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 . . ."

 The Sequester - more of the same. If your representative is a Republican, then they have to side with speaker Boehner or if a Democrat they have to side with President Obama. I use the term 'have to side' because in recent years there have been a few politicians that didn't tow the party line (or is it 'toe the party line'?) and they didn't receive financial backing or otherwise in future campaigns from their own party. Seems the parties have more sway than the issues.

 No matter what happens in an election in recent years, it comes back to party politics. Like a fight - the fighters (in this case our representatives) retreat to their corners where 'experts' and advisers whisper sweet motivations in their ears and the fighters come out swinging in the same fight over-and-over-and-over . . . Imagine a Rocky movie here but instead of  the old gravely voiced manager,Burgess Meredith, there is Bernie Madoff or worse. Meanwhile, we are the audience and have become bored with the fight mostly because it seems our fighter is not listening to us. And we are the ones that got her/him into the ring for this prize fight.

 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 have also been a supporter of the No Labels organization - to me it makes sense if we want to have a voice in our government again. 

 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.
No Labels website

Comments

Post a Comment

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

Lefties and Other Exceptional People

I have had the opportunity to do a lot of driving lately - back-and-forth to Wabash College and to-and-from Holland, Grand Rapids and East Lansing. It's given me lots of time to think and ponder the greater mysteries of the world; like the purpose of life, why my thumbnails always break first, the speed at which a state police officer will actually pull you over for and the theory of relativity. Oh, not THE theory of Relativity - with a capital 'R", created by Mr. Genius Einstein. No, my own theory of relativity - with a lower case 'r'. Created by this less-than-genius mother of three and wife of one! My theory is that the absolute worst drivers are those that drive exclusively in the left lane (I call them lefties) and the ones that believe the rules of the road apply to everyone except them (I call them exceptional people). I call it my own theory of relativity because these drivers are relatively unaware of how to drive. You know the ones that are going the spe...
1 comment
Read more

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling

I put my pride aside and got my ass off the grass and into the wheelchair. {I spent a couple minutes deciding whether to put an exclamation mark after that declaration or to put the period after that statement. I think the period better suits my mood about getting said ass into the wheelchair!} On July 4, Saugatuck has a wonderfully unique parade that includes quirky participants like the artsy-fartsy campers at OxBow art colony and the LGBT members of a local foundation along with the more traditional participants like Girl Scouts, fire trucks, and local politicians. It had been a couple years since I had been to the parade, this year, though, my Mom and sister were in town and I wanted to take them. So we loaded up in the van, including Kerri's wheelchair and my own. Once we parked, John asked if I wanted to use my chair and I initially balked but then remembered that it can be a long, hot parade and it might be better to have a place to sit. So, I acquiesced and took the cha...
2 comments
Read more

Vulnerability hangover

I recently blogged about my own #MeToo experiences and then went silent. (At least on the blog). Those posts have been read by over 1000 people, and that's a lot for this tiny little blog about living a life with MS and God and with a sense of humor. Suddenly, I felt like I was living in a world where people that read my blog had x-ray vision and could see my nakedness - but I didn't know who they were. It wasn't a good feeling. And then I heard someone discuss Brene Brown, in particular what she describes as a 'vulnerability hangover'. It's essentially the feeling of regret, like after a night of binge drinking, when you think "What did I do/say?" and then "I think I'll just hide out from the world." If you've never had that experience, kudos to you. It's shame, pure and simple, ugly and raw. So, now I'm on a Brene Brown binge, including all of her TED talks. Including this one on shame:  Brene, listening to shame ...
Post a Comment
Read more