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Our problems are man-made, therefore they may be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings. -JFK

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A minor clarification before I go on this next little rant, I consider myself a bit of a radical, because I feel like one of the few remaining Americans who still actively thinks about his decisions. That being said I love our (America’s) political system and I think that while democracies and republics have existed for thousands of years there has never been one quite like ours. I am extremely proud of my country, even with the last ten years leaving a bit of a black mark on us.

Our political system is the best in the world. It contains a myriad mix of checks and balances designed to ensure that power is distributed and that actions are undertaken by the government for the benefit of the people. However, it is a system that is incredibly dependent on the people within it, and those individuals are failing us. My question is why do we keep sending them back? The answer arises from our own stupidity, as citizens of this nation. We have fallen victim to greed, self-serving behavior and a lack of focus. These problems have plagued every great society and one of the most notable examples is the Roman Empire. The latin phrase panem et circenses (bread and circuses) arose during this ancient period to describe the behavior of the aristocracy to describe the general population from their plight with entertainment and enough food to keep them alive, if only barely. The parallels between this and our current generation of leaders is frightening as we have been saddled by ineffective leaders who are only concerned with furthering their agenda and maintaining an iron grip on power. We have career politicians versus leaders considered about the nation’s well being.

As a concerned citizen it is time for radical action. Our leaders deny basic tenants of scientific theory and their conclusions, they spend with impunity believing that we have an entitlement to to both increased scope of programs and also tax breaks which eliminates the revenue needed to fund them! Every time you hear a politician say we can solve all of our economic woes with tax breaks is lying to you. 1 + 1 does not equal 1. Instead 1+the amount we spend every year as a nation = massive increases in the deficit and debt. However, the average voter is unwilling to listen to their own good sense….or at least I hope they have the good sense somewhere….and believe the lies. Any increase in spending must be counteracted by an accompanying increase in revenue, until the deficit is eliminated and we start running a surplus. Believing the hocus-pocus wordplay thrown around by almost every member of Congress, on both sides of the aisle has created a financial crisis rivaled only by the Great Depression.

The nation has become split with partisan ideologies where it is no longer about a conversation designed to persuade individuals that you will do the best you can to help the country and instead we simply shout that you are a monster gun-toting climate change denying republican idiot or an over educated baby murdering death panel loving liberal snob. Pretending the problems do not exist is a nice fantasy but in the end the only result from this sort of behavior is that we will end up being taken over by China and India.

The solution to this stagnation is straightforward but it is also brutal and controversial. The Old Guard of politicians, the ones who play the game to stay in power, and the new ones who above compromise, think the Tea Partiers who will not even consider discussing any joint proposal, need to be taken out to pasture and left there. They have no place trying to solve the problems they helped create and then sustain. The problems facing the nation require a new generation and new leaders, experience is important but “we can’t solve problems using the same sort of thinking we had when we created them.”

To Our Leaders

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Dear Leaders of the United States of America,

Maybe you have not noticed but we are less than pleased with your performance.  And while a significant portion of that has to do with you the blame is also ours as well.  However, since it easier to cast blame and look outward than inward I will begin with you, the politicians, why do you suck so much?  Our political system is based on checks and balances, sharing power amongst many offices and which relies heavily on compromise between groups with different ideologies.  Compromise is not a four letter word and yet it is treated like one by the multitude of public officials crowding in the Capital on any given day. All I can do is sit back and ask why?? I am confused as to how people on different sides of the aisle can not even agree on the collective goal for the future of our nation.  There are too many men and women “serving,” who are more concerned with soundbites than they are with learning about the genuine needs of the nation. I want a leader who can honestly look me in the eyes and say yes, we will have to make big cuts in programs and raise additional revenue (taxes) in order to get the nation’s finances back under control.  The truth is political suicide but in the end it all comes down to a failure to listen and a failure to compromise.

Our founding fathers were some of the greatest men to ever walk this Earth.  They were highly educated, influential men who came together multiple times to help lay the foundation for rebellion and a fledgling nation.  What is truly astounding, of all their accomplishments, is that although they argued, debated, and fought with each other over ideals and which path to pursue they did so with both passion and reason.  The Founding Fathers understood that no document, no progress, would ever be completed without compromise and out of this collaborative effort were created The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution. Who are you, today’s elected officials, to say that you know so much better than our Framers and founders and to conclude that you are above compromise.  If you genuinely believe you know better than George Washington, John Adams, Ben Franklin, etc. Please stand up and admit it now.  I would enjoy watching your political career go up in smoke.

Out of all of this there is only one constructive conclusion to make. The solution to this stagnation is not rocket science or even algebra. It is a healthy dose of common sense and a willingness to accept that, in order to do great things, you need to cooperate with people who think differently than you do.  All the greatest leaders in our nation’s history found a way to make this work….what are you going to do about it?

Sincerely,
A Pissed off American, Cheers!