Idle Musings of the Active Mind

Let’s lay some groundwork…

First, voting based on political party has given us–and will continue to give us–a plutocratic republic: a few wealthy and powerful interests are running the show based on what they believe the masses will accept, all under the ruse that they represent our best interests.

Second, political office was never intended to be–and should not be allowed to continue to be–a career. Doubt me on this? Bone up on your history. Our founding fathers knew the wisdom of not serving more than a few terms in office. They did not believe it was healthy for a democratic republic. Had they known that people would actually one day live long enough to be able to hold a senatorial seat for 40+ years, they would have written term limits into the constitution. Speculation? Maybe, but I repeat: bone up on your history.

Third, why do we allow the talking heads on TV to sway us even one iota? Think about it. Ultimately, their ability to stay employed and talking to us is based on the viewers they can attract. This means they will say what they need to say in order to get people to tune in. Doubt me on this? Then explain why Glen Beck continues to beat out Keith Olberman in number of viewers by nearly a 2 to 1 margin!

But he loses advertisers, you say? Sure. If you had a guy on TV telling your customers things that would lead them to undermine your market position and profit potential, wouldn’t you pull your advertising dollars?

Don’t get me wrong here. I think Beck’s TV persona is a pure lunatic. Read his book, “Common Sense”, though, and tell me you don’t see bursts of sobering sanity. Olberman, Beck, O’Reilly, Hannity…pick your nut, but they all get paid to entertain and draw viewers.

I’m not suggesting you should stop being entertained by these people, only that you realize what it is you’re watching and listening to. Let them bring you the high-level topics of political interest and expose the dirt on the politicians for you, but don’t buy into what they are selling…at least not without a bit of your own, independent research. Think of it in the same terms your mom used to advise: If Tommy-Down-The-Block told you to jump off a cliff, would you do that, too? No? Then why be swayed by the talking heads purely on what they alone have to say?

But they point out facts and are just reporting the news! …heh really? You believe that, eh?

News is information that is reported without a spin or underlying motives beyond simple edification. Tell me FOX News and MSNBC aren’t aligned politically with their favorite party. Here’s a newsflash for ya: If they didn’t pander to the politicians and report all the “he said, she said” bullshit, then maybe our bi-partisan system would have a glimmer of hope of working. Who makes people like Sen. Wilson famous for dissing the most respected position in the country? Doubt me on this? Then ask yourself why the next day Wilson’s coffers swelled by a sudden infusion of several hundred thousand dollars of political support.

Money and power are the seeds of corruption. We know this. It isn’t any secret.

We also know the more of both you have, the greater the chances of corruption growing. Again. Not news, just well-established facts.

So, what do we as American people do? We put people in political office where they have access to both, which on the surface isn’t terrible. But wait. Look again…years later. They are STILL IN OFFICE!

*double take*

*blank stare*

How the hell did that happen? How did politician X manage to eek out 40 years of senatorial experience? Hmm…wait! I know!

We voted for them over and over and over again. And yet we bitch about how the government isn’t doing what we want. We constantly feel like these people spend more time campaigning to keep their jobs than actually doing anything substantial to improve the human condition in America.

Why would they? They have no incentive to do that. Their incentive is to keep voting for policies, programs, bills, and pork projects that keep their pockets lined with campaign finance dollars–dollars they can use to keep their sweet little honeys on the side living large in the Carribean!

For the love of our country, STOP VOTING FOR THEM!

No one should be allowed to remain in office more than 2 terms. Admittedly, maybe 2 terms isn’t the perfect number, but shit! Start somewhere! If you go to the polls and pull the lever to cast your vote for a person who’s already been in office for 2 terms, just remember YOU helped keep them in power…and money…and seeded sufficiently for the coming corruption of their term in office.

If the politicians won’t police themselves and pass legislation to require term limits, then the responsibility falls to us: the people.