Ten Things a Political Junkie Hates About Politics

I found this interesting article, and while it is meant to address politics at a national level, once you have read it through once, try reading it again but this time substituting Morrisville and our elected representatives (borough council and/or school board as you wish) to take a fresh look at the insincere performances they tend to give us, and the free pass we give them to do it.

Yes, I do know that the primary system being broken section is almost completely inapplicable to us here in the former future capital of the United States. But changing it to "Nine Things a Political Junkie Hates About Politics" didn't feel right. Every top ten list should at least strive to have more than nine entries. (I is usin' algebra to thinks that through!)

Here we have William Hellmann CPA, the Bucks County Courier Times, the Stop the School people and their semi-coherent myrmidons, "bringing home the bacon" to local contractors, stop the school and save the children, symbolic votes on unnecessary budget limits, stopping the school because of missing a few hours on a 100-year flood water percolation program (as if no one else in the borough would have water in their yards in a 100-year flood!), and other forms of preposterous public posturing that make up our little local political kabuki theater of the absurd to use as real-life examples and to think about what that actually says about us, the voter, about the people we choose to represent us. No matter what side of our school issues you stand on, if you can read this and not feel a bit ashamed, then you need to re-read it until you do.

This is not the full article, but snips from it...

1: Fear Of Offending Anyone: Because politicians are always thinking about the next election instead of actually serving the people who put them into office, they're terrified of actually doing anything that might offend someone.

2: Politics Not Stopping At The Water's Edge: There's nothing wrong with disagreeing with your political opponent's foreign policy, but there is a problem when you put your petty political concerns ahead of the good of the country. Love of country should come before petty political concerns and that has ceased to be the case for too many people in D.C.

3: The Lying And Inauthenticity: Campaigns in the United States have become exercises in trying to be "everything to everybody."...when even people who support a particular candidate admit that they're backing a shameless liar, it's clear that integrity in politics has slid way too far down the hillside.

4: Crazed Hyperbole: It's not surprising that people have unkind things to say about their political opponents, but when it gets as over-the-top as it has been during the Bush and Clinton presidencies, it is not healthy for the country.

5: Fake Objectivity From The Media: That's what drives people so crazy about the mainstream media: it's that they're every bit as biased as the people in talk radio and the blogosphere, but they try to pretend that they're not.

6: Mainstreaming Conspiracy Theories: Off-the-wall crazy has become just another form of political expression.

7: The Perpetual Campaign: Over and over again, important legislation is ignored so that symbolic votes on hot issues like the war can be held even though everyone knows that they're meaningless. Instead of working on key issues like, let's say border security or Social Security reform, Congress looks for bills to attach earmarks to because that's how they believe you get elected, by bringing federal tax dollars back to their district to be used on comically useless Bridges to Nowhere, Liberace Museums, and buildings named after the Congressman who acquired the pork to fund them.

8: Short-Term Thinking: Where's the long term thinking? Where are the people working to build a country that will be better for our children than it is for us? Where is the concern for the long-term health of the country? It's like watching two groups of kids using every dime of their allowance to buy candy without spending a moment thinking of what they'll do for money until their parents pay them again in a month.

9: Lack Of Bipartisanship: There's a difference between a boxing match when the opponents shake hands after it's all over and a no-holds-barred street fight featuring knives and broken bottles... it would be nice if the politicians in D.C. were willing to actually try to work together for the good of the country on occasion instead of only cooperating when they want to throw our money away on more pork or help out a lobbyist who has been spreading around a lot of campaign cash.

10: The Primary System Is Broken: The idea that each party's nominee for the presidency should in large part be decided by whoever spends the most money and time camped out in two tiny states is nuts.