A Call To Action

I have been neglecting my blog for a while now. Since I have been away there have been some very major developments in the world of politics. Health Care bills passed in both houses but failed to even make it to conference as they stand, Evan Bayh shocked the world by announcing his retirement, Chris Dodd decided to quit rather than fight, and a bunch of other Democratic and Republican members of Congress decided to retire. This has been quite the thrilling year for politics since, I would say, the Nixon years of Watergate.

Has Washington become so politicized and partisan that no one works for the good of the Country anymore? It seems that our elected leaders want to put the good of the state first before the good of the nation. When we as citizens elect fellow citizen to Congress it is their job to legislate for the good of the nation, not the good of their home state or district. This has been forgotten. Polls replace the need for the politician to go out to gage the public opinion firsthand. There is no bipartisanship at a time when it is needed the most. There is no "fierce urgency of now."

However, the blame for the state of D.C. cannot justifiably be solely placed on the politician. The voter shares the blame as well. It falls upon us the job of "checks and balances." They swear to "faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which [they] are about to enter." Now, we must evaluate how well they executed their office. We are not to judge the execution of their office by how many projects they steered towards our state or district, but by how they voted on the legislation, and what type of legislation they sponsored. Yet members of Congress as a whole have a very displeasing approval rating, while individual members enjoy gracious approval ratings.

There exist a need for a new breed of politician. We need young people who are to communicate on an intellectual level and who are able to communicate their ideas while winning support from a broad base of individuals. We need a person who can bridge the gaps between the varying social classes and political ideologies. There needs to exist the "basic sense of human solidarity" that existed during the Civil Rights Era. Politician's must work together to solve the problems of our nation or else the greatest democracy to ever exist will systematically destroy itself through the very freedoms it grants.

I leave you to ponder these thoughts. I challenge you to become involved in Politics. This is our country. Those who we elect to serve as our Representative and President derive their powers from the people, us. The greatest fear of the politician is to not have the support of the people. Just as the Sixties saw a cultural evolution and change in decorum that threatened the lifestyle of the older generation, we have the potential to do the same. We are obligated to band together and actively show our opposition to the ways of Washington. Through our opposition and active participation in the political process we can force politician's to do what is in the interest of our great nation.