Obviously, there are way too many problems in the American political system to address all in one post, but I believe there are a few key issues that are really preventing this country from moving forward, and I would like to discuss them.
First and foremost, there is no middle ground in Washington right now. General political ideologies from both the left and the right have taken extreme turns in the last few years. Both Democratic and Republican views have been going further away from centrist thinking, which is causing a clusterfuck on Capitol Hill. When both sides play hardball, nothing truly meaningful gets accomplished, and we're stuck with half-assed solutions for increasingly serious problems. Case in point: spending bills. They haven't fixed the issue, they've passed a very short-term bill, in effect kicking the can down the road once again. Undoubtedly there are some people in DC who truly do care and are willing to make sacrifices, but group think amongst both parties has lead us to where we are today and is going to tear this country apart if it doesn't stop. We are in the fiscal mess we are today not because of luck, not because of chance, but specifically because of the actions our representatives have taken over the last decade.
The second issue: rules. We, as citizens, have to follow all the rules, or we're fined or arrested. I ask, why don't they have to follow the rules? Why are there no penalties for our representatives? Why are they so special? Well, it's because they make the rules, and why would anyone penalize themselves, right? There really aren't any incentives in place to encourage our "leaders" to work together, and they are free to change the rules of the game if they so choose. Case in point: the debt ceiling. What's the point of having a debt ceiling if we're aren't going to adhere by it? Answer: there is no point. It's fucking pointless. They can't even follow their own rules, and guess what? Nothing happens to them because of it. We could turn this into a debate about freedom, and who (what class) really has it, but I would like to avoid doing so as it is another topic in and of itself.
The third issue: corporate interests trump public interests. Large corporations use the government to expand their empires, and our government uses large corporations to expand Western culture in an effort to expand Western political ideology. Globalization. 21st century colonization. It's a modern approach, but the principles are the same as they were in the Roman era. This is why our government is hated so much, and fails to fully address the true needs of our citizens.
We (western nations) are trying to create a global empire, fueled largely by the American government. It's pretty easy to put the pieces together if you look at the big picture. Throughout human history there has always been a nation or powerful faction of people trying to rule the world. Why on Earth would anyone think it's changed? Again, if you look at the big picture, we as a species, really are not any more civilized than we were 500 years ago. Greed, oppression, torture, you name it is as rampant as ever. Whether you're for or against a one world mentality is irrelevant, the issue at hand is that it's happening, and is causing a severe threat not to our nation, but to all of us people who feel the squeeze everyday.
My question to you is what are you going to do when your taxes go up? Can you afford to lose $150 out of each paycheck? How about interest rates? Can you afford an extra $100 a month on a mortgage? What are you going to do about gas prices? There goes an extra $60 a month. Food, water, and electricity? Add another $100 to your total. Health insurance? Add another $50 a month. Face it, this is reality. In a few years we are going to be in serious hot water if our representatives don't come together and fix the problems they've created over the years. In order to begin fixing this however, we the people must put our political differences aside. By this point it should be blatantly obvious to everyone that our government is just too big. It costs too much, and we don't have the money to pay for it, plain and simple.
There are those that will argue that we need a federal government to take care of those that can't take care of themselves. And then there are those that will argue that if we weren't taxed so much, those that need taking care of could afford to take care of themselves. Both statements are true. We must work together to find a middle ground that brings us a small, efficient government that is fully capable of meeting our needs. It is possible, but there has to be compromise, and many issues need to be solved at the state level rather than federal. In order for us to begin seeing a change in politics in DC, we must come together, left and right, and show that we are willing to cooperate rather than argue. If we can come together and show our leaders that we are one nation of Americans rather than two nations of Democrats and Republicans, they will begin to change as they will start fearing for their political careers. Fear of non re-election is the only thing that motivates these people to work for us, we need to take control of politics again.
First and foremost, there is no middle ground in Washington right now. General political ideologies from both the left and the right have taken extreme turns in the last few years. Both Democratic and Republican views have been going further away from centrist thinking, which is causing a clusterfuck on Capitol Hill. When both sides play hardball, nothing truly meaningful gets accomplished, and we're stuck with half-assed solutions for increasingly serious problems. Case in point: spending bills. They haven't fixed the issue, they've passed a very short-term bill, in effect kicking the can down the road once again. Undoubtedly there are some people in DC who truly do care and are willing to make sacrifices, but group think amongst both parties has lead us to where we are today and is going to tear this country apart if it doesn't stop. We are in the fiscal mess we are today not because of luck, not because of chance, but specifically because of the actions our representatives have taken over the last decade.
The second issue: rules. We, as citizens, have to follow all the rules, or we're fined or arrested. I ask, why don't they have to follow the rules? Why are there no penalties for our representatives? Why are they so special? Well, it's because they make the rules, and why would anyone penalize themselves, right? There really aren't any incentives in place to encourage our "leaders" to work together, and they are free to change the rules of the game if they so choose. Case in point: the debt ceiling. What's the point of having a debt ceiling if we're aren't going to adhere by it? Answer: there is no point. It's fucking pointless. They can't even follow their own rules, and guess what? Nothing happens to them because of it. We could turn this into a debate about freedom, and who (what class) really has it, but I would like to avoid doing so as it is another topic in and of itself.
The third issue: corporate interests trump public interests. Large corporations use the government to expand their empires, and our government uses large corporations to expand Western culture in an effort to expand Western political ideology. Globalization. 21st century colonization. It's a modern approach, but the principles are the same as they were in the Roman era. This is why our government is hated so much, and fails to fully address the true needs of our citizens.
We (western nations) are trying to create a global empire, fueled largely by the American government. It's pretty easy to put the pieces together if you look at the big picture. Throughout human history there has always been a nation or powerful faction of people trying to rule the world. Why on Earth would anyone think it's changed? Again, if you look at the big picture, we as a species, really are not any more civilized than we were 500 years ago. Greed, oppression, torture, you name it is as rampant as ever. Whether you're for or against a one world mentality is irrelevant, the issue at hand is that it's happening, and is causing a severe threat not to our nation, but to all of us people who feel the squeeze everyday.
My question to you is what are you going to do when your taxes go up? Can you afford to lose $150 out of each paycheck? How about interest rates? Can you afford an extra $100 a month on a mortgage? What are you going to do about gas prices? There goes an extra $60 a month. Food, water, and electricity? Add another $100 to your total. Health insurance? Add another $50 a month. Face it, this is reality. In a few years we are going to be in serious hot water if our representatives don't come together and fix the problems they've created over the years. In order to begin fixing this however, we the people must put our political differences aside. By this point it should be blatantly obvious to everyone that our government is just too big. It costs too much, and we don't have the money to pay for it, plain and simple.
There are those that will argue that we need a federal government to take care of those that can't take care of themselves. And then there are those that will argue that if we weren't taxed so much, those that need taking care of could afford to take care of themselves. Both statements are true. We must work together to find a middle ground that brings us a small, efficient government that is fully capable of meeting our needs. It is possible, but there has to be compromise, and many issues need to be solved at the state level rather than federal. In order for us to begin seeing a change in politics in DC, we must come together, left and right, and show that we are willing to cooperate rather than argue. If we can come together and show our leaders that we are one nation of Americans rather than two nations of Democrats and Republicans, they will begin to change as they will start fearing for their political careers. Fear of non re-election is the only thing that motivates these people to work for us, we need to take control of politics again.
