I think we can all agree, or at least I thought we could agree, that we pretty much understand that Wall Street (Goldman Sachs especially) and the mentality it cultivates are more a part of the problem then lawmakers in this country. Aren’t they? Can’t we agree also that politicians pockets are lined with donations from special interest groups? After all, the person with the most money usually wins right, not the most people donating? We all know that lobbyists grew in number to some 14000 folks and that was just those that were registered as such. Sure, there are some groups that represent good causes I think though they are far and few between.
If I move beyond that premise and suppose that if we can all agree that people, greedy people, have their dirty little fingers all over everything that happens in Washington, where does the disconnect happen between people like the Townhallers, Birthers, Deathers, Teabaggers and the protesters usually found on the left (code pink, red hat society, the rotary club etc) occur? If policies put in place stand to impact businesses/industries that make tens of billions of dollars in profits where is the outrage from both sides? Do those people really care about what happens to a majority of people in this country? If people are so sure that they are educated and understand what is going on with a given topic why does there seem to be this huge, missing, glaringly obvious hole in their thought process? Where does the logic train stop? Where is its’ last stop? Why do people think that a decision that is in the best interest of our health and well being wont be overrided by people that stand to lose their livelihoods if a certain bill becomes law?
Can we all stop to ask who stands to gain the most from whatever it is we are against? Shouldn’t that be a question we ask first? Sort of like when you go shopping and you like something but don’t see a price tag on it. One of the things you do before you buy it is ask how much it costs. It’s a reflex, you automatically need to know this one immensely important thing before you make your decision. I hate to be specific because no doubt an idiot will read this and jump all over it. There are several examples we could use though so feel free to list a few in the comments.
I just really wish that people would ask who stands to win and who stands to lose. It seems that people are misinformed, stay misinformed and continue to speak against their own self interests. When something doesn’t even apply to them, they fight for it. When something goes against their fundamental belief as a Christian, they vote against it. When it goes against the constitution, they are more than happy to turn a blind eye because they can’t fathom it would every apply to them. Everyone is afraid of Socialism but they don’t know what it is and rally violently that it is the end of the world. Yet, they don’t look at decisions made by current and previous decisions makers and act equally as upset. People want a free market but look beyond the half a trillion bailout given to the banks. People don’t want socialized medicine but are fine with Medicare. People don’t want us to appease terrorists but here we are funding Al Qaeda and the Taliban in the 80’s and 90’s and selling weapons illegally to Iran. If you want credibility then you have to apply your litmus test to everything.
You don’t get to nuance it either. If it looks like a turd and smells like a turd, then it is one. Even if that turd came out of the guy/gal you voted for.
I just wish that the outrage was there all the time man. I love that people are so filled with anger and hate. That is awesome. I love the fact that they are willing to disrupt some bullshit town hall meeting with scripted questions and pre-screened questioners. It’s horseshit theater anyway. Disrupt those shills. I just wish that people on both sides truly believed what they say when the other person is in power. I wish that those crying the constitution is being shredded really wanted to uphold the constitution, all of it. I wish that people cared about their fellow man and more importantly their fellow American. I wish we could agree on helping those that need to be helped. I wish people could think for themselves. I wish people would ask why. I wish people would question authority and follow the money.
I wish we could agree to any of that. Thus far I’m seeing the same people being rewarded and the same people being screwed that have been for the past 8 years, hell 30 plus. Thus far I’m seeing the same people defend the people that have done the screwing and when they direct their anger at something or someone it is usually against a neighbor or someone in their own social class, Church, gym or office. They never directed up towards the people that are going to lose the most.