Sunday, November 25, 2007

Elections Smelections

I look at our field of candidates for the next Presidential Election and am horribly underwhelmed. There used to be two distinct view points there was the “give a man a fish” party and the “teach a man to fish” party, the Democrats and Republicans respectively. They have morphed into the “whatever you are for I am against” or collectively the “No fish for you” parties.

For the most part would say that both political parties have become toxic, caring more about their team winning than the constituency they serve. The last national politician, Senator Lieberman, to stand his ground on what he believed ended up out of both parties and still got re-elected by his constituents. I hope we all remember that when we view those running for elected office in the future, elect the person on the principles that they hold above the polls and you get consistency, elect a person based on what they believe you want to hear and get a four-wheeled tricycle.

It is incredible to me that we continue to buy into this Ponzi scheme that there is a great big checkbook in the sky where free money comes from. I want a politician to tell me that we have to make choices, hard choices, a “wait till your father gets home” politician that tells me that there is a comeuppance for my behavior. We need leaders that give us a plan that takes into account the good, the bad and the ugly. What we are getting are politicians that act like they are running for class president by telling us they will expand the lunch hour and recess without the countervailing truth that we will be stupider because of it.

Look for the politician in this mess that tells you things that you don’t want to hear, politicians that aren’t running on the more free lunch platform. Most of this current crop of underachievers have never even driven by the neighborhood where principle over polling lives. Take a chance on someone who has a plan that does not promise Christmas all year round, someone who is for something but against something else to pay for what they are for.

Remember you are not just voting for yourself but for all of those that come after you. This is about stewardship of a country greater for all is faults than all of those that have existed or will exist. Someone much more prosaic than I once said;” Democracy is the worst form of government except for all other forms.” If you don’t have that basic understanding of history then I hope you enjoy your extended recess.

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