I was speaking on the phone with a dear friend last night, and he was asking me about the Blog. I explained that I hadn’t blogged in some time simply because I didn’t have enough time. He lives in Boise, Idaho with his lovely wife and baby daughter. But speaking with him made me realize how completely hosed up our system of government actually is. (I suppose that I would have thought of this without talking to him but the conversation definitely helped my thought process.)
The two-party system has drastically outlived its usefulness in America. Why we, as a nation continue to vote for the same old, regurgitated candidates, who have been in office more than 2/3 of their lives is beyond me. My friend made a statement last night during our conversation that I have repeated numerous times during an election cycle; “You sometimes have to vote for the lesser of two evils.” This statement, though true, made me sad for the country that I love. Should our voting process really come down to selecting a candidate based on who sucks less? I mean, have we, as a nation devolved to this level of stupidity? Do we not care about our country, our families, and our freedom any more than this? If so, and judging by the past few Presidential elections this is the case, then we are sad, sad people.
Why is it that one must be a lawyer to run for office? Why is the act of governing so very complicated? Does it need to be this way? I honestly think that the people than could do the best job for this country are so jaded by the overall political process, as well as the mud-slinging that always ensues a political run, they have deemed the process unworthy of their time and sweat. I can understand why no one of any character would want to subject themselves and their family to that mess. I am desperate for a solution, but I don’t have one myself. Democrats and republicans used to stand for something. When a person identified themselves as one or the other, you knew the type of person you were dealing with. And then, somewhere along the line, something changed. Politicians
began defining their very existence by the party they were affiliated with. My friend, this is a very sad state of affairs. Right now, other than the abortion issue, there’s not a plug nickel’s worth of difference between either parties. Because while government is important, it is NOT the end-all, be-all that many would have you believe. Government is NOT the cure for all of your personal, financial, and (God forbid) medical problems. In fact, the greater issue may be that people in this country are freakin’ lazy and want Uncle Sam to do everything for them. Businesses that don’t operate ethically or financially sound should be allowed to fail; bar none. Individuals who refuse to get off their fat ass and put in an honest day’s labor for a paycheck, or who run up credit card debt that they have no way, or intention of repaying should likewise be allowed to fail.
The people of this country need to pull their head out of the sand, look beyond their owns needs in this life and, for once, do what is in the best interest of the nation-at-large. We no longer have representation, for the most part and that is a huge damn problem in my book. Let’s break out of this “Democrat or Republican” only mentality and think outside of the box a little bit. We put a man on the moon for crying out loud; surely we can figure this thing out. Educate yourselves BEFORE you vote, or better yet, don’t vote at all!
