Observations

I hate election years. I love the fact that we in this country have some say in our governmental officials, but I hate all the politicizing that goes along with it. Politicians have ruined the whole process for me. I don't want to hear any promises about what a candidate will or will not do if he or she is elected to such and such a position. The truth of the matter is, that one person can only make suggestions. If the suggestion is generally acceptable to a group of other people in the governing body, then they will get together and write up a proposal to be presented to the rest of the governing body. If the majority of that august body accepts it, then the suggestions become actions. Sometimes. But it's all about the majority. It's a group thing. No one person can make sweeping decisions and expect everyone to abide by them. That's why we are a republic not a dictatorship.

I hear people get mad at the President. Not just the incumbent, but any sitting President. "He promised he'd do such and such and he didn't get it done." He probably didn't. If he was a Democrat and the majority of Congress were Republicans, they did everything they could to make sure he got nothing done. If he was a Republican and the majority of Congress were Democrats, they did everything they could to make sure he got nothing done. He's one man. Not the whole government. Again, this is not a dictatorship. A President, no matter what party, no matter how popular, no matter how unpopular, can only do what Congress votes to allow him to do.

I would like to see every incumbent in every position from the city level up to the national level lose their respective elections and bring in a whole new batch of faces. Will that solve all our problems? No, of course not. But it would give a bunch of fresh faces a chance to try out some new solutions. When you put the same old people in the same old jobs, you get the same old results. So why not shake things up a bit? It's a major election year. Do something different.

Don't misunderstand me. Not every politician is evil. Many of them do very good work for their constituents. But there are just as many who have held on to their offices for far too long and almost give off a sense of entitlement to that office. You'll find them in both parties. You'll find them at all levels of government that don't have some sort of term limits imposed on them. They have taken a public service position and turned it into a career. Political office was never intended to be a career. But so many have forgotten the "public service" part of the job. It's a place to gain power and prestige and a "name" for oneself. It's the launching pad to a speaking circuit and a publishing contract. To honorary degrees from prestigious academic institutions. So many gain their degrees in Political Science, Law or Business with the express purpose of entering the political circus. There are lawyers in government who have never used their law degree for anything other than to decorate a wall. The same for their MBA's or other alphabetical appelations. Such a waste. All that education and they let it stagnate in a dusty frame. All for the sake of a political office.

Ah well. I don't hold out much hope that anything I say will make much difference. I'm just eternally grateful that I live in a place where I have the freedom to express my opinion on a public forum. I don't ask for agreement. It actually matters little to me if you agree or disagree. Just allow me my opinion in peace and I will return the favor.

But it is an election year. Vote. It really is the American thing to do.