Politics & Change

Is it too early to be sick of the election coverage?

Of every hour of news coverage I watch or read, almost half of it is devoted to who is (will be) running for president, that person’s views and likelihood of victory. I must admit, I’m already sick of it. Perhaps this is a by-product of Iraq War coverage burnout, but it really seems rather ridiculous.

In the war of politics, its seems that neither major party is creating any new and innovative ideas. For the most part, the candidates appear to be hedging their bets, waiting to see how the next 6 months of the Iraq turn out; waiting to see how the US economy shapes up; waiting to see how minorities settle on border/immigration issues; just waiting.

Has the political arena become so treacherous that nobody does anything for fear of doing something wrong? Or even worse, they prevent their opponents from doing anything for fear that they might succeed? Just what will it take to break this infantile cycle and move forward? But this shouldn’t surprise me, when both sides cannot agree on what ‘forward’ means, it is inevitable that progress cannot be made.

At some point—I hope in the near future—American citizens are going to have to realize that they need to demand national politicians that take into account what is best for the country; then what is best for the state; then what is best for the county; then what is best for the individual. The simpleton framing of ‘For’ or ‘Against’ issues will have to be laid by the wayside, in favor of more intelligent and rational discourse & decision-making.

My personal feelings on immigration, global warming, universal health care, abortion, etc. are the least relevant items in a discussion of national policy. If individuals cannot escape the fallacy of electing politicians who always agree with them, America is destined to be replaced as a world-leader, and likely doomed to be defeated as a military superpower. The simple fact is that the population has reached the stage where there will always be a significant amount of people that disagree with any particular policy you want to consider. In fact, it seems as if the population is quickly nearing the stage where the dissenters will consistently be in the majority. In other words, no one can agree on the right course of action, but many can agree the currently pursued course is the wrong one (often for different reasons).

• This is what has happened in Iraq. No one is happy with the present state of affairs. However the only thing that most people can agree on is that the situation is messed up. Ask 10 people how to fix the situation and you’ll get 11 opinions.
• This is what has happened about Illegal Immigration. With the exception of certain businesses, there is overall discontent with the security of American borders, and the corresponding problems with illegal immigrant influx. But not only can no one agree on a solution, neither political party is willing to let the other try their ideas. Consequently we end up with a law authorizing building a fence that has no money to pay for it and nobody to build it.
• This is what has happened with women’s & gay rights. Proponents of every side are disasstisfied with the progress their view has made in the last 20 years. Gay advocacy groups want more protections in medical areas, legalization of unions/marriages, and more protection against discrimination. Religious conservatives want more laws/amendments protecting the stereotypical ‘family unit’, more protection of financial assets, and more freedom to indoctrinate their children at home and at school. Women’s rights advocacy groups want more protections for economically disadvantaged women; more freedom in medical and health decisions; and more defense of children and adults on sexual and gender discrimination. Right-to-Life advocacy groups want more incentives for married couples and more restrictive abortion laws or complete abolishment of the medical practice.

As long as there are these and other issues that American voters had self-centric opinions about, professional politicians will be able to finagle their way into office, promising much but delivering mostly nothing. Will the voters be satisfied with non-action while America slowly slips into obsoleteness? As the saying goes: “Those who do not adapt, die.” If politics in America doesn’t change, we may have front-row seats to watch the decline of American industry in favor of Asian, South American, and African industry; we’ll have a bird’s-eye view as Asia races past us in scientific advancement; and we’ll have up-close & personal access to the replacement of American culture.