There has been a lot of gnashing of teeth as conservatives across the nation work diligently to reshape the American landscape. From eviscerating collective bargaining rights to making it more difficult for a lot of people to vote to fighting against the mirage of Sharia Law, GOP-controlled state legislatures are having their way with all sorts of malevolent legislation and executive decisions.
There is no question in many minds that we are entering a dark period in American history. But there is one aspect of the current situation that almost no one is talking about.
Pundits, reporters, bloggers and everyday citizens are acting like these rabid oligarchs somehow magically appeared in state capitols across the land. They would almost have us believe that the Borg-like Koch brothers and their cohorts beamed these androids into American cities and towns while everyone slept.
The truth of the matter is a lot uglier: Voters elected them to office. While the average voter may not have fully realized the sinister machinations that they were unleashing, no one forced nor compelled them to mark their ballots the way they did. So, while people may be wringing their hands now, a majority of them should place the biggest blame on the visage they see in the mirror each morning.
It is bad enough when others have it out for us and try to do us in, but the wound is far more painful when it is self-inflicted.
There is no question in many minds that we are entering a dark period in American history. But there is one aspect of the current situation that almost no one is talking about.
Pundits, reporters, bloggers and everyday citizens are acting like these rabid oligarchs somehow magically appeared in state capitols across the land. They would almost have us believe that the Borg-like Koch brothers and their cohorts beamed these androids into American cities and towns while everyone slept.
The truth of the matter is a lot uglier: Voters elected them to office. While the average voter may not have fully realized the sinister machinations that they were unleashing, no one forced nor compelled them to mark their ballots the way they did. So, while people may be wringing their hands now, a majority of them should place the biggest blame on the visage they see in the mirror each morning.
It is bad enough when others have it out for us and try to do us in, but the wound is far more painful when it is self-inflicted.
Sadder still that we regularly have elections where only about 40% of those eligible actually vote.
ReplyDeleteWe don't get as many choices as we'd like to have, I know, but when less than 60% of us bother to show up the results shouldn't even be validated.
The low voter turnout used to bother me, until I realize that it was due to an understanding, subconscious or not, that the system is corrupt and not really worth bothering over. It's theater, and bad theater at that.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Brandon. People feel disenfranchised, out of the loop of making any difference. So why vote? I vote but it feels so robotic and without meaning.
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