Large and in charge

I have been contemplating the sad state of politics and the apathy of such in our country. Why those we put in charge seem to be more interested in name calling and mudslinging toward each other than actually doing anything to make the world better. Turn on any news channel and there is always some talking head yelling about how the other party is nothing more than a liberal warmonger whose personal presence and party will be the ruination of us all. Why they spend so much time trashing each other instead of finding ways to work together and make the world better is beyond mystifying to me. The sad part of politics is that there are no real party differences. They are basically two sides of the same coin. Each one legislates from different angles, but with the same results. The republicans say they legislate the way they do for your safety and security. The democrats say they legislate the way they do because they know what is good for you more than you do. A country that was founded on freedom and personal choices had become nothing but a herd of led sheep being placed by our rancher leaders in smaller and smaller corrals, squeezing us for more and more wool to make them greater and greater profits, myself included. And much like the frog in the frying pan, we seem to not notice nor care that heat keeps turning up until we will be frying. Each party says that they stand for the good of the people, and they are right, they do. However, they never distinguish which people they work to improve. The sad fact is that only their friends, business associates and assorted cronies to which they are beholden truly benefit from their work. Most of these people can be found in the various contractors, special interest groups and lobbying firms and their assorted organizations that litter political centers across the country. The average person, whom goes to work and lives paycheck to paycheck, is nothing more than an afterthought to those in power. They do not care if these people live or die, and if you doubt that, take a tour of New Orleans now almost a year after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Politicians do not affect change nor do they want it. They can through political machinations create the wealth and power they have always wanted, and will not let anything rock that boat. Come election time, they always speak of change, changing the system, changing things to work better and to improve life for everyone. But once they are once again safely ensconced back into the halls of power, it is business as usual. Acquire power and wealth, insure the stability of your family and friends at the expense of others and maintain the status quo. Business as usual.

Now, I do not want to speak of all politicians in such a way. I know that there are those in our public offices that truly do want to affect real change, and are striving for a better world for all of us. To these dedicated public servants, I tip my hat. However, there are too few of these men and women in office. And these people are outmanned, outspent and outgunned in their efforts for change compared to those who prefer the status quo and the power and money it brings them. And unfortunately, as will happen, some of these dedicated servants eventually fall to the greed and tire of the fight that seems unwinnable and become just like those whom they are fighting. Apathy and the easy path strikes everywhere and can bring down even the most idealistic amongst us.

This, unfortunately, is nothing new. The difference now is twofold. The first is that with far more information sources at our fingertips, we find it much easier to really see the truth about their actions. And if you have trouble finding it, use one simple guideline. Follow the money. That will usually lead to the proper answer as to why most of them do what they do. They are in it for money, and the more they can take from you, the better off they are. Kickbacks, donations, fundraisers galore abound, usually funded rather shadily from special interests and lobbyists that are hoping to curry favor when a particular bill comes through. Some sit on boards of companies and organizations that are looking to curry governmental favor, and then they are present when a bill comes up for vote that could help said company. Conflict of interest? Not in our governments. And the most obvious of disgusting avarice, the pay raise. This has always chaffed me that they can get away with voting themselves a hefty cost of living pay raise, while they constantly stonewall the same for minimum wage. These people, many of which are millionaires, refuse to give a helping hand to those who live paycheck to paycheck and are one bad instance away from living on the street, where more and more people are ending up nowadays. Many of these public servants have no trouble claiming power and wealth on the backs of the disenfranchised, with only a promise of better times ahead for them, which is worth about as much as the voting card they used to put them in office.

The second is difference is the quality of candidates. Since Kennedy’s presidential election, running for office has become about image, not substance. Now it is about how you make the electorate feel, how to make them believe far more than your ability to lead. A maddening statement, but that makes it no less true. Those in office are aware of this. But it is not only how you portray yourself, but also your opponent. The election process has descended into not how you can help the world, but how badly your opponent will screw it up if you are stupid enough to elect them. It has become nothing more than a playground mudslinging contest into which no one wants to step. Truly qualified candidates with intelligence and compassion no longer wish to be a part of this process, because they do not want to go through the character assassination that inevitably accompanies any political race. Look at John Kerry, a man who served our country in Vietnam, a very unpopular war. He allowed Bush and his team to assassinate his character and war record in an attempt to keep office, and it succeeded. Now, I personally did not care for either candidate, but I will never understand why Kerry did not stand up and say, look, you can say whatever you want, but when my country called upon me, I answered proudly and served. Where were you when your country called? Why did a man, despite how you may feel about politics or where you stand on the political spectrum, allow himself to be ripped apart by a group of jackals where the closest action any of them saw was from the inside of a war room sending more of the disenfranchised to early deaths? I will never understand this. And this is just one example of why people that could truly affect change will never run. They do not want to see themselves crucified upon the altar of television for the benefit of percentage polls. Mr. Smith has given up on Washington, he would rather stay home and help build Mr. Bailey’s bank into a multi-national billion dollar concern.

To compound this, most of us do not care. We are too addled on personal nonsense, fast food and American Idol to care what goes on in the halls of power. And as we get older, we care less and less. Why? Because caring and trying to change the world requires effort, learning and work. Yes, work, which most of us are too tired and distracted to do because we spend our days frantically trying to carve out a little piece of existence, which thanks to those in power, becomes harder and harder to do with each passing year. Thanks to lower wages, less job security, outsourcing to other countries for cheap labor, rising prices for goods and services and a constituency that could care less, we are all working far harder for even the smallest sliver of the good life pie. Add to that trying to raise a family in a tumultuous world where the questions are far outnumbering the answers, it is no wonder no one has any time or inclination to learn and work and affect true change. We are all lulled into a lifestyle where by the time we have scraped what we can out of life, exhausting ourselves in the process, we have no time nor brain capacity to do much more than vegetate to stupid entertainment. Now, I love stupid entertainment, probably more than the next person, but it should be what it is, a distraction, not our main focus.

And those in power know this, and love it. The more apathetic we become, the more secure in their positions they feel. And as a consequence, they are more willing to do whatever they please with no real consequence to their actions. What is the worst consequence they could suffer, losing their seat? No problem, they will do lucrative speaking tours, followed by joining their company boards to make money, perhaps join a lobbying firm or a think tank. There is a lot of money available in all of those avenues. I once thought a good idea would be term limits. Make some of these career politicians work for a living. But that is no longer the answer. According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, many former legislators and staffers find lucrative second careers in lobbying firms. Here they know the ins and outs of the political process and can easily move through the halls of power. They have remained friends with many of those still in the halls of power and find it much easier to push through the agendas for which they work. How does that help the people? I know the argument, that lobbying firms try to help push through legislation that can make cars safer, food better, skies cleaner. Yes, there are those that exist. But for every one of those, there are five more that want to push through legislation to loosen clean air restrictions to make it more profitable to make products, or want fewer inspections on corporate farming. You want an eye opener on how these work, I highly recommend Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. This book is not only great because of how it shows the true nature of lobbyists and special interests and how they really affect our world, but also how the fast food industry really is able to give you so much inexpensive food. And sadly, that covers only a few industries. Like I said before, follow the money, it will lead you to the real reason why people do things.

So what is the solution? What can we do to really change ourselves for the better? The founding fathers of our nation wrote in the constitution that if the system no longer works, tear it down and start again. Are we at that point? Should we start all over? I believe that if they saw us today, they would all be disappointed in what we have become. I do not know if starting from scratch is the answer. But is our system even fixable at this point? I hate to be one of those who points out the problems, and does nothing to offer a solution. But the only one I can see is for us to start working. Roll up our sleeves and realize we are a great people, and we are better than this. We have all the resources needed right at our fingertips to make sure no one who calls this country home needs to go to bed hungry. Anyone who wants to work can, and those that do not, well, they need to get on board with the rest of us and fast. It will take all of us, no slackers anymore. The only way to find if this will work is if we have a change of consciousness in our country, where we care again, and are willing to work and try to make our lives, those of our neighbors and our world a better place. Call me cynical, but I do not see that happening anytime soon. And unfortunately, that is how those in charge would like to see it stay.