The Public Kinda Sucks!
In my entire adult life I have beaten the drum to vote. If you don’t vote you don’t have a say – I honestly believe that. Casting your vote is one of the single most important things you can do as a United States citizen. The fact that someone wouldn’t exercise that right seems mind boggling. Yet, I find myself really weighing whether or not I want to be a party anymore to the political discourse this country seems to be grinding out.
We’ve become this nation of people that are only as educated as the headlines they read while shoving processed food into our faces while flying to our next appointment. If you think about it this way – would you want the person I just described making future financial decisions for you and your family? My guess is probably not, and my hope is that I’m correct. If you were to hire someone to make all your personal financial decisions for you I’m pretty sure you would need more than a “headline” to entrust that person with your financial well being. Yet every year we march to the polls and cast a vote. Sometimes that vote is a well read educated vote and sometimes it’s not.
Either way you slice it, I’m starting to grow weary of the fight and Red Team, Blue Team politics. To quote our current President who once said, “We are not a Liberal America, we are not a conservative America, We are the United States of America”. Words to live by no matter who says them. Unfortunately we are collection of Blue states and Red States and we’ve developed into something I don’t recognize nor do I like it. I was having a discussion with someone the other day. That conversation ended on a very contentious note in large part because the person I was speaking to said something rather hateful and I couldn’t let it go. But the conversation was started with this person spewing right wing talking points that were thrown around during the last national election. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, nor could I believe how whole heartedly they were speaking about these old talking points.
I understand that somehow, just by virtue of being outspoken in the political circle I probably get into more political conversations then I care to. I also understand that most people that engage me believe they can change my way of thinking. I’m always up for the conversation, and I’m always willing to listen and learn, it may not result in a changed mind but it could result in a different approach. That being said, I really believe the people we vote into office don’t extend that same common courtesy to each other. Decisions are being made that effect you and I with wanton disregard for how it effects us (hence the Occupy movement). But what do you do about it? Well, short of joining the band wagon to Occupy (which isn’t a bad thing to do), I’m out of answers.
I’m also tired of trying to defend a position. Here’s the bottom line, as American’s we can agree on a few basic principles – first, we should all help one another, second, we should be fiscally responsible while doing it and third do it with the least amount of Government intervention possible. But because of the current climate however we can’t seem to separate those ideals from the parties in which them came (and I use “came” loosely because I really believe the all hold these beliefs to be true). But the spin takes over and “Liberals” want to help people, Conservatives want to save money, Tea Partiers (or your Dad’s Libertarian party) wants people to make decisions for people. But at the end of the day – I want all that stuff so what am I?
So even though it keeps crossing my mind not to vote – I probably will, only because I’m civic minded. But I think I will change my political party from the Pedestrian Party to the Occupy Party because it would seem that it’s something we all can agree with – well, at least 99% of us. What the hell is up with that?
