I am 53, I have lived in America all my life. I have studied politics as a sport, institution, and cancer at different times. I am increasingly disgusted by the cynical manipulation and shameless antics in campaigns. The Dem-crats and the GOP treat the public as fools and then ask for respect.
John Kerry takes a 4 month career in Vietnam that ended in near death and milks it for all it's worth. GW Bush acts as if he is a sacred wall between civilization and Al Qaeda. Both men are abusers and we are the abused.
In the end, the idea of a unadorned discourse and truth are tossed away by lame excuses that no one listens unless it's a dog fight.
I agree that theater is a big part of politics and presidential races are mostly theater. The founding fathers hoped these once every four year blow outs would replace revolution in the streets. Well maybe they do. But the fraud and baloney hurts the dignity and character of the country.
2
I do feel that an adult somewhere needs to shout "Stop" at the charade of terror alerts. The TV networks milk them because it's free news and has lots of drama. But it's all a lie. Bill Clinton got warnings and he never spooked the country.
Now the whole nation is burned out and if the wolf ever shows up no one will care.
A car bombing in NYC would be a tragedy, but not a threat to the nation's survival.
The UK had an IRA terror that set off bombs in London and other venues for three decades and they NEVER juiced it or hustled the public.
Why must the US go so crazy over these things?
3
The great evil we do not acknowledge is the huge federal debt and the effect it has on liquidity and control of money. More than half of Federal Bonds are bought overseas. We are at the mercy of strangers.
The time is long past due, to get a grip on the debt and create a believable plan to pay it off. A 4% Federal tax on all business Gross Profits would be a start. A congressional mandate of paying $125 billion a year on the debt. And then once the deficit is less than 10 billion a year, keep it there. Retire short term bonds and offer tax credits to cash in others.
This will be the choke issue in 2008.
4
I dread a second Bush Administration. They will populate the Supreme Court with reactionaries and the Religious Right will bully the GOPwith extremist demands. It will be a dark unhappy four years. More war, less peace, and a theocratic paranoia will poison everything. Do we need this?
David
