After reading an article entitled the Age of Ignorance, I decided to have quick look at the comments, which is something I normally never do. Shocked by what I saw, I felt the comments proved that many people are unaware of how the American government works and are duped into occupying themselves with the frivolous distracters the media perpetuates.
The article argues that the average citizen has difficulties differentiating truth from propaganda. All I have to do is look at my Facebook wall to feel that this is true.
At a time when economic disparity is vast, the country faces monumental debt levels, and public education is deteriorating (just to name a few…) it seems ridiculous that the “conversation” on issues goes something like this:
“Climate Change is a hoax,” states Joe Schmoe.
“Well almost all of the scientific community believes it exists. Why do you say that?” replies John Deer.
“Oh you’re just a hippie.”
“Stupid conservative.”
If Americans really understood their government they would understand that this is not a war between “right” and “left” or “conservative” and “liberal.” It is a tiring cycle of bashing that is both unproductive and inefficient.
Instead of slamming our fellow Americans, let’s face facts: It doesn’t matter what “side” you are on because the average citizen has very little voice in determining American politics. Frankly your opinion does not matter, unless you have a lot of money to contribute to the campaign trail, so let us go over how certain things in the government work. Maybe if people understood, they would stop criticizing one another, and work together to overcome major structural deficiencies within our system.
Let’s review. First, many seem to have forgotten we have three branches of government, and that it is actually Congress who must pass the laws. The President influences the lawmaking process by suggesting initiatives and/or through a veto. It is our very own House of Representatives and Senate (which both have low voter turnout rates) who should also be credited or blamed for any law. It is supposed to be a system of checks and balances, and that should be remembered.
Second, let’s be realistic. Check out opensecrets.org. The cost of running for a presidential campaign is currently around $1 billion (breaks my heart thinking of all the good things we could do with that money). Where does that money come from? It comes mainly from wealthy individuals, companies, and PACs. (Lucky for us, super PACs can now spend as much as they want on their political objectives.) What does this mean? Your thousands of letters go to an intern like me -who responds with a one-size fits all reply card and never reaches anyone else- while AT & T, Sachs, and Lockheed hand in their checks and are fully heard. It’s not magic their interests are always at the top of the pile, and the political tactics used to convince citizens that their best interests are being met or destroyed are always shameful.
Third, we must not forget the power of lobbies. Need I say more?
Fourth, the Electoral College actually votes in the President, not you. Every vote does not count. Moreover, in our democracy, isn’t it interesting that we only have two options. I mean, unless you’re a delegate in the primaries (which most of us aren’t). And let’s not talk third parties. Independents have virtually no chance of ever winning. This signifies that every four years Americans must choose between two people (even if you hate them both), and that person in turn will be in office for the next four years (unless he/she does something incredibly illegal in which he/she will probably be asked to resign).
Finally, our last line of defense in defending the people is the Supreme Court. The President has the honor of electing a new justice every time one of the nine has resigned or passed on. The judges usually stay on for about 20-30 years, but are so predictable that most people know the outcome of a ruling before it even comes out. Hmm.
But I’m not here to completely bash the U.S., I think we have a great country and I want to see us prosper (and not just the top 1%). I want to have REAL conversations with my countrymen and I want our voices to be heard. There are so many problems right now, that we must work through together. I want discussion. I want reasonable arguments, and I want the most serious problems to be the issues at the top of the agenda.
Please, we must take this seriously. We must know the issues. We must READ about what is happening from legitimate sources, and we must develop solutions. We need to ban together because it’s not the “liberals” or “conservatives” that are destroying the country. It’s our system.
Written by Guest Writer Michelle Blanchet. Michelle is an educator interested in education, development, and social enterprises. She has a Master’s in International Relations and is currently residing in Lausanne, Switzerland.
