Politicians will consistently sacrifice our overall betterment if it can get them consistent votes, from the poor, religious, whatever.
I don't fully understand the psychology- but people seem to eat-up whatever is spoon fed to them from these miracle water salesman like babies. Like the video we saw yesterday with the lady and the repo-man, their is a real entitlement issue.
I have to be candid here...
A lot of people seem to be really gun-ho about modern American democracy as it exists today. I do not share their enthusiasm.
My observation is that most people in America think it is the greatest place on earth because they have a calibration issue. Most have been brain-washed with an interpretive version of world history in the 7th grade; that is total horse crap. I can only speculate that perhaps the rationalization is for them to achieve an elevated sense of patriotism. Whatever the cause, the consequence has been several generations of voters that blindly think everything is great, and blindly trust their elected officials to do the right thing while getting robbed blind.
As an example, I would suggest that most people are not going to accept an evaluation that makes the former Soviet Union as democratic as the United States, for example. However, the facts support exactly that. I SAY WAKE-UP. AMERICA IS NOT ALL THAT AND A BAG OF CHIPS ANYMORE. Stop thinking we are better than everyone else.
As a matter of course study in governance a democracy is not always even all that preferable. I am of the opinion that doing what is popular is seldom the right thing to do, nor leads to the best result. What it does is get you the mediocre 70% result.
I propose that radical, fundamental change is what is needed; but aknowledge to enable this would take an equally radical cultural change.
Instant gratification. Our society THRIVES on it.
I agree completely. When was the last time you heard a politician talk about a 50 or 100 year budget plan to fix our highways? A 100 year plan to solve our energy or waste problems? The rule has been you have to be elected and then re-elected to stay in office, and that requires quick and on-going hand-outs. Nothing spans more than a human lifetime. The American political system is fundamentally broken and most political analysts aknowledge this fact.
Before I get pounced on, let's back up. I am sure in 1773 during the Boston Tea party, having an election system and a way to escape the rule of tyranny and oppressive rule was in fact a monumental individual improvement.
However, fast forward to 2009 and I think you will find that a lot has changed. We are not governing a nation of 4 million rural residents anymore. We are set to quadruple our population by 2050 approaching half a billion people, mostly in dense urban areas.
From a politician's point of view- that is in-turn half a billion potential tax payers. We have big media, special interests, corruption, and tens of millions of lazy people all clam-mering for their piece of the largest shit pie ever baked and not one can ever see past next week's problem. Crap, reading the stock market coverage you would think that the only thing that matters is the next couple of months. Reading the stimulus package... it is clear that personal responsibility is a thing of the past. It is like everyone blames the credit industry, and not ever the dumb ass whom took out the loan full well knowing the terms in the first place. The climate is ideal for a politician to sell the pipe dream and sping bigger government as the answer and people will eat it up everytime.
Our politicians and those who support them are literally enslaving their children in debt for decades to come with the idea it's going to help them. God help us, Obama, everyone.
I think the impact of our national debt today, and to future generations, is an important point. I think more-so is setting up sustainable programs that produce results.
Personally, I evangelize conservative fiscal fundamentals, a more libertarian flavor of change.
I would like to see a conservative government that has not a 4 year plan, but a 40 year plan. Unresponsive government is good government. Something greater than that of any one individual. A government that is rationale, and would respond to a special interest lobby whom asks for the next quick 5 billion dollar public hand-out to subsidize a light rail system- with "sure but the train ticket will be $1145 each way because that is really what it costs to lay 30 miles of light rail to your front door step."
It is my belief that the average voter is naive and easily over-sold. They can't balance their own checkbook so how do you expect them to participate in a grown-up discussion with real ramifications for 300 million people? I don't think the average tax payer, even those whom gripe and complain online... really can even begin to imagine the extent of government mis-management and waste because they can't see past their own noses. It is staggering to me how many people feel entitled to someone else's stuff.
The
only way to circumvent the problem, is to never bake the pie in the first place. Don't grow the public money tree into a redwood. The best way I think to do this is to make people bear the full cost for the public services they consume. No more public subsidized freebies X, Y, and Z courtesy your neighbor's wallet next store. Dial 911? Pay for it. House burns down? Pay to put it out. Incarcerated? You'll be working, not watching HBO. Want to send your kids to school? Pay for it and stop building into your family budget plan around the fact that the county assessor will snag the rich guy down the street with the big house to do it for you.
Real freedom is about the individual. We've lost that perspective. If you concern yourself with the public health and well being of every person and try to accommodate that, you are setting yourself up for socialism, and to fail. In fact, I think in many cases you are enabling the exact behavior that you seek to remedy. People should be discouraged from having kids they cannot afford as a matter of example, not getting hand-outs to help them cope with it. Otherwise perfectly healthy people should be encouraged to work, not given welfare. People should be encouraged to save and buy their house or college education with cash, instead of having a mortgage or loan so the underlying fundamental economy is strong. None of our current policies accomplish this. Our dollar is completely in the shitter due to these 'solutions' and the problems have gotten worse.
I think people would be a lot happier, and have a higher quality of life with a government (at all levels) that was 1/5 the size of the one we have today. A population that is 1/3 of the one we have today. A world in which everyone gets to make their own way and have the American dream, so it actually means something when they achieve it.
Still, I am also a realist. Not going to happen in our lifetimes. For every one of me their are 10,000 morons that would be more than happy to dip into someone else's pocket book.
So for me it's back to voting for America's next top model.
/ End Rant