Hypocritic Oath
I've mulled it over and I decided that the primary difference between voters and elected office holders is the perception of truth.Voters, regular Joes and Janes, can't call their banks and creditors up and lie about when they can pay their bills. They can't authorize a bill-pay and hope it doesn't hit for two days until the paycheck arrives. We live in the here and now. Our word is our bond. Our survival, and any hope we have of prospering, depends on our accountability. In the here and now, buy here pay later doesn't work. Just because something is advertised doesn't mean it makes financial sense.
If you have kids during the Christmas advertising season, this point has already been brought home.
Politics run a different gambit. The point in politics is persuasion. WHY something MIGHT be better. If ONLY. What MIGHT happen. Based on the PROJECTED anticipated whatever.
Voters are repeatedly asked to authorize who has authority to move mountains of cash that belong to all of them. Them. The voters. The taxpayers. There are 535 members of Congress. There are 295,734,134 citizens.
This tells me that 295,734,134 people, or a goodly portion thereof, make an honest accounting of their finances. They do not lie in order to borrow, or lie in order to avoid their financial obligations.
They CAN'T.
They can't because the people directly affected by those lies will not put up with it. We have a system of responsibility in place that REQUIRES responsibility. So, in the nicest possible way, why shouldn't the Americans look to their politicians and bellow:
WTF!
Seriously, we ARE in charge. 2006 is upon us. If your representation isn't running our house the way you're running yours, you've got a vote.
Use it.
posted by Jet @ 5:02 PM
16 Comments:
You're right, Jet. We CAN take this country back from the greedy, big oil bastards. It won't be easy, but we CAN. Thank God we still have that ability, or I'd have long ago moved to a nation where even remote possibilities are "remote possiblities".
It's the apathy I don't understand. Why so many citizens don't look at the way government works and think, "that ain't right, I'm not voiting for him/her again"!
I think far too many folks don't think their vote has value, and DOES make a difference. Politicians count on not having to be accountable. That's just wrong.
It's OUR money, yet they have less accountability than the average CPA does to a client. We need to fix this, and voting is our weapon, IF enough of us soldier up.
Considering the energy and transportation bills that just passed, we have a hell of a long way to go...
Not only that, but most folks don't have bank accounts in the Caymans to hid their illicitly gotten booty.
I was reading the editorial page of our local rag the other day and a woman put it quite nicely (paraphrasing): It would be wonderful should congress return to being of, for and by the people rather than for only those with highly priced lobyists and giant expense accounts.
Let's Vote the Bastards out.
I don't understand the apathy either, Jet. Except for when I think back to the days when my little "you know what" still thought for my big "you know what".
It's as if you find yourself in middle age and you have a SEVERE wake-up call that you've let your country go to S*$*(! while you chased after the immediate gratification
I'm sure this is something at least the guys can relate to...
Between re-districting shenanigans, hanging chads, Florida, Ohio and electoral over majority popular vote, I can understand mistrust, but not apathy. This mucking about with the vote makes me mad, not apathetic.
Hey, I'm with you on this one, Jet. I'm not happy with the situation, either. A good bipartisan cause.
Absolutely correct. Unfortunately, for politicians, truth is also a currency, and it really doesn't matter if it's there's to spend -- they spend it.
I wonder if we said "based on our projected income" what OUR creditors would do? Extend us credit...a blank check?
OK Dem, this divergence from civil service to treating the job of representation as some kind of license for corruption creates two playing fields. You are completely correct. We've allowed the rules to become unequal.
Hey Chris. It's true, this issue has no party -- it's all of us.
Hi Andy. Welcome to God Dem!. Truth as a currency? Perhaps we need to reassess what we've tied its value to.
Nedhead, the local stuff is a great opportunity to see the impact of ones efforts. It's an excellent antidote to apathy. Thanks for weighing in.
Heh. I don't think so, Sally!
Couldn't agree more. What is up these days? A president who could not be accountable to his military duty, is not accountable to the American people when he lied about WMDs and the Al-Quida-Iraq connection, getting away with a C average in a prestigious ivy college and touting about it?
I can't believe that there were people who voted for this Dubya guy in 2000, let alone in 2004. Is the IQ of the American people so low that we can't put 2 and 2 together and get 4 anymore? Are we so blind that our collective sight can't see how utterly disturbing Bush and his croonies action are destroying what little intelligence is left in this once glorious country? Whatever happened to freedom? The freedom to speak up against a frivolous government? Oh, I forgot we relinquished all those rights when the Supreme Judges let Bush be president in 2000, and those rights continue to be eroded.
As Elton John once sang, "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road..."
Post a new one already! LOL. I love when you blog. Keep up the good fight, my friend... blog ON, and blog more often!
<--- Impatient Alabamian
Great reminder to folks Jet! I think we have all made this point at some time or another, yet I am always glad to see it being written and discussed again and again and again.
We really should be in charge (we the people that is) and stop abdicating our lives to irresponsible, untrustworthy, paid for idiots.
Jen, I hear ya!
Thanks, Mulligan.
GTL, your wish is granted.
Hey Ken, Thanks and I completely agree. Silence is a killer. Time to bring it!
I'm sure Jen will be happy when the next Dem administration comes in, and the corruption and runaway bureaucracy are still here. Nedhead made a good point about the local elections. That's where they are most directly accountable. For instance, I'm totally disillusioned with the NY Rep. party, but don't have as many issues with the national party. I do have issues with them, mostly around spending and waste, not on most major policies.
Local politics are more interesting, and often more colorful, simply because they are more personal and not some huge plastic production.
Runaway bureaucracy is a real problem. I don't think either party is interested in changing the status quo. It's unhealthy for the country, though. At some point, it will either cease to work or cease to be constitutional.
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