Is Our Government Built for Today's Politics?

"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation….

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.—That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness… it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."

                                                  10 Things About Our Government

These are the words of our founding document the Declaration of Independence.  It basically says that the government's power comes from the people and if it isn't working it is our duty to replace that government.  Words we should take seriously, but in today's world we have let ourselves be beaten down so much we feel we can't make a difference.  We have been manipulated to be so scared that we think more government is the answer to protect us.

The founding fathers worked hard to build this country so it was not a monarchy but a republic.  A republic where the elected officials are suppose to do what is best for all of the people, not the ones that follow their beliefs or financial success.  I am sure that in the time this was a great premise but did this country change so much over 200 years that even the foresight the founders had was blind to what we have today.

Today's politics is not about doing what is right for the country, it is about empty promises, arrogance, selfishness, pettiness, theories and manipulation.  Instead of the people trying to make their country better, we spend our time dividing each other on behalf of our own agenda.

One of the reasons why we are a republic versus a democracy is the electoral college.  If we were a democracy, the popular vote would create the winner, which means the big states would have all the power.  In a republic, the electoral college makes sure that all states have a say in the election.  In our last election the popular vote favored the losing candidate for the 3rd time in history but you take away the margin of victory in California and that vote difference is close to zero.  In the previous two times, no complaint about the electoral college but in this past one, everyone wants to change so the electoral college goes away because that is what sore losers do.  It is also why the electoral college is the way it is.

Our government was created so Congress was suppose to be the decision makers of government while the President headed foreign affairs but was part of the checks and balances in everything else.  With the tremendous growth of this country, the power of the President has become more necessary, even to the point of thinking they could do anything.  Congress was built so that each state had a say in the way the country was run based on their own constituents as well as the constituents of other states.  However, now Congress is about making sure the other guy doesn't get what they want and about taking so much time bad mouthing the other side that nothing gets done.

Today the two parties have divided themselves and the people to the point of hating each other just because we belong to the other party.  Our political leaders are suppose to be representing everyone, no matter what party they are, and because we don't believe in this we don't hold them to it.  If a person does represent everyone equally, why would we ever need political parties?  Of course, the government and people would never allow this to happen because then we would have to see each other as people and as equals.  Has anyone ever noticed that this never an issue that is discussed.

Term limits was another idea that in today's country we are trying to destroy.  The founding fathers  wanted the chance for new ideas to come in or if the bad are part of the government to give us a chance to remove them.  The House is elected every two years and Senators are every six, the President every four years.  The real issue is that Congress has unlimited terms while the President only can serve 2 (which by the way was approved by Congress).  This really would not be an issue if we voted out the people that do not do what they are suppose to but instead we vote for their party instead of what they stand for.

Our government wasn't created in a world of fundraising that is 'needed' in today's world.  We as people have basically made it necessary for politicians to treat fundraising as more important than governing.  Politicians even use this to manipulate us as people.  They say they aren't asking large doners for money but they will ask the very people they are saying need more money to contribute to their campaign.  We have basically given money to politicians so they can spend their time berating and manipulating us to hating the other party or people.  Can any politician, even the ones that say they won't go negative, say anything without putting blame on someone or something?

                                                             Term Limits Debate

Maybe it was to make sure useless legislation doesn't get done but the founding fathers made it very long and tedious to get legislation passed.  Making it very tedious usually means there is not a lot long term growth unless there is a reason to expedite the bill.  Currently, since 1973 there has been over 300,000 bills introduced but only over 12,000 has been put into law. (4%)  There are over 1,000 bills from 1973 alone that never became law.

Constitutional Amendments can also take time to create.  Two thirds of the states have to ratify an amendment which can take a long time.  Even though the 13th Amendment ended slavery, the 14th Amendment giving rights and freedoms to ex slaves took five more years to create.  In that time how many people went back to becoming slaves, were killed or not given the right to vote.                                             
As if the process is not slow enough, several people introduce the same bills, with only small differences.  How does this not segregate the number of voters on the bill or create a bottleneck on getting the bill passed?  For example, there are 2 Medicare for All bills where the only main difference is one takes 2 years to implement and one 4 years to implement.  Why would you need two instead of one if you were able to come to compromises?  Is credit for the bill more important than the bill itself?  Does this government bureaucracy really allow for getting things done quickly and efficiently?

                                                  How a Bill Becomes Law Children Style
                                     
I am sure when the founding fathers created the system, financially backing each bill wasn't as a big of a question as it is today or maybe they didn't think of the taxpayers as a big piggy bank.  With our deficit as high as it is today, financial transparency should be a priority for passing a bill.  Otherwise, if a bill is actually approved into law then time has to be spent trying to find the money for it which may include another bill.  Politicians manipulate us so they can refill the bank instead of fixing the problem.  Why would we ever want a bill that didn't show how it would be paid for, isn't that like paying for a car and then the salesman says he will tell you what the payment is later?

When our government was created, polls were not even a thought, empty promises had nothing to do with politics and political theories were not the cornerstone of our country.  Today, all of these are used to manipulate us to get us to agree with them, divide us so we can't see the reality of what is really happening or get us to hate one group or another.  Our country is being run on an illusion while the reality is our country is breaking into pieces.

We say unemployment is low at 3% but this is based on a statistic given to us by the government.  It is a political tool to highlight when things are good and attack when things are bad.  Why else would we not care that 3% is still 5 million people unemployed?  Is there even 5 million jobs available when we have so called full employment?  Is the reason we are so easily manipulated because it is easier seeing people as a statistic then actual human beings who are suffering?

We want our candidates to make promises to us so that we have a reason to vote for them.  Then when they don't keep these promises we get angry and ask why.  The funny thing is that the promises they make to us most of the time they cannot do in the first place.  No one knows what kind of Congress they will have or what the state of the country will be in when they take office.  Then they say they are going to make several changes when the previously mentioned legislation process is slow.

Have we ever thought when we answer or rely on polls that we are just being manipulated into being used by the political world or each other to adhere to another's agenda?  How would we react if we actually saw politicians or each other talking about our issues instead of trying to shove them down our throat?  Just because 1,000 people make up 87% of wanting something, doesn't mean that 300 million people want something.

The founding fathers wanted to try to build a government that was somewhat the British way but unique in its own way.  To try to take 50 little countries and ask them to act as one.  To let people have freedoms so that they can treat each other as equals.  Even if we have done so in the past, our current way of dealing with each other and politics has destroyed any of these.

Our government was suppose to be of the people, for the people and by the people.  We have turned it into a government and country of whining, complaining, greedy, arrogant, insensitive, selfish, pettiness, scared people.  What happens when you have this, easy manipulation where real change doesn't happen, only division happens.  What happens then, a house divided cannot stand.

The only way to move forward is with real change.  Don't believe it can happen?  The founding fathers did, that is why they told us it can.  We just have to believe it and make the sacrifice that our founding fathers did.

Are we ready to do that?

America is Too Unique to Follow Others

It really irritates me when people say we should be following the way other countries are structured.  We are always being measured against other countries in areas of crime, education, military, etc.  People want to use that for their own agenda without really thinking about one very important aspect.
 The United States of America is a country where there is no equal because its structure is unique and because of this, it has created unique complications and issues.  These complications have caused a division in the country especially when we do not look at ourselves as the unique country we are.

First of all, we are one country that has fifty states as part of it. States that have their own constitution, economy, blend of people, governments, basically fifty sub countries.  Tell me any other country in the world that is following this structure and then I will start to review their structure to see where they can help us.

Next, the population of 320 plus million people are a melting pot of people.  We have different religions, different cultures, different social classes, not only in the country as a whole but by each state.  We were setup to invite people to this country by promoting freedoms and the American dream.  How many other countries are inviting people to their country for what they offer?  Tell me that and then maybe we can start having a conversation about it.

Finally, we tried to build a foundation in this country of freedoms.  The ability to follow your own religion, to be able to protest when you want change, freedom to write, speak and express when we see something that is wrong.  Give me examples of where another country has the blend of people we have and are offering the freedoms that we 'offer' and again we can talk.

So with us being a unique country did we really believe we were not going to make mistakes or have growing pains?  Why would we ever say we were a great country when we are still growing and progressing?  If we were great at anytime, it was a fleeting moment and not a permanent state.  Think of how fast we have changed in 400 years and ask ourselves how would we ever think we wouldn't have the kind of issues we have had.

One of the unique characters of this country is it has given the power to the people but also made them responsible for using that power.  Instead of using it to make our country better, we manipulate each other to use that power for the agenda of others.  We are always being told what our most important agenda should be or we are always trying to instill our own agenda as being the most important.  We are always being told what we should do or think instead of being asked or just doing it on our own.  We are always blaming or criticizing others for the problems without really reviewing what the true cause is.  This comes from there being so many different types of people in this country and there is no precedent on how to bring us all together for some kind of compromised agenda.

This country was built to be run based on state's rights and the federal government was to be the check and balance against the states.  But that has changed dramatically for various reasons.  No country has the issue of trying to deal with the needs of fifty different states, some rich and some poor while at the same time keeping a Federal Government alive.  Obviously life in New York is not the same as Mississippi and that is okay but where is the rule book on how to help them both live together in the same country.  So we generalize everything as if each state is the same.

Something as simple as a license plate tag, none of the states do it the same.  So buying a sixty thousand dollar car in Illinois will cost you $150 a year for your tag but in Colorado it will costs thousands of dollars each year until your car is old enough for it not to.  There is no additional services received for the extra money so it is money needed for agendas that the people might not even know about.

How can we expect to implement something like a federal minimum wage when that wage means less in California and New York than it does in South Carolina and Kansas.?  But we are being manipulated to believe that $15 a hour will be okay for the entire country when in reality it doesn't help anyone it is suppose to other than single people.  The $15 isn't even an immediate fix, it is a phased fix, so who will suffer until that time?  Again, where is the precedent for this?

The electoral college was built so that every state had a say and were able to be represented.  If there were no electoral college or some other way to give even the smallest state a say, all of the large states would rule all elections and legislation.  That is why we were created as a republic and not a democracy so that every state has a voice and can use that voice to make changes not only for themselves but for the country as a whole.

Some people of this country believe that the rich are the biggest issue of the country because they are always bypassing the system to get what they want or because we bend over backwards to please them.  That is one of our biggest illusions we have been manipulated to accept.  It downplays those that have succeeded and I am not talking about the millionaires, I am talking about the people who are actually living the life they enjoy.  This country was built for everyone, that includes the rich, the poor, the middle class.  This country is the way it is because all of the people have allowed this progress to happen with the eventual outcomes.  This is not because of one person or another, it is because we have all made decisions, good and bad, that effect us all.

Even our history, the good or bad, came with the blessing of the people.  Slavery would not have existed unless we allowed it to.  Even though we stole these people from their land, they became part of this country even if it did take legislation instead of morality to do it.  We made the choice to ex slaves back into society walking next to the very people who whipped them without any kind of plan for either side.  Did we really think that was going to get them to play nice together?  Again, there wasn't alot of precedent for this and obviously the way we did it continued with animosity to this day.

Whether you believe we stole the land or not from the Native American's, the way they were treated was wrong.  As supposed Christian people, could we have not lived peacefully with a compromise versus using our own agenda to make us into monsters.  The only precedent we had was previous conquerors so how would we ever think of anything else?

Even if the rich were the problem, then why do we insist on always electing people that are either rich or are so overcome with power that they actually become slaves to their own greed.  To make matters worse, we keep them in power, because we are manipulated in believing they have our best interest in mind.  If the last presidential election showed us anything, it was that we do have the power to make changes and to do something in this country that we have never done before.  People won't look at it that way but that election result was truly our country at its best and worst.

Even our freedoms, we do not really believe in them unless it serves our own agenda.  We think we have the right to bear arms but not to burn the flag in protest.  We think we have to stand to pledge some kind of allegiance to America but can't kneel at the national anthem.  We think we have a right to stand in front of Wall Street, crapping all over the ground but the Klu Klux Klan does not have a right to march down the street.  Again, to try to have a country with real freedom is unprecedented and no one really knows where the line is drawn.

Medicare for All, which is a great concept, is a hot subject that is difficult to get immediate results on.  First of all, show me a country of our size and population that does universal health care, otherwise stop telling us about other countries.  Socialized health care is great when the entire country has agreed to it and the high tax that comes with it.  However, when you have a huge division of the country between who wants it and who does not, then it is going to be hard to come to a compromise.  Plus we were not built as a welfare state, we were built to have limited government which is why again no country can give us the real answer.

Every country has poor people and in this case maybe we can look at how other countries handle this but how can we when the structure is not the same.  Some states have more poor than others and the reasons are different for each state, and that is not always the rich's fault.  Instead of figuring out what the reasons are we throw money at it hoping that will fix it.  How has that worked so far?

One of the largest issues in the world that very few talk about is how people see each other.  It makes an impact in a situation such as India/Pakistan where they do not see each other as human beings but as religious groups that can't get along.  Who else puts several cultures together in one country and asks them to get along without any kind of compromise?  To make it easier to survive, we don't see each other as human beings, we see each other as labels (Republican, Democrat), groups (Gay, Christian) or color (Do I even have to mention this).  If this is how we walk through life judging each other, how do we think we are going to get along let alone fix issues.  Every where we look, someone or something is trying to manipulate us to see each other as something other than human beings.

Our country was not built to follow, it was built to lead.  How many world wide inventions have come out of the United States?  How many people come here to buy our product because it is cheaper than the product in their own country?  Unfortunately, with a leadership that is always looking ahead or to their own agenda as progress moves forward, we leave too many behind.  Then we put blame on others because we do not want to look in the mirror at what we have done.  When you lead without example, there are too many people that get lost.

Our progress as a country has caused us to be admired and to be hated.  It has caused us to make alot of mistakes, some of atrocious nature but we have some great things as well.  The one thing we should never do is be manipulated into thinking that we need to follow other countries way of doing things.  We should never be manipulated to think that we do not have the power to change anything.  We should never be manipulated into thinking that our uniqueness stops us from being human beings.

So to all the countries who think they are better than us because they have universal health care or free college, go fuck yourself.  If you do not like the way we are, stay the fuck out because you do not have any clue on what we are trying to do.  To all the people that want us to be like other countries, if you do not like the way our country is, there is the door that you can use to go somewhere else.  Otherwise, take responsibility for your place in this country and help to make it what it will always be...one of a kind.