No fancy introduction today. I hate politics and politicians. Local level politicians are excused from my venom because I do believe they join the fracas with real intentions of making a community or county or school district better. But state and federal level politics and their players are equivalent to the stuff I dig out of my toe nails each year - dirty, slimy, useless, and foul smelling. I hate them all.
Give me a reason why I should feel anything but detest towards the way our political system works right now. Or doesn't work, as is generally the case. Yesterday I wrote about taxes and why we should, at times, be thankful for the benefits our tax dollars bring us. Taxes are an extension, a tool, of the political landscape in that they are collected and wielded by politicians. If taxes are ok, does it not follow that those who are in charge of taxes are also ok? No. No, it most certainly does not. Where to begin with the reasons why........
How about the horrifyingly ineffective way our two party system operates? Republican politicians, Democrat politicians....I don't care which party you represent, you're all awful. The stubborn refusal to work with each other, the blame games, the hypocrisy.....you're all in it together, you're all responsible for the mess our country is in, and you're all awful. Civil discourse over issues has given way to a "my way is best" stubbornness. Problem solving is a thing of the past, replaced by finger pointing. Progress made by one party is swiftly undone as soon as the other party gets enough seats at the table....revenge-minded politics rather than progressive politics. I am absolutely not being facetious when I propose we could send a few hundred Kindergarten students to any state capital, or most certainly Washington, D.C., and get the same behavior and long-term results we get now from those in "power".
Republicans, shame on you for killing our planet with your small-minded and short-sighted. environmental policies. Shame on you for pandering to your rich friends and burdening my children with a boneheaded tax reform. Shame on you for allowing a moron to represent your party in the Oval Office. Shame on you for always looking backwards with your approach to leadership. You disgust me.
You bleeding-heart Democrats better not get too comfy, 'cause I've got some bones to pick with you, too. Shame on you for losing the Presidency to an idiot. Shame on you for pandering to the poor and downtrodden, for no other reason than to earn their votes, by enabling a never-ending poverty cycle with your policies of hand outs and free rides. Shame on you for discriminating against me, a white male, by making me appear to be and feel like the enemy to your voters. Shame on you for destroying everyone's freedoms by trying to regulate everyone's rights. You disgust me.
Despite their wildly different and unproductive beliefs, both parties are equally adept at selling their souls to the highest bidder. The influence of lobbyists and their money has destroyed any chance regular folks like me have of a) ever becoming a part of the solution to our problematic politics, or b) reaping the rewards of a fair and just government. What chance do you or I have of ever reaching meaningful levels of political influence without the deep pockets of a lobbying special interest group paying our way? Likewise, what chance do we have of our elected officials ever truly putting our needs first when all we can dangle is one little vote compared to millions of dollars in bribes? Money has long been proclaimed the root of all evil, and its roots run deep in our political landscape. The days of any child growing up to become the president are long gone - that's a rich child's dream now. Our government has become of the rich, by the rich, and for the rich, regardless of party. Sorry Abe.
Anyone else get sick of seeing a picture of Washington politicians and seeing nothing but old men? Old white men, to be specific. Old, rich, white men to be perfectly specific. Oh, wait, thought of one more descriptor: Old, rich, out of touch, white men. There's a sprinkling of color and some women, but by and large when a politician steps into the spotlight you'll see saggy white skin. That's extremely troubling to me, that our future is decided by those who won't see it. That a country built on the premise of inclusion is led without it. Term limits would help solve this, of course.....but good luck finding a politician who would volunteer to lead legislation intended to limit their own power. I know, some Congressional members have tried. And failed. And always will.
I'm just getting warmed up. I hate the lies spewed forth without hesitation, beginning on the campaign trail and continuing right on through until the end of a term. I despise the political media with their slants and sensationalism. The wastefulness and inefficiency of the entire government system and those who are a part of it boil my blood. But I also hate, hate, hate pointing out problems without offering up solutions, so now I will become more helpful than hateful.
Obviously the best way to change the political landscape is by voting, the only (legal) weapon we have. I just saw a blurb about a recent vote....a primary vote, maybe?.....in California that had a 60% increase in voter turnout!!!! Wow!!! But here's the thing: That 60% increase led to an overall turnout of 37.something% of all eligible voters. C'mon people - VOTE!!! Just look through the windows of the White House to find out what happens when intelligent people don't vote! And when you go to intelligently cast your vote, vote to cast out the incumbents. Stop voting party lines and start voting progressively. If the weasels in power won't limit their terms, we voters must start doing it for them. I don't care how effective you think your representative is, he/she needs to go before the evils written about here set in. And they will set in, whether it's party blindness or lobbying influence or old age - vote them out before it's too late!
Stop supporting political parties. I'm so sick of being told that voting for an independent party is a wasted vote. I've got news for the small minds who tell me that - voting along party lines wastes multiple votes all at once. It's voting for a belief and not a person, a mindset and not a vision. And look where it's gotten us. Also, stop supporting political parties with your hard-earned dollars. My parents, who have never had discretionary dollars in their lives, still send money to the political party of their liking. That's my inheritance!!!! Going to support hypocritical liars who already have more money than most of us can dream of having. Aaarrrgggghhh!!! No more handouts to the rich. They certainly aren't going to return the favor.
Turn off the political news. We all know the major networks slant left while FOXNews slants towards insanity. Stop listening to them. Start finding independent news sources. Read comments from multiple intellectual sources on social media and look for trends. Or watch the news, but then discuss what you've heard with others, preferably others with slightly different views than yours. Remember, the media's primary job is to make money....they will parade out the idea they are doing you a service, but it's only a service if they're doing it for free. They will show you what will get you to watch, and what will get you watching is the stuff you want to hear. Beware the mainstream media.
Finally, support third parties. If you really want to give your money away send it to me....and if you won't send it to me then send it to support third parties. Give them your vote. Display their banners and yard signs. Boo and hiss whenever someone claims to be from one of the "real" parties. Ok, don't do that....out loud. But do something to strike a little fear into the current parties of power. My ideal third party would be made up entirely of coaches and athletes from across the professional and college sports world. We need leaders who know how to solve problems, work together, be inclusive, create strategies, communicate, identify talent, analyze competitors.....who does this better than the best of the best in sports? What is a team if not a mini-government? The head coach is president, the assistant coaches are the cabinet and congress, the athletes are citizens, the other teams are foreign governments. Go ahead and tell me why a group of the best coaches in America wouldn't turn us into a well-run country in no time. Go ahead.....tell me......I'm waiting.........that's right, you can't. Because it's brilliant. You're welcome America, I've solved all or your problems. Anyone have Bill Belichick's number on them?
There. If I didn't ruffle your feathers with my church rant on Monday, or my taxes celebration yesterday, your hide very well could be chapped by this post. Tomorrow I will calm down and wrap up #The100DayProject with some introspection on what this lengthy writing journey has done for me. Until then......VOTE THEM ALL OUT!!!
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