‘If you are part of a society that votes, then do so. There may be no candidates and no measures you want to vote for … but there are certain to be ones you want to vote against.’ ~Lazarus Long
Here in America, what could we possibly have to vote against? The greedy embezzlers, the gluttonous pork-mongers, the lustful page-chasers, the lobbyist whores, and the downright evil deceivers holding seats in our national Congress, for starters. It’s 2010 folks, and we have the means to fire these abusers of power and privilege, but current events indicate that many people have forgotten this. Right now special interest groups are using money to gain support from individual members of our government, the president’s hands are effectively tied by political maneuvering, our checks and balances operate ineffectively – if at all – and we are in the midst of one of the worst recessions in American history. Now is the time for ‘The People’ to get involved and stop thinking of ‘The Government’ as a separate entity, or it will continue to act like one.
In his inaugural address, President Barack Obama quoted 1 Corinthians when he said, ‘The time has come to put away childish things.’ The time has come, indeed. Now is the time to research local candidates, congressional hopefuls, and any elected position you may want to run for someday. With a new scandal seemingly breaking weekly and a growing number of politicians pursuing agendas that have little to do with representing their constituency, there is a lot of wrong in our government. We have the power to change that, but the window is narrow. Do your homework. Find out what your senator or representative has been up to, and make an informed decision. Surprisingly, it takes no more time to read your congressperson’s voting record than it does to download the latest iPhone app. You can find them at votesmart.org
In November 2010, we have our next chance to change the way our leaders wield their power and, in many cases, the wielder themselves. In the business sense, think of our country as a corporation with many, many, many levels of management. Would you keep those managers that were lining their own pockets, contributing less than the minimum effort, and in some cases, deliberately deceiving the company (America)? I think not. You’d fire the bastards, and rightfully so. These elected offices are not meant to be career positions, but positions filled by those willing and able to contribute to the advancement of our society. Once they have ceased to fulfill that role, they cease to be qualified for the job. We have a president who, despite a few disappointments, seems to be an actual representative for the people. He was right about a lot of things on January 20, 2009, but what I heard loud and clear was that he wants Americans to take part in the processes of their government. As Ghandi once said, we need to be the change that we seek.
We, the People, have to put aside our disagreements on religion and political party lines and live up to our responsibilities as citizens of the United States of America. Fire the bastards. All of ’em. Vote ’Em Out!
