Our political and economic system is broken. After two and a half centuries of experimentation, it should only need a few minor tweaks every now and then. But for the last fifty years, our members of Congress, our ELECTED officials, have allowed this country to go to hell. And many members of our present Congress are just as much to blame, as many have held office for decades.
Just now a few have begun to speak up, but where were they ten, twenty, or thirty years ago? The problems that once just needed tweaking, now seem almost insurmountable. How did we get here? Simple. Human greed.
But naive American voters keep voting against their own best wishes, not knowing the stance their elected officials make on anything. After Bill Maher said to Wolf Blitzer on CNN "I wouldn't put anything past this stupid country", he later cited several good examples from a Gallup Poll, such as "18% of Americans think the sun revolves around the earth...some of this stuff you should be able to pick up simply by being alive."
I'm a high-school drop out, so it's pretty damn scary to know that so many other people are even more stupid than me!
So Bill Maher makes a very valid point. In another recent poll, as I write this, 50% of Americans have never even heard of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Where are they living, under a rock? Thankfully, of the ones that do know, 69% said in a Fox News poll that they agreed with the movement (no, that wasn't a TYPO...it was "Fox").
So if typical Americans don't know about the protests happening all across America and in other parts of the world in over 190 locations and 650 cities, how can they possibly vote for a member of Congress who will vote on issues that affect them? Half don't even know who their congress-person is! How can democracy work if average Americans are just plain stupid?
How can we possibly get uninformed and stupid voters to insist that their political candidates say, "If I'm elected, I promise to:
- reform Congress (so as to represent the people, instead of special interests),
- then undo the Supreme Court decision on Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (take money out of politics),
- next we reform the Supreme Court nomination process (no more life-time jobs and hold them accountable to ethics laws),
- nationalize the Federal Reserve (the PEOPLE through Congress are suppose to "coin money" - commercial banks should not dictate and manipulate our money supply and monetary policies),
- then repeal the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (that de-regulated the banks),
- reinstate the Glass–Steagall Act (no more monopolies),
- and give the Dodd-Frank Act more power with someone like Elizabeth Warren running the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
I would like to see just one member of congress, at the very least, introduce legislation addressing all these problems and put it to an up and down vote for each item, just to see where they all stand on these issues. It doesn't matter if they have a chance to pass or not. But no one in Congress ever will, because they don't represent their constituents, just their wealthiest campaign contributors...both Republicans and Democrats alike.
Although the Democrats are guilty of this, the Republicans are much more so. And just look at the current GOP presidential candidates we have today...they're all damn millionaires who will only represent the interests of BIG businesses and other millionaires. They don't give a damn about you, the other 99%.
We can't get Congress to fix our problems because it is they who ARE the problem; and if stupid Americans keep voting against their own best interests, it wouldn't be nearly so bad if it were only THEY who had to live and suffer with the consequences of their bad decisions...but why must they drag everybody else down with them too?
America, wise up and smell the damn coffee already! Turn on a cable news station - - except for Fox, because that isn't REAL "news" that they blather - - - it's mostly far-right-wing rhetoric and "socially conservative evangelistic" propaganda.
Read some newspapers and get informed! Or easier still, just read my blog. I'm fair and balanced, and I'm not a millionaire, so I have no hidden agenda and biased opinions that are slanted favorably towards the uber-wealthy and large corporations. I'm the one who's REALLY lookin' for you, not that rich and greedy and cheap sexual predator Bill O'Reilly!
The Republicans and Fox News are only looking after the very rich and large multi-national corporate conglomerates. They could care less about small business people or the working-class....the 99%.
It's not cool to vote for a Republican. Friends don't let friends vote Republican. And don't vote for a Democrat either if they won't also promise to fix the aforementioned items I named. Tell them you want their pledge in writing, because you can't trust a promise from a politician anymore.
It appears that Western Democracy, as we know it, is permanently broken and can't be fixed. Maybe the "occupy" movement might eventually inform the masses. But in the meantime, vote for me, Bud Meyers (an Independent Progressive), and I promise to fix all the aforementioned things...and restore the REAL middle class (even the stupid ones), and not just Glenn Beck's wealthiest part of America, the richest and smartest 1%.
And I'll even put all that in writing. If I renege on a single promise, I will step down immediately. Hell, even a stupid American can vote for me!
But then again, if you've read this blog post, you're lucky. It means you're not stupid anymore...that is, if you once were.
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