Politics as Usual

Too many people are passing on emails that have very misleading and downright untrue contents. We are all upset with what is going on politically in this country, and everyone thinks they have the answer, including me. But when false, or even semi-false, emails make the rounds, it hurts everyone and only contributes to the hatred one group may have for another.

The American people have been criticizing our government from the day it was formally established. Before that, there were arguments as to what kind of government we should have. I, for one, think the founding fathers did a heck of a good job; after all, we are still one nation 200+ years later. Just think of all the advancements, inventions, changes in the world that have happened since we first became the United States of America until now. What foresight those men had. Of course, if women had been involved 230 years ago, it would probably have been an even better place to live. But that's not the point of this blog. All the current, untrue, or semi-true emails that are making the rounds are.

Too many people think they know what is true because they saw it on the internet. And if you dig deep enough, the truth is probably out there. The problem is, not many people care about the truth. This country, and the rest of the world, are in a deep economic hurt, and we want to blame someone. Because some right wingers now have the loudest voices, we overlook what has happened in the past and listen to the rhetoric of hatred. I am very disheartened by what I hear and see going on all around me; I just want to step back and close my eyes and ears to what is going on.

Why can't we see that we have to be generous and kind to all people, not just the ones who think like us? Why do we spew the rhetoric of hate? And who do we hate? Evidently not the Wall Street fat cats and bankers, but the little guy trying to make a living, even if he has to step over a line in the sand to do it. We all need to take a step back and look at our priorities, look at our emotions and see if they are getting in the way of what is right. We need to start caring about people, and not about the almighty dollar. Maybe the OWS movement shows that we are slowly starting to care again.

"There's not a single example on our planet, not one, where an anti-government strategy has produced a vibrant economy with strong and broad-based growth and prosperity." - Bill Clinton

"What is objectionable, what is dangerous about extremists is not that they are extreme but that they are intolerant. The evil is not what they say about their cause, but what they say about their opponents." -Robert F. Kennedy