American Politics

Okay, here's the truth: Our political system is devastated. It is certainly a far cry from what it was meant to be and anyone who is not part of the mega-wealthy elite knows that an average citizen's say in the process is minimal at best. The rogue administration is set on making decisions as it will - the constitution and public opinion be damned. (And really, after the American public put the Shrub in office, they did prove that they are not the brightest so why should even the Shrub himself trust our opinion?) Bush has even gone so far as to admit that he doesn't take public opinion into account when making policy decisions. In other words, he makes the decisions he wants to make based on his own beliefs and opinions - which is why we're in such a bad state now. And NOTHING has been done about that.

All of this sets a nasty precedent for future administrations, which is why it might be best for a complete shift in our political system to occur. It would certainly be in our best interest. For now, our political system is an interesting game, if nothing else. So, when I engage in it, I look at it that way - knowing there are much better and more meaninful ways to make change in the world around me but also understanding that the people in office impact my life in lots of meaninful ways.

That being said, the current presidential candidates don't give me a lot of hope about our future, either. Or, better yet, the fact that the media has so much sway over who the final two candidates will be and what we will hear from them doesn't give me a lot of hope. Nor does the fact that it always only comes down to two "real" candidates without any third party having a real chance. I believe that instant run-off voting (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant-runoff_voting) would make some improvement in that area and clear up some of the "I didn't vote for Nader because I knew he wouldn't win" mentality because no vote would be "lost". I think I'm going to write the people who supposedly represent me and suggest as much. There are obviously a number of other problems with the ways in which we "elect" people in this country, but reform has to start somewhere. (In Texas, if there are more than two candidates running for governor, a simple majority isn't even required to win the election... If you want to talk about problems...) If and when I write a letter, I'll post it here.

However, I will give you some Dennis Kucinich videos to watch because I think he has a lot of good things to say about where he would like to see our country go. If we had instant run-off elections, candidates like Dennis would have a much better shot of being heard and maybe even in getting elected to our highest office. Think about it.