Skip to main content

They just don't get it . . . .


If you're anything like me (I know no one wants to readily admit to it but there are people like me) you've come away from recent elections shaking your head and thinking, "They just don't get it . . ."


No matter what happens in an election in recent years, it comes back to party politics. Like a fight - the fighters retreat to their corners where the same 'experts' and advisers whisper sweet motivations in their ears and the same fighters come out swinging in the same fight over-and-over-and-over . . . Like tired boxers they no longer know what they're fighting for but they keep fighting because the bejeweled experts in the corner are paying them to get into the ring. The fighters become tired and entangled and throw half-hearted punches until the bell tolls again and they retreat to their corners where the same . . . Imagine a Rocky movie here but instead of  the old gravely voiced manager, there is Bernie Madoff or worse. Meanwhile, we in the audience are reading our magazines or napping because the fight doesn't really matter, we don't have any input because no one is listening to us and we feel powerless to change the way the fight is fought. We know we should care but after awhile well, we don't.


I could get carried away with that fight analogy and maybe I already did. My point being, we no longer have influence on the results of the elections. We vote but once someone is elected, our influence may very well end. It's become a pay-to-play system and I don't have enough cash. 


We're lulled into thinking we have influence in the party-political game - but most Americans are not just one party or another. As a matter of fact, I think most Americans could care less about the labels given by party politics. I heard an interview with Robert Frank on his book, "The Darwin Economy; Liberty, Competition and the Common Good" - and I thought - that's exactly what I think is wrong with politics today!!!!!! (I've included a link below to the show and book). 


Going back to the fight analogy, we as an audience need to get out of our seats and demand equal time whispering in our fighters' ears. We need to remove the 'experts' - in this case lobbyists from ringside seats and demand they move to the back of the line or get out of line altogether. Because until that happens, our politicians just won't get it because they're not listening.














Robert Frank: "The Darwin Economy: Liberty, Competition, and the Common Good" | The Diane Rehm Show from WAMU and NPR:

'via Blog this'

Comments

It's not a popularity contest, but ...

Pity Party

I'm not prone to host pity parties. In fact, the last one I had was over five years ago when I transitioned to the wheelchair. It was a good one, if memory serves, and over forty pounds joined me where they lingered, resulting in a long miserable hang-over. But, it being a pandemic and all, I felt like hosting another pity party. I mean it's a fricking, once in a lifetime opportunity, right? Here I am, gimpy and immune compromised and shut-in for three weeks. I have my "co-workers" John, Matthew and Delaney here with me, Facetime and Zoom for human contact. But I miss my friends, family, WW coworkers and members, people at church, my pharmacist, Bill at the gas station, the owners and staff at a couple restaurants, the florist, the smart-ass cashier at Aldi, the wonderful people at the vet's office, all the healthcare workers I'd be seeing at the oncologist's/neurologist's/optometrist's/dentist's/family doc's offices and all the ...

Not your average church lady

I spent this morning at Bible Study Fellowship where I'm a group leader. This afternoon, I spent 2 1/2 hours online shopping for supplies for a simulcast we are hosting at our church. More specifically, the simulcast is sponsored by our women's ministry - the ministry I volunteered to lead about a year ago. And then later this afternoon, I emailed & texted & called about a fundraising event our women's ministry is hosting in about 3 weeks. I had a conversation with our Pastor this evening. And just a short while ago, I worked on my Bsf lesson (while sipping my Cabernet). And it hit me - a comical thought if there ever was one ... I've become the church lady!! Now isn't that special! And crazy??!! The 20-something Kathleen Bowen is certainly rolling over in her boozy or hung-over stooper and saying something like "What? Are you crazy? I haven't been to church in a really long time!" And while I'm a long way from THAT 20-somethi...

When a New Year begins with only whispers of the previous year

  I spent the last 45 days of 2024 suffering with a wee bit of the plague.  It didn't completely stop me, but it came close. I only briefly came out of my isolation to participate in the Lakeshore Community Chorus' holiday concert, to take care of the world's most adorable bairn and then celebrate his first birthday, to attend Christmas Eve worship, to see the bio-pic of Bob Dylan, celebrate NYE with the previously mentioned adorable grandson and his parents and to have short visits with my daughter from a different mother/father and her adorable daughter. I don't think I missed any 'events'. After each of these 'events' I then went back to my cocoon (the recliner in the living room, with my blankie and water bottle). There I could cough, sneeze and ache in relative comfort with my tissues, Mucinex and Advil nearby. I also discovered the comfort of an occasional hot toddy. When there were no signs of improvement, I went to my doctor and she prescribed an...