Those that know me, know that I had turned off the news over a year ago. I do not need it, and I am not further informed by it. I still get plenty of information in other ways. I am still connected to major world issues. I am even still connected to matters of politics, though I tend to tune out most of the noise and talking heads. Lately, as we move ever closer to the ugliness that will be the election, I've been feeling the pessimism and cynicism that I hold towards human nature in general, and politics specifically, rear it's head once more.
In light of some recent mistakes by our government, primarily the NDAA overwhelming passage (hopefully, the Supreme Court will do what they are meant and deem this unconstitutional), and recent talks of SOPA and PIPA (though shelved for now, will probably be resurrected as an add-on to some sure-to-pass spending bill later), this has gotten me thinking again about our role in government. I mean, it is meant to be our representation after all.
I don't really believe our vote matters that much. We should still do it, because it's one of the few powers (however insignificant) that we have, however. With lobbyists' hold on campaign money, and Congresspeople's ability to gerrymander and/or redistrict, you just shouldn't believe that once you vote, your duty is over. Unfortunately, they will need constant reminders who is in charge, and that takes a lot of effort and energy just to get enough people riled up enough to make a voice loud enough for them to hear. And it always--ALWAYS--comes down to money. I don't care what your belief system is, all their motivation (and big business as well) can be determined by looking at the money.
I leave you with a few quotes, the first of which has been somewhat hijacked (an appropriate pun?) in our post-911 world. It was not meant to only be referring to the outside world, to the "Others" that are trying to "take away our freedoms". It was meant for us, the average citizens, to hold our leaders and lawmakers accountable. Use your voice, your vote, your email, your phone, sign petitions--keep the pressure on them all the time. It's exhausting, but it's the cost.
"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." - Thomas Jefferson
"Those who want to reap the benefits of this great nation must bear the fatigue of supporting it." - Thomas Paine
(And finally, to show I'm playing fair): "Freedom is the recognition that no single person, no single authority or government has a monopoly on the truth, but that every individual life is infinitely precious, that every one of us put in this world has been put there for a reason and has something to offer." - Ronald Reagan
No comments:
Post a Comment