Some of my friends see this election as an opportunity to do severe damage to the country. They don’t put it exactly that way. They don’t really see it that way but that is the almost certain result of what they wish for.
These people have every expectation that the Republicans will experience significant losses in both houses of Congress this Autumn. There is every reason to believe their expectations will be met. So, what do they want? They want McCain to win. They want gridlock.
Who are these people? Largely, they are Republicans and Libertarians. They don’t have any love for McCain. They have hate for the government. I would never argue that politicians have earned our love, or even our forbearance. That said, these people are a large part of the problem.
The government is not just the politicians. It is the civil service. Yes, it includes the bureaucracy. But, it also includes all of us. Do you recall the first two parts of “of, by and for,” the people? Have you really been pulling your weight more than all of those people in the other parts of the government that you have been criticizing? Well?
Is gridlock going to repair falling bridges? Not too far from here a couple of very large pieces of concrete fell to the highway below. Will gridlock install something to replace the overworked air control system that had another serious glitch this week?
Just about a year ago there was the explosion of a steam pipe in midtown Manhattan. It spewed out the carcinogen asbestos. Gridlock and the concomitant internecine political fight for control has diverted our attention from the investment that is necessary in our infrastructure.
Do you ever have a need for transportation? . . . safe food? . . . assurance that your home meets some standard? . . . garbage pickup? . . . sewers? I don’t think that a bunch of bottom-dwellers mired in meaningless spats while Rome is burning is the answer.
You don’t need anyone to tell you that we have real problems that need to be addressed. And, gridlock is the solution? Pure bs. Some people are attracted to this simpleminded answer, that is really an aggravating factor, because it sounds cute. Well, it should sound cute to those with a junior high sense of humor.
Despite the ravings of those who blame government for everything, it does, or should, play certain necessary roles. Most people calling themselves libertarians should look in a mirror. They would see the definition of the word anarchist. That is merely a very special agglutination of egoism, atavism, immaturity and irrationality. These are people who see themselves as too special to be bothered by the needs of others, the needs of the community.
Having paid the IRS another $13,000 in the past month, I would rather see some of my tax money being directed toward real human needs, rather than pork to get the pigs at the public trough reelected. I would rather see them educating themselves on one or two of the numerous subjects that are unfamiliar to them than naming public buildings and highways after each other. Is naming September ‘National Regurgitation Month’ really a top priority?
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Thanks for the heads up. I just downloaded the latest Opera and went through my site.
I found two small problems. One is with the comments at the bottom of an article. Some are in the correct order while others are out of order. The other problem I saw was that the graphic of my book cover in the footer does not appear.
If you are experiencing different problems, let me know, specifically.
Given the non accomplishments of the current do nothing Congress, I can’t see how gridlock would be a good thing.
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