I love being an American, but right now, I am not in love with my country. I am embarrassed by it. Specifically, our political system, which has evolved from "of the people, by the people and for the people" to "of the money, by the money and for the money". Our system of democracy is broken. The control and decision-making is under the guidance of a greedy, power-hungry, egotistical and self-serving few. Our two parties foster an environment of deceit, mistrust, divisiveness and partisanship at a time when our country and its citizenry cry out for solutions to huge and growing problems.
Thanks to a Supreme Court which has become a political machine of its own, the individual has little or no real influence on elections. It is all about the money, who has it, and who is willing to part with it to get certain people elected. Corporations are people we are told, which is about the stupidest thing I have heard in my life time. Electoral districts are rigged to ensure those in office stay in office. The first priority of elected officials is not to serve their constituency, but to get re-elected. And the first priority of the Democratic and Republican Parties is not to solve problems, but to make the other party look as bad as possible. Those in power are almost exclusively white, older than 50, men, and rich. Not exactly a cross-section of America. Our "leadership", from the White House to Congress to the State House, act like spoiled children who can't play well with others. They embarrass themselves, our Democratic system, and our nation.
I truly believe the majority of Americans feel as I do, but all we hear from is what I call the "lunatic fringe", those at the extreme ends of the right and left. They get the airplay because they are radical, they are well-funded, and they are newsworthy to our entertainment-oriented media. But they do not represent mainstream America's views or concerns. I firmly believe that the majority of Americans do no care where great ideas or solutions come from or who gets credit for them. They simply want problems solved. They are more than tired of the non-stop blame-game that goes on in Washington and in their own state capitals. They are sick of hearing people attack their opponents in election campaigns. They no longer believe in campaign promises. Most of all, they want elected officials to listen to all options, be open to answers regardless of the source, be imaginative when looking for solutions, work towards compromise, and to act like responsible, respectful, and mature adults who are capable of working amicably and cooperatively with others.This blog is dedicated to pointing out the ridiculous, embarrassing, self-serving examples in our everyday politics. Each day, I will write about something that represents the brokenness of our political system, in hopes of generating some non-partisan movement to demand an end to this madness before our country becomes hopelessly lost. I am neither Democrat nor Republican, but a fierce independent, with a healthy mistrust and dislike for both parties equally. Neither the right or the left are always correct. Neither has a monopoly on good ideas and neither is to blame for all that goes wrong in our country.
Let's start a movement made up of rational, open-minded citizens, to force our Democratic system back to where it was intended. That being "of the people. by the people and for the people". All of our problems can be solved if we work together, share ideas, and focus collectively on the common goal, that being solving real problems that affect all Americans, white or of color, rich or poor, young or old, men or women, Democrat, Republican or Independent. As was once said, "a rising tide should float all boats".
