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As America embarks on yet again another “major” election year, where presidents are chosen, Senators and Representatives are replaced or re-elected, and a multitude of propositions, initiatives, and levies seek their way to the ballot, we brace ourselves for what is to come. But what is to come? I will tell you:
More of the same partisan rhetoric that has plagued the American political system as far back as any registered voter can remember. We are in for more bickering, in-fighting, finger pointing, mud-slinging and violations of people’s family lives, and privacy. That is right, more false promises, and blaming the “other guy” for not doing enough. There will be name calling, political references to farm animals and make-up, left winging, right winging, tea partying…….The list goes on and on.
What is worse is that Americans will take themselves to the polls next November in a display of patriotism, practicing their “God given right as Americans” and cast their ballots to ensure that we will get the same thing again in four more years. We will do what we have always done in the past; choose “the lesser of two evils”, or “not change the horse mid-stream”. We will vote Democrat or Republican, because “I have always voted Republican” or “My parents raised me to be a Democrat”. There are even cases where people cast their vote based on name recognition alone or because the name of a candidate “sounds nice”.
Though it is every Americans right to cast a ballot (aside from some excluded by virtue of conviction etc.), it would be nice if more people actually knew who or what they were voting for. The government spends hundreds upon millions of dollars publishing voter pamphlets every year, yet few are actually read. In some states, they are even sent out with the ballot so that a person can sit down, educate themselves, and cast a vote based on what they have learned. Furthermore we live in an age where we can “Google”, “Bing”, or “Yahoo” any given subject and be bombarded with billions of gigabytes of information. But it doesn’t happen.
We currently stand at a crossroads in America where we have the opportunity to continue “business as usual” or make REAL change happen. We can go to the ballot box and ignorantly push a button, connect the arrow, punch the card, or whatever a particular district does, or we can make a lasting effect on the future of America. We can keep career politicians in the seats they hold, where they have wasted billions of America’s dollars or we can make a statement by finding them a suitable replacement. The future success or failure of our nation is in the hands of every American that can cast a ballot.
It is obvious that the political “bad blood” between the Democrats and the Republicans has turned acidic. It seems that there is no one out there with a moderate point of view any more. Our politicians have been essentially “purchased” by lobbyists. Each of the interests represented in Washington DC has a “go to guy”, someone they can count on when they want to get their interest represented. That particular interest typically has the backing of a large corporation who will benefit from the positive outcome of their lobby. So what do they do? They create a political action group that is allowed to funnel as certain amount of money in to the campaign of whoever supports their political agenda. So on and on it goes. Soon the interest is emboldened by the good ol’ boy process that takes place in American politics and they begin to push for more and more. In the mean time, the politicians get their “perks” for representing the interests who finance their campaigns. Overall it is a corrupt and disgusting process that mocks the system that was intended by our founding fathers. And the longer a politician stays in office, the stronger the support for the special interests becomes, because that politician has friends, and influence that comes with the longevity of being a career politician.
This behavior can be stopped. Americans seem to have forgotten that we do not work for the government; the government works for us. We as Americans have the power to intervene, and put an end to the behavior that currently corrupts our system of government. We as Americans have a responsibility to make that change happen; we cannot fail future generations by not taking action now.
The type of action that needs to be taken does not involve “occupying” Wall Street, or practicing poor personal hygiene for long periods of time. It will not involve the linking of arms in the middle of a thoroughfare while police indiscriminately douse you with pepper spray. The action I am proposing is real and true change. It is about going to the ballot box and making the collective voice of America heard. It is about summarily terminating the polarization that exists within the two party systems that currently plagues American politics.
How can we know if we are making the right decision? Simply go to http://www.senate.gov and see how your representative or senator has been voting. Check the roll call, find out if they are even showing up. Read the daily Congressional Record which is published every day that there is an issue being considered. See what your elected officials really had to say about something that matters to the future of America.
Once you have determined whether your elected official(s) have or have not been doing their job well, follow them. Go to their web site, sign up for their news letter, see what they are saying and doing about a particular issue. Ask yourself; is this person just spending their time pointing fingers and blaming the opposing party? Is this person representing a special interest, or America as a whole? Ask yourself if this person is earning his or her $174,000 (2011 average according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management) dollar a year salary, which is being paid by you. If the answers to those questions are not what you like, it is time to “fire” that politician.
This is not a suggestion that we remove every incumbent at each election until we get something that resembles change. This is a suggestion that as Americans we start holding our politicians accountable. This is a suggestion that maybe we start looking at those “third party” candidates, and seeing what they have to say. I would personally not vote for a third party candidate that jumped right in and ran for the office of President. I would however give someone that is running for a seat at the state level, or as a US Senator or Representative a serious look.
Collectively we tend to brush off the ideas and views of the third party candidates, because they seem “out of the norm”. I would ask this; how is the “norm” working for America right now? Maybe it is time to start considering the ideas of an “outsider” and seeing how they match up to our ideas of making a change. Maybe it is time to start talking to the grassroots political movements and their leaders, and using our collective voices to ensure they represent us and not special interests.
We have the ability to reshape the American political climate by pushing our collective agenda through a sincere and honest leader. If we start inserting a “wedge” between the “Red” and “Blue” Isles at our nation’s capitol, we can bring America back on track. We cannot effectively change anything if we don’t make out voices heard. Not every one of us can go to Washington DC and stand on the lawn at the Washington Monument and express our dislike for what is (not) being done by our elected officials. So we need to speak in a place where every voice is heard, at the ballot box.
I encourage every American to take a stand, get involved, and create change. Start looking at those third party candidates, start rallying for moderation, start pushing the special interest groups aside and make our voice louder than their dollars. We owe it to ourselves and our children to make change happen now.
