump not only snubbed APAC and essentially called George W. Bush a traitor, but he’s been on two sides of just about every possible issue, and yet he appears to be unstoppable.

It’s easy to understand Trump’s motivation to say outrageous things when he’s applauded for insisting that he’d order the military to behead jihadists and even kill their families. As hard as it is for me to accept that Republicans find it acceptable that Trump would force our soldiers to commit Islamic-like acts of barbarism, I find it utterly mind-blowing that when he reverses himself the very next day, his fans don’t appear to be embarrassed or even the least bit surprised?

Because Trump has repeatedly said one thing and then quickly contradicted himself, I have decided what his supporters are displaying isn’t anger with Washington, but, rather, a desire to have a dictator in charge. The man, after all, does refer to his campaign as a movement. Bernie Sanders does the same, but Sanders is an avowed Socialist, not a Republican, and Socialists always assume the nation will be led by one man, whether his name happens to be Stalin, Hitler, Mao, Allende, Chavez or Castro.

It’s not uncommon for some people, especially those lucky enough to live in democratic republics, to take their freedom for granted. It allows them to dwell on the inconvenience that goes with governing a free people. When an American president wants to do something, he is compelled to work with 100 senators, 435 members of the House and nine members of the Supreme Court. He is also supposed to be limited by the restrictions enumerated in the Constitution, whereas a Vladimir Putin merely has to make a decision to invade Ukraine or devalue the ruble to make it happen.

Still, it’s easier to excuse Trump than it is to rationalize his supporters. After all, he wants to win an election, employing any means possible. But what is their excuse? How gullible do you have to be to accept Trump’s explanation for donating to the political campaigns of left-wingers? It’s bad enough that he justifies the contributions to Sen. Clinton, Gov. Cuomo, Sen. Schumer and Mayors Bloomberg and Di Blasio, by insisting it’s the price of doing business in New York. But how does that justify donating to the campaigns of Nancy Pelosi of California and Harry Reid of Nevada or writing checks to the abortion mill known as Planned Parenthood?

As Republicans, has our political conscience descended to such a depth that we now accept that the price of doing business has totally replaced the value of honesty and decency as a party principle?

When word leaked out that Trump had told the editorial board of the NY Times that his approach to solving the problem of illegal immigration might not be quite as draconian as he had boasted when he kicked off his primary campaign, he said it wouldn’t be fair for him to release the tape of the discussion. Naturally, his devotees didn’t mind at all that he was turning freedom of the press on its head. He wasn’t defending the Times or arguing in defense of the First Amendment, but merely hoping to conceal his blatant hypocrisy.

Besides, if he’s really looking out for the average Joe, why is he saying things to the elitists at the Times that he refuses to tell the voters? Surely he’s not dumb enough to think the paper will back him against Sanders or Clinton, is he?

I had hoped that the fear of having another president announce that all he needed to get the job done was a phone and a pen would be as repugnant to every other Republican as it is to me.

I never met Mrs. Reagan, but I confess I was appalled to have a First Lady who used astrology as her guiding light. On the other hand, I appreciated the obvious love and devotion she shared with her husband. And inasmuch as she was First Lady for only eight years, but married for 52, I’d say any fair judge, after considering the evidence, would rule in her favor.

Even before Nancy Reagan passed away, I found myself reminded of her when we saw Chris Christie gazing adoringly at Donald Trump for 45 minutes while the Donald answered questions from the press. To his credit, Trump actually carried it off pretty well. In a similar spot, I might have found myself distracted, worrying that the big lug was going to start drooling on my pants leg.

I often hear from bad spellers insisting that the importance of spelling is overrated, especially in the age of Spellcheck, but there are definitely times when it can make a world of difference. For instance, the Homeowners Association of Lakewood Springs (FL) recently posted an announcement reminding homeowners that the Anal Egg Hunt would soon be taking place.

Of course I’m only guessing that the word was supposed to be “Annual.” But I live clear across the country, and have no idea what the folks in Lakewood Springs do in their spare time.

Note: Because I make it my policy to reply to my readers and encourage their comments, be they pro or con, I can’t blame anyone for thinking I want them to forward me everything that strikes their fancy. Although I appreciate their thinking of me, I would greatly prefer that they refrain in the future from passing along every video, joke and article, they come across.

For one thing, nearly everything on the Internet is readily available and, so, if I receive something, I can generally count on getting it a dozen more times inside a week. As a result, I wind up feeling like an electronic wastepaper basket.

For another thing, my solution generally consists of identifying their email address as spam. The problem at that point is if they decide to send along an actual comment, I might miss it.

So, please save us both a lot of unnecessary trouble and just delete me from your mass mailings and your forwards, no matter how well-intentioned.

I know you’re all thinking of me and that’s all that really matters.