Friday, October 23, 2015

American Politics

Megen posted "What I don't understand is why politicians don't get it that voters want politicians to act in the best interests of the country in a manner that is consistent with the policy platform of the party that they represent. All this time and money wasted on attempting to score petty points while the big issues float on by is appalling."

I agree. In the US, people want politicians who agree with their most basic desires.  I personally object to such selfish  and biased opinions, but I recognize them as existing.

Personally, I think most voters are idiots.  Too many can't comprehend basic science like climate change and human evolution.  Some might even barely allow for gravity...  LOL!  It's partly religion (the percentage of atheists and agnostics here is ONLY about  15-20%). 

I find my country to be one of the dumbest population of citizens in the industrialized  world.  It drives me crazy sometimes.  On the other hand, as Winston Churchill once said, The Americans will do the right thing eventually.

Our political system is scatterred.  The 3 branches (legislature, judiciary, and executive) are constantly in contention.  Each has balanced powers. 

That doesn't make things easy here.  But it has worked pretty well so far.  It is a GOOD thing that the Legislature can force Executive Branch members to answer questions, that the Executive Branch can bring pressure on the Legislature and that the Judiciary can make decisions about law but not have some army/mob to enforce it. 

May everything stay in balance that way forever...

Now back to the politics of today...

The Congressional Representatives only care about what their own local voters think.  Seriously, what I think here in Maryland is utterly irrelevant  to what they think in other US States.  And that is deliberate.  However insane *I* think other State voters are doen't matter.

Now that isn't to say it was always this way.  When I was younger, there were liberal and conservative Republicans, and liberal and conservative Democrats.  The parties weren't aligned ideologically as they are now.  Democrats and Republicans USED to be able to work together across party lines.  No more...

I better stop, I'm getting angry...

Mark


4 comments:

ANGEL ABBYGRACE said...

The one point not listed is that the politicians do not WANT you to understand what they are doing. They make things as complex as possible and also make it as uninteresting as possible to most people. People feel frustrated and angry but if you want to feel that you should know exactly why. I say don't watch their mouths moving or listen to their rhetoric, watch what they DO. For most politicians it's all about posturing and oh my if only people were aware of what is truly behind the facade of most of these politicians.

Megan said...

It's all very disappointing. What Americans of all political persuasions share is far greater than what differentiates them. There's no need - and little merit - in focussing on the negative and divisive stuff.

Megan
Sydney, Australia

Mark's Mews (Marley, Lori, Loki, and Binq) said...

Well, to both of you, things are getting so divided that I am beginning to suspect that half of us are complete idiots who are as gullible as 5 year olds surprised when Grampa pulls a coin out of their ear.

And I don't think it MY half... LOL!

Mark's Mews (Marley, Lori, Loki, and Binq) said...

@ AngelAbbyGrace... I agree completely that ploiticians don't want you to know what they are thinking and that you should watch what they do. I am extremely interested in politics as outcomes, but I don't watch the political debates at all. In most cases, I have looked at what the candidates have done in the past before deciding on my vote.

But there is also something to be said for political parties. I know generally what a political party is going to do. And things have gotten so bad that I, a deliberately rational and analytic person, would vote for Donald Duck in my party over Captain Kirk, Spock, Einstein, or any Roosevelt (Teddy, Franklin, or Elanor if on the other side.

Because party control seems to make so much difference these days.

It wasn't always so. There was a time in my youth when there were liberals and conservatives in both parties, and then a time when both could work together though a bit more partisan. But not now.

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