We have become incredibly soft toward the very people who behave in this manner. When laws are broken a debt should be paid, whether you are the crackhead hooker on the street or a corrupt politician taking unlwaful gifts from a donor - there should be appropriate punishment. Unfortunately right now only the hooker gets jail time.
It was with these things in mind that I determined that the only way I would feel good about continuing to participate in our electoral system while it was producing such miserable, long-term damage, would be if I found a party that I could both believe in and believe that citizens like myself had an actual chance of making a movement of it and taking back our government.
I simply must believe that "normal", everyday people like me are as sick to death of the partisan bickery and extremism from both sides of the aisle as it stands today as I am. It was as ridiculous to be a "birther" as it was to completely dismiss Palin as viable. I also cannot believe that regular folks, whatever their politics, really want Medicare to be damaged and our elders to suffer because of it, but vote Republican and that's what you will get. I don't believe that everyday people want our deficit to be anymore out of control either, but that's what the Democrats are doing to us, to be fair George W. bush did more than his share of this,as well. If we want to fix our deficit, draw down the war effort and fairly tax the wealthy. Better yet, do a flat tax on everyone that is taxed when you purchase, much like a state. IF I spend five thousand on taxable items this year, but the millionaire spends $50,000 on taxables - who has paid their fair share? It is simply the only way to get the wealthy to pay their fair burden of tax debt. I realize they already pay more than the less fortunate, but in terms of income ratio - the poorer man pas the higher burden, and then one more factor affects the outcome - the rich man can afford a tax attorney who spends all day looking for loopholes until the wealthy man ends up paying nothing.
We must find a way to effect massive and immediate change. Our educational system is failing our children, the healthcare system is failing us all.There must be a fair wage as well as an incentive to keep our own companies from going overseas for cheap labor. We must teach our children civics, because it is no longer taught in the school system and children no longer know what it means to be productive members of society, engaged in the state of the nation. Lastly, we must encourage and support good local candidates and help get them elected to replace the lifers curently in office who forgot about us.
We are the only ones who can do this, NATO is not going to come in and make sure our election was fair, WE have to do what the media will not, we have the power if we can only find the will.
