Due to narcissistic politicians that the majority of the American voting public has employed, millions of government workers had the day off. Others were required to work with no pay, lest they be counted AWOL (Absent Without Leave). Everything non-essential that the federal government funds directly was cut today until some sort of resolution can be made. Everybody is focusing on the symptom, but nobody is focusing on the problem. That’s probably because the problem is quite complex and doesn’t fit neatly into a sound byte on headline news stories. It’s also easy to anger the American public by doing something drastic. Your emotions are being toyed with, and it’s up to us to remain stoic in the face of rough winds.
The fact of the matter is that we keep reaching this same stalemate because our politicians have not published a revised, workable budget in years. They keep kicking the can down the road. It’s hard to say when it started, and it’s hard to say exactly how much it’s intensified since Obama took office. He’s not necessarily the cause…he’s a symptom of the problem. The America of our grandparents would not have entertained an imbecile like him in public office, much less even on a presidential ballot. But that’s here nor there. He didn’t cause this; he merely lacks the leadership necessary to guide us out of it. And he has been duly elected by our lowest common denominator of our country. He fed upon the desperation of those who felt disenfranchised by our political leadership and rose to power on their backs through empty promises of hope and change. That’s all well and good, but at the end of the day, he only knows how to motivate people through anger, fear, division, or general desperation. He lacks the experience necessary to bring about a positive result without the need to climb upon someone else’s back to accomplish it. But again, he’s merely a symptom.
The real problem we face is that we have been convinced that the people we elect are truly upholding any principle whatsoever. We’re given purchased, vetted, and bred politicians whose loyalty is not to the American people, but to themselves and the money that put them in the position they hold. Primarily, it is the political party itself that drives their actions, and not their principles. I’ll present an example to illustrate my point:
Suppose I have a principle which states I will not eat meat under any circumstance, because I view the slaughter of an animal in captivity to be inhumane. You can agree or disagree with my decision on the matter, but you could at least respect that I maintain that principle and will uphold it at all costs. Now suppose that I were to run for political office as a party member (republican or democrat does not matter for this illustration). There’s a good chance that the political party that is funding my very expensive campaign receives a great deal of funding from the meat packing industry. So before I’m even on the ticket to run, I have a very important principled decision to make: Do I stand by my principle and run on my own merits, with no party backing, and likely no chance at all of my campaign seeing the light of day? Or do I make this small compromise, maintaining that I will still not eat any of their meat, but their money is good enough for me to get elected, because I know all of the good I will accomplish once I’m in office? It’s a tough decision, and it’s the same type of decision that every elected politician has faced at some point or another. Every one of them stuck with their party. They put on a blinder and convinced themselves that the good would outweigh the bad in the end. And perhaps it will for some of them. But many times, once they’re in bed with the party, they’re strong-armed into siding with a law or bill that goes against their principles. It starts slowly, but eventually, once they’re numb to the guilt, we the people are left with a John McCain. It’s truly a nightmare, and it’s all over Washington, D.C.
So now we’re faced with each side sticking to their party platform at all costs, and the only REAL losers are millions of government employees. Keep in mind that shutting down the government (as they’re calling it) does not affect you and I, Mr. & Mrs. Johnny Civilian. It only affects those employed by the government (my reason #596,340 for separating completely from the federal government). Let’s be fair: they don’t really deserve this treatment. Many of these government employees are hard working Americans like you and me that worked hard to obtain the job they currently hold. But since we’re being honest, do all of those jobs TRULY need to exist? I submit that they do not.
I would like to see honest policy makers take a close look at the functions of the federal government and take the drastic measures necessary now to downsize our government and bring it to a manageable, functional, constitutionally-limited size. But I’m afraid only a handful in office are willing to do so. I have no faith in our government figuring this out. I’m fully confident that they will agree to incur more debt, kick the can a bit further down the road, not implement any real, worthwhile changes, and keep the money train moving. Because the American public would be outraged if they were to pull back the veil of our wealth and show it for the train wreck it truly is right now. Everything you see is smoke and mirrors. That nice car you drive isn’t truly worth the price tag you paid for it. That dollar bill in your hand really isn’t worth the number in all four corners. That house you’re sacrificing so greatly to afford could easily be valued at half of what you owe on it. Those are the honest answers that are being shielded from you, because our politicians tell one another that you cannot handle the truth. It’s time to ask yourself: Can you handle the truth? And if so, what will you do about it?
The Imperfect View 