Principals Of What?

Ok, now I rarely go into politics on the social media forums beyond some isolated Tweets and re-Tweets. Not necessarily because of how much of a hot-button topic it can be, but more because the platforms themselves aren't terribly discussion-friendly. But here, I can roll it all out with no limitations. 

Anyway, the reason I chose now to post something is more of a boiling point thing. With all the protests, economic woes, and laughable candidates hitting the airwaves, there's something I think people need to be reminded of. There's a lot of misguided perceptions out there that is beginning to really bother me.

My high school government class was called Principles of Democracy. It was a required class for me to close that chapter of my life with a diploma in my hand. This is the same for most Americans, and subsequently, most people should have a working knowledge of how the process works. Everyone should understand the three branches that make up our system of government. Unfortunately, I am beginning to have my doubts...

First, anyone who thinks the President will "fix things" is an idiot. I don't care how many promises of "change" and "hope" or any other happy-go-lucky rhetoric are made on the election circuit, a single person in the Oval Office can barely fix their own child's toy, and absolutely cannot fix the country. Sure, it's possible......in a Monarchy. But we live in a Democracy, and simply put, one person does not wield that type of power. So stop buying into the hype as a singular means of resolving all our woes. Now, I'm generalizing here, as the actual number varies based upon a lot of different factors, but if you want change, you need to have roughly 358 people, carrying the same vision, without being influenced by the three B's (Bribery, Blackmail, and Bullying) that rules Capital Hill with an iron fist. Once you have that, then you'll be able to see things get done. Then you don't have to worry about Congress or the President getting cock-blocked at every turn. The thing is, getting that is virtually impossible in this day and age. It is hard enough to find one politician on the up and up, let alone 350 of them. Theoretically Democracy works on paper. Then again, so does Marxism. Unfortunately, human nature steps in and fucks it all up. No matter what you choose, greed prevails. That's why the Soviets fell from grace and that's why we are in the same free-fall right now.

It sounds fairly hopeless, right? And you are right, to an extent. It isn't totally hopeless, but it will be a long and arduous fight to get things back on track. And it all starts with you, my fellow Americans (Hehehe...I've always wanted to say that). This is really our own fault. We, as a collective, have become attuned to simply not giving a fuck. Sure, we whoop and holler whenever something bad happens overseas, but we turn a blind eye to what happens here at home. The average American gets up, goes to work, comes home and shuts their door on the world, instead opting to satiate their voyeuristic needs with picking the next American Idol and seeing what's happening at the Jersey Shore. Most of us don't know our neighbors, nor go out of our way to help anyone other than ourselves. And this isn't new. We've been drifting in this direction since the 80's, back when material excess was paramount and the dual-income family became mandatory. We have trained ourselves by sheer gluttony to only give a shit if we can point fingers at someone else. The whole "it's not my problem, so I'm not going to do anything about it" mentality has been in growing at an exponential rate. Now days, we don't want to take responsibility for anything. What? My kid just went to school and killed 40 people? Oh, it's the media's fault. It's the video games. It's the movies. It's the books. IT'S NOT MY FAULT. What? The country is crashing and burning? It's the politicians fault. It's big business' fault. IT'S NOT MY FAULT. You couldn't be more wrong...

Now, keep in mind, the blame for the issues we face domestically are indeed the fault of both business and politicians. But wait, didn't I just say it wasn't their fault? I did. And the reason why is because we empowered them. Those Congressmen you are pissed off at for not making adequate health care reforms or proper adjustments to our fundamentally broken immigration system? Yeah, we elected them. And we continue to do so. We want change? That's where it starts. Not with the lofty promises of one seeking your vote, but with your own effort and intelligence. Before you Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Main Street, or Occupy The Polls, you need to go to school...

I've been saying the same thing with just about every hot button topic and the same applies here. Educate yourself. Put int he work and learn about the process, the parties, and the candidates. I don't give a flying fuck who you want to vote for or what party you support. That's your own beliefs and you are fully entitled to it. But do your fucking homework. Learn about the candidates. Pay attention not just what they say, but they do. What they have done in the past. This applies to anyone running for office, regardless if it's for the local school district board or the President him (or her) self. Hell many, many folks don't vote at all. And a good chunk of those who do only vote in the Presidential elections. Again, the President can't fix everything alone. So you must vote in the Congressional elections as well. And you must do your due diligence for that too. The same can be said for the parties you support. We don't have to be a two-party system. The Republicans and Democrats may have the most popularity, and the most sway, but they aren't the only players on the roster. One of the biggest mistakes we make is voting for an individual out of party or name loyalty. I'm sorry to break it to you, but those two parties have evolved since your parents and your grand parents were young. Philosophies have changed, and so has their principles. So make certain that anything or anyone you support actually represents what you believe, and not just because that's how your family has always voted. I know a lot of folks who voted for a certain Congressman because that's the name they see the most on street corner signs and on TV, not because they actually know what the person stands for. And I know others who will vote Republican or Democrat, regardless of who the candidate is. This is why nothing is changing.

A couple of other caveats. First, don't rely on mainstream media to properly inform you of anything or adequately cover what needs to be covered. Regardless of what they present to you, every one of them is partisan in some form or another. Remember, a news outlet is a business just like any other. And they are swayed by that. But we have an advantage that our parents didn't have: the Internet. You will learn so much more there than you will on CNN or Fox News. Oh, and let me remind you that when I say "educate yourself", that means looking at both sides, not just one. See all the perspectives before making your decision. You'll be amazed at what you will learn.

Second, the electoral college needs to go. It's an antiquated system that was designed for a time when our primary means of communication was via the Pony Express. We've grown well beyond that and no longer need delegates to vote for us. It provides way too many holes that can be (and has been) exploited. It needs to be disbanded. Period.

I'm not tossing this out there to begin any flame wars. Nor am I putting this publicly as a means to sway your political affiliation. This is intended to provide a little clarity. I'm sick of seeing people roll out haphazard options and lay blame with a dirty finger. Our government is corrupt. Has been for a long time now. Most people just chose not to see it. Just look at the last 40 years. Out of the last eight Presidents, only two have held a measure of public respect: Clinton and Reagan. Everyone else - Nixon, Ford, Carter, the Bush boys and even Obama - all have dismal approval rating. That tells you right there, the issues are party agnostic. Both Republicans and Democrats have failed. Of course, it's a lot harder to hide things these days in this Internet Age, so more people are aware of what's going on. The passing of free information has opened the eyes of many, and it's time to pull our heads out of the sand and make the change happen. Not make someone else make the change, we need to make it.