My Fellow Americans

A little bit about me

Before you read this, please note that I’m not a political person. I’m not a person that gets worked up very often either. I’ve always had a live and let live approach to life, something that this country has always allowed me to have. But lately, I find myself absolutely disgusted with this country, it’s leaders and unfortunately it’s people.

I'm so disappointed

First off, this country’s government has long since failed its people. Greed set in a long, long time ago, and has corrupted most of our political leaders. That’s why you see such strange things in these bills, IE having to have electric jets by a certain year in order to give the citizens desperately needed stimulus money. Somewhere along the line a someone with a lot of money, probably a lobbyist, paid a political figure or helped get them elected and is owed a political favor. Now, I have no idea if that is the case in this particular instance, but that is in essence, how the system works.

A Little Reference

You can't spend $200 million running for office without owing *something* to *somebody*. Those who can't afford lobbyists have no advocate. The Statue of Liberty says, "Give me your tired, your poor." Government says, "Give me your wealthy, your gifted, your endowed." - Tom Dobbs (Played by Robin Williams)

If you’ve never seen “Man of the Year” starring the late Robin Williams, I highly recommend it. The way he talks about lobbyists and how our government works, it’s spot on and often overlooked by the average American. But, it’s a stark reminder of the old saying that “every man has a price,” a saying that is especially true in politics. On a side note, the George Carlin stand up special (you can watch that clip here), that’s another accurate account of how our government has failed us.

We're All Human

Anyways, I say that to say this: we are all Americans. We may not all have the same views, but we all want what’s best for our country and it’s people. I dare say, that we all want what’s best for humanity in general. The problem is that the news media, our people of influence, hell even our political leaders spew the toxic nonsense of “if you’re not with us you’re against us” and that is not how we should be conducting ourselves as human beings. It’s perfectly okay for us to have a difference of opinion. It’s perfectly okay for us to view things differently, we don’t all have the same life experiences so our perspectives are always going to be at least a little different. What we need to be able to do is keep our emotions in check and have a constructive conversation when we have a disagreement!

The Golden Rule

Growing up, my mom’s golden rule was always that if you don’t have anything nice to say that you shouldn’t say anything at all. I have since tweaked the rule to include that you should first listen intently and then respond in a professional and kind manner. There are ways to communicate without throwing shade or hurling insults. Something that all of our political leaders have clearly forgotten... something that most of us on social media have also forgotten.

Now don’t get me wrong, I completely agree that there are serious issues in this country that we need to resolve. Racism, poverty, and education just to name a few. Personally, I think we will make much more progress towards these goals by working together rather than tearing each other apart.

Up For A Friendly Debate

There is nothing wrong with a debate. Debates serve as a vehicle for people to share their views and perspectives on a matter. Here’s where we all seem to stop though. We’re forgetting to follow through with the next step of finding a compromise, a middle ground that works for all parties. That’s what we’re supposed to do as citizens and that’s what our political leaders are supposed to do as our representatives! But, when you introduce greed into the picture, then politicians are willing to bend or meet in the middle and the system starts to fall apart...

Moving Forward

Anyways, I’m rambling and I apologize. I’m just so tired of all of the negativity in our country. I suggest that we all try to listen better, speak kinder, and compromise more often. Let’s work together to improve our home and move forward with a little more understanding and kindness.