I have long wondered why the American people continue to follow along like sheep, wait, it's worse than that, lemmings is a better example. We as a group continue to follow the policies of those we elect and like a pack, gaggle, herd or whatever of lemmings run right off the economic cliff, falling to certain death. We are constantly told, by those we elect, that everything is really OK, when every credible source on the face of the earth outside of government says just the opposite. We are given explanations for actions, that we really know in our heart of hearts are not true and for some strange reason manage to convince ourselves that what we have been told has some small percentage of truth and is therefore alright. One of the candidates currently running for the top job tells us that our current economic mess will correct itself because of the sound economic foundation we have built our economy on, right. Another candidate tells us that if elected he will bring real change, but he refuses to tell us what the change is, only that he will bring real change, suffice it to say he is a known long time associate of a particular "political fund raiser" and slum lord (that's politispeak for crook) from his home state who is in the middle of a scandalous Federal trial that involves just about every high ranking politician in that state (for some background Google - Anton (Tony) Rezko). I wonder if this change has something to do with how he and his wife plan to redecorate the White House, because it surely can't be have anything to do with changing the current system of graft and corruption that is the order of the day in our nations capitol. And yet another candidate tells us that she is the most experienced and the most able to handle the job of chief political overlord, that she will hit the ground running and restore us all to greatness, when someone she is very close to had said job and managed to sully the position, eclipsing all before him with his antics and general bad behavior not to mention the fact that he basically put our national security up for sale, oh, and when leaving office pardoned some real slime bags making sure he gave the American public one last kick in the b_ _ _ s. If she has such a handle on decency and doing what is right for her country, why didn't she blow (I don't know if that's a bad word choice or not) the whistle on said close associate for his potential crimes. Did I say that I am not enamoured with anyone in the current field? Which brings me to today's thought.
Things are not alright, as a people we are going to have to come together at some point and correct the situation that we as a people have continually turned a blind eye to. We continue to elect people to multiple terms in office when they should have never made it on to a ballot. We hear the term "voting for the best of the worst" during every election and swear as a people we won't ever let someone like that back into office again, then amnesia sets in and we go through the same cycle over and over again. Why is it, that as children we learn not to put our hands into a fire because we get burned, but continue to get "burned" by one elected official after another? Maybe a minor lesson is in order to help America understand the correlation between getting burned and "getting burned". First of all, Americans have to understand that politicians do not care about anyone but themselves. They reluctantly go to their respective state senates and to Washington, totally with their own interest in mind. Occasionally something is passed that moderately benefits their constituency, usually with strings attached and very watered down, and then flaunted to those who elected them under the guise of honesty, caring and why they should be re-elected for another term. These are the same people who's families and friends get rich from the strings that are attached to the bills they pass, and the deals they make with lobbyists and anyone else willing to line their pockets, in the name of looking out for the people of their districts who keep electing these miscreants to office.
It is an unfortunate fact that it takes a large fortune to run for office in this country today and if one does not have a large fortune than they are going to be, as they say, beholden to some rich and powerful interests. And since the American people are fascinated by wealth and for some strange reason equate that wealth with honesty, decency, intelligence and all of the other good things that make up life in America, they roll over time after time. Even when the candidate has some serious flaws that have marred their past to the point that they should not even be employable, they (the American people) still give em a go (that is a term used by prostitutes in Australia as in, Ay' mate, want to give it a go?), in other words America gets screwed again. Part of the problem is that as a free nation anyone can run for office and as such we get a goodly share of fugitives from locked wards throwing their hats into the ring for every election. However minor these distractions are, it helps to camouflage those who should be closely scrutinized and sent packing. I don't think that good people stay out of politics because of the media intrusion into their lives, I think it's money that is the primary factor. You see, decent people may have a skeleton or two in their closets, but not generally enough to preclude them from winning public office. On the other hand political backers want someone who will further their own selfish interests at the expense of the people who have actually voted and elected someone, I believe this is called selling out and this is where anyone with a conscience, or an ounce of decency draws a line in the sand and this is where, whether you know it or not is the group most American fall into. So why is that we get fooled so often? Simple we want to believe that the people who are standing up there on the stage are as truthful as the majority of Americans are.
The simple fix to this dilemma is this, as a nation we must look at the people who claim to have our best interest at heart at the very beginning of the electoral process and weed them out carefully. Most people are who they are by the time they are of an age to run for political office. If they are basically good and decent they will more than likely be that way in office, that's my guy or gal, whatever. If they lie and cover up their past transgressions against society and in some cases mankind, than they will probably do the same in office, I believe the old saying say's something about a leopard and it's spots. Remember what your mother said when you were growing up, if it sounds to good to be true than it probably is (That means it's probably B _ _ _ S _ _ t) and when a candidate sounds to good to be true the same applies.
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