"Which of my all important nothings should I tell you first?" ~ Jane Austen, in a letter to her sister

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Monday, July 25, 2011

Losing Faith: Politics & Madmen

It would be quite easy to chalk up the events in Norway this weekend to the work of a madman (comforting because no "normal" person would commit such an atrocity) but I fear that isn't the case. Maybe he IS mad - who am I to judge - but his rampage wasn't random. It has the appearance of being politically motivated and this sickens me to no end.

How is it possible that someone can feel so strongly about a political party that they would execute, SLAUGHTER, the children and young adults affiliated with that party? HOW? Tell me how because my brain can't process it.

The U.S. government in Washington, D.C. has stalled in debt ceiling talks. Normally this is a routine piece of legislation, however this time some members of the political parties seem to think this is a win or lose situation for them rather than *simply* the financial fate of our country.

I don't usually get political on my blog - because I'm not interested in debating my beliefs with anyone - but I have to say that I'm simply aghast that with a financial catastrophe absolutely breathing down our necks our representatives are not doing more to work together. Compromise, people. Work towards the greater good.

Have they forgotten that they work for the citizens of the U.S.? Their decisions impact our collective futures.

Silent Majority. I saw that term in a headline over the weekend and immediately reacted to it. The headline was something like, "The U.S. Moderate Silent Majority is Fed-Up with Washington." 

To which I say: YOU ARE DAMN WELL RIGHT, I AM.

I lean left most of the time. Sometimes I swerve right. Sometimes I can be undecided. Other times I'm steadfast. I listen. I observe. I listen to their words and I watch their actions. Then, at the polls, I vote my conscience - on the issue AND on the person. 

I AM the Silent Majority.

As I watched my Twitter feed this weekend I saw a lot of Norway tweets mingled with newsy tweets about the failed debt ceiling talks. President Obama is angry. House Speaker Boehner is apparently trying to appease the fringe Tea Partiers. He left the meetings. They held dueling press conferences. They don't agree on anything. Blah, blah, blah. 

All I can think is MY GAWD, have you NOT seen the news about Norway? About what happens when a (likely) political extremist takes his views too far? Is your damn hubris so all important that you can't bridge the gap and come to a resolution for the GREATER GOOD of our country? Please, for the love of Maude, stop the polarizing rhetoric and political posturing. You are making me mad. And sad. And just plain scared for our future.

The constant hate-filled political rhetoric and the negative-loving media beast is perpetuating the creation of extremist viewpoints. No good can come of this.

We are on a path of political, financial and cultural destruction. We are slowly committing suicide as a country. Our patriotism, or belief in our political system and our leaders, are all dying a slow death that we are bringing upon ourselves. We are killing everything that we love about our country.

I just want something to believe in. I want to believe my leaders are representing the best interests of my family. Even if I disagree with specific pieces of legislation I want to have that trust, that assurance, that they are looking ahead to the future and protecting the interests of all Americans. That they are listening when smart people tell them what the impacts of their decisions will be and that they are then taking the BEST (non-biased, non-partisan) option for our collective futures.

Our similarities are greater than our differences. 

Mend those fences, compromise, please, before my children's financial futures, not to mention their hope and faith in their country's leaders, are decimated.

We have the judicial, legislative and executive branches of our government for a reason. Checks and balances. Oversight. The prevention of anarchy, chaos & tyranny. 

Memo to Congress: please see beyond your own self-interest. This is my country too.

2 comments:

  1. It reminds me of a bunch of guys in a leaky life raft, too busy fighting over who will be captain to do what needs to be done. Forget the power plays and just start bailing already! This infighting will tear our country apart and bring us down. We are about to find out what it feels like to NOT be a superpower.

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  2. Yeah! Thats what I said. Great blog Stef.

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