Taking the Plunge (Might Need a Plunger)

It's finally that time.  Time for me to start ranting on politics.  Warning for all those out there that are easily offended: you might find that I make a lot of sense.  I am a very opinionated person. ...and my opinions change all the time.  Some things need changing often, whether that be clothes, opinions, or political parties.  So here goes all you politically active types out there.  It's time to mix it up.

Topic of the Day: Dissing the Political Parties

Yup, that's right guys.  It's high time we slam the status quo.  I'm not talking about dissing the Dems or dissing the re-Pubs.  I'm talking about the whole mess we've gotten ourselves into.  Right now, no party represents the people, whether we're talking the two majors, the Tea Party, the Libertarians, or some fringe party.  The problem is that we've adopted a viewpoint that a party, really a collection of special interests, can be counted on to represent not only the will of the people, but the best interests of this fine country.  Reality is, they can't.  They won't.

Take, for instance, the two bickering main parties.  If you were to sum up the major desires of the constituents of those two parties, you would find that around 85% to 95% of everybody wants to accomplish the same things.  I'm not talking about how to accomplish those things.  I'm also not talking about some of the pet planks in their overbearing party platforms.  I'm talking about "we want to feed the poor" or "we want to decrease unemployment" or "we want to live in a safe, green environment, where it's safe for the next generation."

So, if we agree on the goals, why can't we agree on the ways to get it done.  Simple.  We fight too much.  The fights aren't fair.  The fights are snippy and petty.  The fights are centered around party platforms instead of solving problems.  It comes down to "I want control!" ..."No I want control!"  The major parties fight for supremacy of votes not solutions to problems.  Each party vilifies the other so that the members of said parties won't give members of the other parties the time of day.

Let's look at a case study: Incandescent Light Bulbs vs. Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs.
First off, incandescents are relatively wasteful and energy expensive.  They are, however, much cheaper to buy.  CFLs, are more expensive to buy but much less expensive to run.  So, looking only at the apparent "green-ness" of CFLs, the traditionally "liberal" party (Democrats for those who can't tell) pushed through a law that bans incandescent bulbs by 2014.  Congrats... but not.  What the Dems in power ignored, knowingly, was that CFLs have this nasty problem of containing trace amounts of mercury.  Trace amounts isn't that bad is it?  No, children, trace amounts are not so bad.  Except when you combine that with the fact that we will be using massive amounts of them since EVERYONE will be REQUIRED to use them.  As long as EVERYONE follows the proper disposal procedures no one will get mercury poisoning.  If anyone in their right minds think that even a measurable fraction of the population will follow the proper disposal procedures... well they are either not in their right minds or they they are liers.  Let's give them the benefit of the doubt and say they already have mercury poisoning and are just exhibiting the symptoms.  The second problem is that, during the worst recession we've had since the Great Depression, we are forcing the population to buy a product that is ONLY supplied by China.  Where are the "Made In America" unionites?

Don't get me wrong, we need to make changes.  We just should think through things a little bit more before we force the country to swallow an intensely non-green option and more unemployment all in the name of "going green".  If the leadership in the Dems were the teensyest bit serious of green options, they would not have even considered this option.  It would have been better, safer, and more fiscally sound to ban CFLs.  True environmentalists should be raking their so called "leadership" over the coals right now.

There are a serious number of better alternatives along the whole light bulb chain, from energy source changes to economically viable exhaust scrubbers for the power plants that recycle CO2 into plant food (thus creating more fuel, or at least food).  There are also a lot of new scientific breakthroughs involving the improving the energy efficiency of incandescents.  If we focus on encouraging the growth in these areas we can remove the energy drain of incandescents, alleviate the poisoning of our water supply, and create more American jobs all at the same time.  This is an example of my motto "Liberal Hearted, Conservative Minded, and Independent Acting".

Next case study: The Music "Industry"
Sure, the re-Pubs are having a heyday criticizing the Dems just like I did.  The problem is that they are just as guilty of short sighted policy.  They are supporting corporate rights, in the name of "right to make a profit", over the rights of citizens.  Right now, the majority of the music, generated by Americans, is OWNED by one of four, foreign held corporations.  As a result, the artists reap little, if any, profits from their hard work.  The creative process of making music has been distilled down to a formula of slave labor.  The RIAA, which purports to represent the rights of the artists does nothing of the kind.  The ONLY artists that actually benefit from their work are those that have already made it big in the market.  The little guy is held down, drowning under the water of forced contracts that strip them of their rights to their own works.  The RIAA really represent foreign interests who are milking the creative talents of our artists.  The re-Pubs are bending over backwards to protect these special (foreign) interests.  Meanwhile, our good entertainment money is going towards the enslavement of our artists.  Several of the Dems are trying to fight this but, even in their party, there is more interest to protect their donors than justice.

If the re-Pubs are all about the rights of the individual, why aren't they the ones championing the shut-down of an onerous system such as that.  Well, they are as beholden to their special interests as the Dems.  Again, when you boil it all down it's about power, control, and pocket lining money.

Don't even get me started on the software industry, patents, and copyrights... egads.

So, how did we get here?  Just go and study this Latin phrase: "panem et circense".   This is translated "bread and circuses".  It is a reference to ancient Rome's use of free bread and entertainment, namely the bloody gladiator games in the Colosseum.  The Roman emperors used the mind-numbing entertainment and freebies to entice the population into political complacency.  It worked.  It's still working.  The lies out politicians tell us, the promises of state-sponsored welfare (as opposed to individual charity), the entitlements used to buy local votes... we swallow it all in order to ensure their patronage.

It's time to reject the lies.  To call them liers.  To pull the plug on a completely broken system.  As former Democrats and Republicans, we can band together, find our common ground, and kick their butts out of government.  It won't be easy.  The "leaders" of the various parties have poisoned our trust for each other, polarizing the entire country in order to control us.  Most people will still believe their lies.  Those who join the cause will be vilified.  Slander, accusations, false witnesses, even political assassinations are a common thing.  Those who join should understand what we face.  We must be ready to face the opposition, not only from the outside but from the inside.  Remember, we are not liberal OR conservative.  We are liberal AND conservative.

Next week's topic: Why it's a Conflict of Interest for Lawyers to Write Laws

Have fun and keep it shiny...

W. Randell Felts