Just asking.
I grew up in Manchester, Iowa, a small rural community in northeastern Iowa. Although my parents were not directly involved in local politics, they voted in every election, local, state and presidential. They were invested in their community and in their business and they always felt you protected that investment by electing good leaders.
My mother did not have an opinion that she didn’t share. (Pot. Kettle. Black.) My father was the silent partner in their more than 50-year relationship. They were staunch Republicans. But, try as I might, I cannot recall one conversation in our household where a politician of either party was maligned or belittled or personally criticized.
Today, I cannot watch television, read a newspaper, stand in the post office line, buy groceries, or turn on the radio without being exposed to political rubbish and personalized political attacks that really have nothing to do with the problems at hand.
We Americans get exactly what we vote for.
And, since only approximately 55% of our eligible voting population chooses to mark a ballot in presidential and congressional elections, the other 45% have forfeited their right to an opinion. That should shut down some of the verbal babble. To my mind, that 45% can, well, just continue to kick the can down the road. If you don’t vote, you can’t emote.
In the past decade, we’ve elected a Congress that has voted us into two wars, tax cuts (2001 and 2003) that swept away our $urplus, and legislated Medicare Part D, the Bush prescription drug coverage bill. Isn’t it ironic that the politicians who are squealing the loudest right now, voted for all of those measures.
That’s why I am really excited about the Super Congress, a gang of 12 politicians chosen by a less-than-super Congress, not us, to bring us to deficit-AAA-nirvana.
Pardon me for being skeptical.
The SC Gang of Twelve includes 5 members of the Silent Generation (Born 1925-1942) and 7 Boomers (Born 1943-1960). The Republicans chose no women or minority while the Democrats’ Gang includes a woman, an Hispanic, and a Black. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 50.7% of our population are female. I’m trying not to take offense.
Just remembering, we Americans get exactly what we vote for.