Filed under: Government
Every day that I am on this earth, I am more ashamed of the people who we call our leaders. We live in a democracy where or leaders are supposed to represent the desires and will of their constituents. Unfortunately, it seems that the more democratic we get, the less representation we receive, and the more self-serving the legislators become.
I grow tired of picking up a paper, or reading an article online about how this party is calling out the other party on some ridiculous matter that has no bearing on our society. I have had enough of our leaders rejecting the ideas of others before the idea even has a chance to come to fruition. Then, when the idea doesn’t produce the outcome that was hoped it would achieve, the finger-pointing starts all over again. The thing that no one sees is that such legislation or policy is destined to fail because it was never given the proper support to make a run at succeeding.
Regardless of your political affiliation, it is safe to say that too many times our leaders stick to their hardline ideals about petty things. They can’t even see through their own ego to give something a chance and work together to collaborate to bring our nation to a better place. Instead, we see votes straight down party lines, and the opposition preaching about a failed policy that never had a chance to begin with.
What ever happened to the art of negotiation? Why are people so set in their ways that they can’t see that maybe they don’t have all the answers. Perhaps an idea from another person might have some validity? Why can’t compromise be reached and people make sacrifices for the sake of harmony and having an equal part in the development of society? Instead, the politicians fight against any idea that differs from what they are “supposed” to think. This allows them to wordsmith their way out of supporting any legislation or policy, regardless of the outcome. As a popular song once said, “when they own the information, they can bend it all they want.” Politics has nothing to do with making our country better, it is all about self-serving, foolhardy individuals who only care about remaining in office so they can continue to perpetuate their ineffectiveness for a countless number of years.
I often think about what our founding fathers would say if they saw what our country had become. They risked their lives – everything they had, so that we could be free. They constructed the constitution as a cooperative body, entering into debate and conversation, rather than rhetoric and slander. They knew that a true democracy was working together for a common good. They didn’t continually focus on doing what would get them re-elected. Instead, they did what they thought was right for our country and learned the lessons as the went. Today, though, no one learns anything, we see the same brainless behavior day in, and day out. Not a single soul moving to the middle to try to work things out.
Insanity is repeatedly doing the same thing and expecting different results. Following this definition, one could say that our political establishment is an insane asylum. These so-called leaders go to the hill every day, do the same thing, and think that a different result with manifest. Too bad none of them take the time to realize that their foolish ways are only causing more of a divide in our populace and making us look like a tantrum throwing, spoiled brat to the rest of the world.
One could then say that entities like the tea party are what this country needs. On the contrary, they are exactly what this country doesn’t need. We don’t need more lunatics trying to impose their will upon others, and creating more drama where it already exists. They were so proud of themselves because they succeeded in getting many new congressional members elected. However, the people who were elected because of these rebel rousers are no better than what was already there. Instead, we now have a highly emboldened group of people who think they are going to “fix” America by forcing their overly unrealistic policy on everyone else.
What is the solution to what we have become? Unfortunately, I don’t really know. I think that we are too far gone to really enact any serious change. Compromise and cooperation are not words that are in the vocabulary of the aristocracy we have elected to run our country. Reform is a distant thought that people like to throw around these days, but how would you even begin to reform something that can’t be salvaged? I think we are just resigned to living with the status quo until someone or something comes along that inspires our leaders to change and to revisit the place whence we came. Until that happens, may God help us all….
