Politics As Usual?

I find it amazing how making a proclamation about removing one’s self from politics on Facebook elicits such a response both negative and positive. Obviously many thought I was done spewing my drivel altogether and that could not be further from the truth. I just found Facebook to be a tiring tirade of one liners that ultimately got down to bad talking your opponent’s Grandmother. No good can come from it and I think Facebook is better off sticking to mindless games and humor.

So I thought I would talk about a couple things that have been on my mind. My very prolific writer cousin had some fascinating points in talking about the political atmosphere we find ourselves in. I may regurgitate some of them to his dismay but he’ll get over it.

My Son chimed in on one of his few political moments about how, and I’m paraphrasing, the system is basically broken and it doesn’t matter who’s in office it will be the same old politics. I actually have been thinking about his statement and he may be closer to the truth than any of the rest of us. While that is a truth I think you must dig a little deeper about our system. My wife reminded me that the President is only the figurehead and really the policies he promotes are often coming from pressures within his cabinet and party. I acknowledge that fact. I also think that my viewpoint should not just be directed at Obama for that reason and I’ve often said that the real problem with our country is Congress. This is a huge body of self-serving politicians that really don’t see any issues past their next re-election. Someone on Facebook told me that term limits is a cop out and that we elect our politicians and should be accountable for what we get. That’s a great theory. It’s not so much a reality anymore. I read a study where over 50% of the electorate now can barely tell you anything about who they are voting for. People are not informed and are voting from the last effective negative ad they see or hear. I think term limits are the appropriate check and balance to keep our politicians honest.

One of the most fascinating points I’ve been reading about is the facts that seem to be coming from all sides. Is it 8.9% unemployment or 14.1%? Just how much is Obamacare going to cost? How many illegal aliens are there in this country and if you can count them why can’t you take action on them? The numbers seem to fluctuate all over the map and they are even reset by the very people that make them, for instance the unemployment figures which are reset a week after they are released. Why not wait and release them when you actually know what they are? The larger question is DO you really know what they are? With the advent of the internet and all its fringe kooks that have come into play on both sides you have to be very careful about what sources you use.

Probably the one thing that concerns me the most in our country is how civil discourse has begun to degrade. Instead of debating ideologies it has now become digging for dirt and relentless character assassinations that seems to fuel the political fires. I know you can go back till the beginning of the political process in our country and find examples of nasty campaigns. The bigger problem these days is the more immediate impact these unfounded and many times slanderous accusations on both sides take root. Tell a lie long enough and it becomes the truth. I’m not sure how this gets fixed or even if it can get fixed but it is a real problem in our political arena these days.

You know our country has really prided itself and distinguished itself over the years for being an open political process that few other countries can match. I guess the issue at hand at this point is being able to accurately discern truth from fiction. I will continue to read and try and listen to all viewpoints in making my decisions but I know what my core principles and values are and those will guide me to make what I think are the right decisions. If you know what your core values and principles are and stick to them then you have done the best you can do.

This country is a huge ship to turn if it needs turning. I think the political process, while tedious and frustrating, was set up as to not be able to make drastic changes too quickly and in that way protect us from ourselves. So to those of you that say this will never change I say it can only change if you begin now to advance what you think should happen. It won’t happen overnight but if you don’t at least give it the full effort it will indeed never change.