Coming Together

Some of the polls being released dealing with the upcoming presidential election seem to indicate that, at least on the Republican side of the picture, the crazies are being set aside for those that want to talk about the state of the nation.  One thing that certainly needs to be discussed is the findings of a poll recently released that indicates that the vast majority of our citizenry has negative thoughts about where we are, where we are going, and who is going to get us there.

Sometimes, a large majority can be upset by a single issue, but in the case of this particular poll, there was discontent with congress, with the president, with the courts, and with just about everything dealing with life in America today.  Taking a few seconds to think about it, it is completely understood.  Members of Congress no longer represent the people that elected them, the president, not just this one, mind you, is far more interested in personal recognition than leading those of us that can be led, and the courts seem rather busy making law.

Our schools rarely teach what used to be called civics, so too many people today are not aware of how our system of government works, or why.  Local governments have more control over your money than the federal government.  Taxes collected by county, city, and state far exceed what the feds take.  And, the president doesn’t have much to do with any of that.  Those that only vote in presidential elections have no concept of who takes most of their money.

In a recent city election in Las Vegas, less than fifteen percent of those eligible voted, meaning that just a couple of hundred people were able to decide who would hold the purse strings for a population of more than two million.

There is a tremendous uproar within the Republican hierarchy about the Teaparty and the new representatives in Congress who say they represent that party.  The liberal wing of the Democratic party, led by Pelosi and Reid, is incensed over the Teaparty, and those that voted for those representatives are delighted.  Those representatives elected as members of the Teaparty are among the very few that can call themselves representatives of the people that elected them.  While their political philosophy may be rather narrow in scope, it has resonated with force.

From a different angle, but with the same resounding force, are those that are marching on Wall Street and demanding that government once again represent them, not those that spread joy by way of dollars and power.  The two forces, Teaparty and Anti Wall Street, are political opposites working toward the same end.  One, wanting less government that represents the people, the other wanting less government intervention by big corporations, and more representation by the people.

And the leadership of both major parties isn’t listening.  Take the extreme out of the Teaparty and the Anti Wall Streeters, and you have a political force that could change the face of Washington, for the better.

Read a good book lately?  Please do, and stay regular. Ta.