Its real easy to look at politics from an armchair and make comments like "If I was in charge..." or "Who picked this guy/gal (representative) anyway?" or "Who's idea was it to make gas prices so high?" or "How come nothing is being done about ...?"
Looking at the debates, petitions, and news articles online, there is a lot of information available of questionable content and origin, and even more questions about the right solutions. I see ObamaCare being picked apart, but those same vultures are not offering up their solution. I see the results of polls that question everything from whether the economy is better (or worse) in the last few years to should we reduce taxes? Just yesterday, I was talking to friends about why gas is so expensive in Washington State. Well, duh! How many of us voted to reduce our license tabs to $30 per year (when we had been paying hundreds per year)? Where did we think the money was coming from? I believe our thinking at the time was we WANTED to increase gas taxes because the people driving the most (and by extension, purchasing the most fuel) were the ones that should pay for the road repairs. This was how we reallocated the reduced tab fees... we voted for it people!
Shall I state the obvious? The people in charge are the voters (to some degree) -- the problems I see are lack of political education and lack of involvement. Of the people complaining, how many participated in the election process (how many are registered voters that actually take the time to fill out a ballot)? How many of those voters researched their candidates and read about the issues they were voting on? How many voters think that reading the lawn sign that says "Vote on proposition XX to reduce class sizes" is all they need to know before voting Yes (or No)? And then when the proposition passes, they bitch about the increase in taxes- because they never questioned where the money for new teachers and classrooms were coming from. I use this example in particular because I was approached outside WalMart (yeah, I know - the evil empire) to sign a petition to reduce class sizes to 25 kids per room... I asked the petition person, how would the extra classrooms and teachers be funded? He said "Well, I don't know. But there are 40 kids per teacher right now, we need to reduce the class sizes." I replied, "Well if there are 40 kids per teacher (is this even true? I have no idea), that seems like too many, but how can I sign a petition to reduce classroom size if you don't have a solution?" Needless to say, I didn't sign... not because I don't believe that kids will probably learn more and get a better education in a class of 25 students, but because it is irresponsible to bitch about a situation and not present an option to make a change work. I anticipate there will be a bill passes to reduce class sizes... then everyone will complain because a (questionably needed) program is cut or a tax is raised... see comments about gas prices above.
Am I the only one that reads the pamphlet that comes out with major elections describing the candidates and their platform/experience? I read the propositions, bond issues, amendments, and other propaganda in hopes of making an informed decision before casting my vote. If I have no opinion, I leave that item on the ballot blank; or, in the matter of some candidates, I will vote AGAINST a person/bill ... I mean really, how many times have we had a good pool of representatives to chose from, or a proposition seems incomplete or not logical? Where do they get some of these people on our ballots? I know in a couple of presidential elections, I wasn't so enthused about my candidate as I was appalled at the opposite candidate (take Sarah Palin, for example... she scared me, I would have voted for just about anyone rather than see her as VP. And I accepted that a party that would elect her for the presidential ticket did not have MY best interest at heart).
Can you do better? Well, what are the steps to get involved with the process? Start at a local level with city council maybe? Involve yourself with an election campaign? For all those people that say "I could do better" - well, why aren't you doing better? If you have the answer, have you sent it to your representative(s)? Did you vote? I know, the cop-out is "But there's no-one to vote for" (in my case, I voted for the lesser evil), but is that really an excuse for bitching from our chairs and couches? When is the last time you wrote a letter to a representative or the editor of your local newspaper? What are YOU doing to get people thinking?
I voted for Obama. Has he kept his campaign promises? Nope, not all of them. Is it because he's a jerk? A liar? Incompetent? My personal opinion? I think he was voted into a situation that has made him struggle uphill for the past 4 years or so. Our country was (is) in a mess... speaking as someone who lost their house to foreclosure, it started long before he was elected, and much of the fall-out (Wall Street and the housing crash) were the results of things in motion before he was elected. He's spent a lot of his term cleaning up after the prior President's Party (yes, pun intended). The opposition (in Congress and the House) seems more focused on making Obama a one-term President then trying to compromise and pass legislation that will help Americans to pull out of the recession. I for one, don't think they are earning their salaries over the past few years... and don't get me started on Congressional/ House salaries. How many of us vote ourselves a raise? How many of us have one type of health plan and vote on the details of a different plan for the people we represent? How many of us get full benefits and pensions for life after finishing a 2 or 4 year term with an employer? But hey... that's another fight for a different day.
Is ObamaCare our medical solution? I think there are a lot of adjustments that need to be made... but I am happy that SOMEthing is being started that we can work on and adjust over time as we discover what works and what doesn't.
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