Poilitical essay (old)

I wrote this a few years ago, but it still holds true:

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My dearest America:
I write to you as a citizen, a brother, an uncle, and a neighbor. I write to you as a Christian, as a friend, as a concerned American. What can I say that will open the eyes of the blind among us? What can I do to let the deaf among us hear? We the silent majority, we the hordes, we the people, we have failed our nation. Let those among us who remember what we have squandered be silent no longer, let those among us who know where our current path leads us hang our heads in shame. This, our current state, is our fault.

We as a country recently celebrated Thanksgiving, this uniquely American holiday serves as a reminder for us to remember all that we have to be thankful for. On this day some of us choose to look to the future; what some of us see is a terrible and frighting scene. A scene where freedom is sacrificed for pacifism, where patriotism is rewarded with hate, and where liberty is laid waste in favor of socialism and the illusion of security. If you visit the places where our forefather are laid to rest do not wonder why the earth trembles beneath your feet, it is the furious clawing of these great men whose creations and achievements have now been twisted and contorted into perverse shadows of their former selves.

We are the greatest nation the world has ever seen, no other nation can boast of such things as us. We have no rival in our present day that can challenge us on the open battlefield, we also have no rival that can challenge us in our folly.

For many years now attaching "riders" to a bill has been common practice on both sides of “the aisle.” I believe this to be the single most detrimental behavior to our great nation. This is nothing more than high class blackmail, attaching “riders” to a bill that have nothing to do with the original is an underhanded way of either denying or ensuring passage of a bill into law. This practice should be immediately halted.

I propose a constitutional amendment banning riders on any proposed legislation. I understand some may think this will hinder congress and slow its productivity. On the congress's current schedule it may. However, banning this practice will have two profound impacts on our society. Firstly it will end senseless special interests legislation by means of simple time constraints. If congress must address issues on an individual basis based on the case's merit, they will have less time to cater to the lobbyists who are the bane of our society. These special interests groups wield extreme power over our every day lives, and they do so with “The Almighty Dollar.” ANY politician who takes “campaign contributions” from a special interest group is guilty of bribery! Yes it is that simple.

Secondly, I do cede the point that such an amendment would slow congress's productivity, at first. Once our elected officials get the idea that they do actually have to work on the important issues now, and they just can't sit on them until “public opinion” shifts to be more in line with their party's views they will be forced to do so. If they do not the conditions will soon force the hand of the American people and those who block bills or try to push bills for purely political reasons will be removed by the public at the ballot. Soon the productivity of congress would surpass pre-ban levels as the representatives realize if they do not do the task set to them some one else will be brought in. This will motivate them in a whole new way, to be removed from power is a fate worse than death for these people.

It is a disgrace for them to have done such a bad job that they actually motivated people to go out and vote AGAINST them. You see, contrary to what you may hear, an incumbent does NOT want you to vote. He/she wants you to be so wrapped up in your own existence that you see voting as a superfluous activity. Because, if you are not voting, then you are not voting against them. After all, one vote doesn't count any way right? WRONG! The average American has been disenfranchised by no one else than himself.

There is a class of Americans commonly referred to as “elitists.” These people are wealthy, not to say all wealthy people are this way but some are, who have lost the idea of what a dollar is worth. They have no concept of wealth anymore. When one can go and buy an entire company with out incurring any real monetary investment in said company ... well, what IS money after that? No, for these people money is not power, control is power. If you have control over someone other than yourself, that is power. Thus the measure of power shifts from the amount of assets one has, to the number of people one has influence over. This is interesting since these people practice little to no self-control at all. CEOs use the size of their companies as measure of success, not the amount of profit. After all, the money will always be there; it is the souls that are fleeting.

These are the people who are running our country. Through our silence and inaction we have put them there, we are just as responsible as the ones who voted for them. We have the best system of government the world has ever seen; what vision, what foresight our founders possessed. We have a system that is so well designed that when it is working it is almost transparent to the average citizen. However, it is this transparency that is problematic. Combine this transparency with human nature and, when left unchecked, you will arrive at our current juncture.

You see, our system that has worked so well for so long is now failing NOT because it is antiquated, but because we have stolen from it its' most key ingredient. Us, we are the missing component. WE are the missing gear that has stopped the American dream. When we stopped voting,we gave up our ONLY voice and effectively handed our nation over to the lobbyists. When we stopped voting we broke the system we inherited from those who died to preserve it for us. We, the greatest nation ever in the history of the world have been defeated; not by our enemies abroad, but by our own selfishness and our own lackadaisical actions. It is our fault, and until we bare the responsibility we cannot hope to overcome our current struggle.

So, if you are looking for somewhere to place the blame for our current state of the union. If you are looking for someone to blame for all our problems, look to your left and then look to your right. You can blame one of them because chances are that one of them did not vote. Just make sure you blame the person to your left, because they are most certainly crazier than you.

Many nights I have sat beside the campfire beneath the stars and solved the world's problems. The answers are all here, we already have them. This world is black and white, the shades of gray are an illusion created by those who would rule us, and by our own cognitive dissonance. You ask, “How can I help America, when I am only one man or one woman?” Simple, take President Kennedy's advice and, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” If you are unwilling to do that, then GET OUT OF MY COUNTRY!!!