The doorbell just rang and at the door was a woman running for State senate -- a democrat! She was really cool. I just feel bad because the chances of her actually being elected here in utah county are close to zero. How depressing is that?
Recently, I've been feeling like everything in this country is broken: the political process where elected officials are more interested in getting reelected than they are in actually serving the needs of those they represent (or perhaps it is more that they represent thier big money contributors instead of the local electorate), the healthcare system where even those who pay exorbitant insurance fees get stuck with bills that are staggering (or increasingly where so many are unable to even get insurance and thereby benefit from negotiated rates on services from medical providers), the social community where people have become so insulated from their neighbors by affluence and the slavish drive to earn that we no longer develop the long-term relationships that make a community communal.
I fret that no matter who wins this election the very real problems that are facing normal Americans everyday will not even be discussed, let alone solved.
Allen, on the other hand, has been very encouraged by our recent West Wing obsession. He feels like for the first time he's really gotten a good feel of the way the system works (as opposed to the abstract separation of powers and so forth of AP US Gov). Yes, there are compromises. Yes, there are stupid agendas that dominate things. But for the most part, the people protrayed are well-intentioned and trying to DO SOMETHING. They care about each other and the awesome responsibility they have to guide American policy. There is lots of discussion. Lots of persuasion. Lots of people, smart ones, doing their best and trying to make good choices based on the information they have available to them. So, yes it is just a TV show. But it was based in fact with real live west-wingers involved in consulation with the writers and directors.
I just hope that people in party headquarters will realize that extremists in both parties are scary to the majority of Americans. We want people to be honestly looking for solutions to problems not just looking to their re-election coffers. We want representatives who actually try to represent us, not the lobbyists who buy them lunch. If there were a few more Mrs. Landinghams (who refused to haggle on the price of her new car for fear that they would do her some sort of inappropriate favor because of her job in the White House) we might actually have a shot.
I agree that the West Wing does do a good job of making a person feel better about the system. Do remember, though, that that features a Democratic White House, which (at least for me) makes their goals and concerns a lot more relateable. I can't speculate on what goes on in W's West Wing, but I'd wager a lot less open dialouge and hope of compromise. Well, that could all be changing now too!
ReplyDeleteyeah, just the personalities of many of the top people who only want to talk to someone who tells them what they want to hear. The idea of Cheney saying to the people investigating 9/11 that they need to find a way to implicate Iraq makes me sick. Is it any wonder that so many of this administrations decisions have been based on questionable assumptions?
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