Singing Loudly

These are just a few of my thoughts that I have and aren't necessarily supported by actual research. I'm not trying to debate here but just expressing my views. By all means tell me what you think if you agree or disagree. Just know that I'm not saying this is political gospel.

In just a few minutes the first of four Presidential debates will be held. It is the first of four meaningless staged productions that are no better than the worthless waste of money political conventions. We know that neither candidate will say anything that is too far removed from what they have been saying all along. The questions, while maybe secret in form, are not secret in topic. These debates are meaningless.

I feel a real disappointment and fear as I watch this political election. America has seemingly lost something in politics that it once had. Maybe we haven't had it for awhile but the issues being debated are issues for the rich. There might be waves that reach the poor but it is so removed, so terribly far removed that it doesn't matter. Politics doesn't matter any longer to some of the people who matter most in America. The people who really want to experience the fiction of the American Dream.

The problems in the political system: both federal and state wide have become so political that they are basically in a deadlock. Health Care is a dream that won't happen. A fair tax system is a dream that also won't happen. Protections that have helped the underprivileged in the European Union will not ever be anything more than a contemplated dream here in America. Actual adherence to international norms, customary law, and treaties that we've signed onto (let alone conventions like the Convention for Women's Rights) will probably never be respected in the same way. Cleaning up the police, fixing problems of representation in the legal system, getting rid of the death penalty, or at least curing the glaring defects, will probably never happen.

This is a deeply divided country and a deeply wounded country. This year we have John Kerry and George W. Bush running for President. Neither of these Presidential candidate have shown much, if any, interest in really fixing the underlying problems that have caused these divisions. Instead they show a zealous desire to represent their strongest supporters: the wealthy. I do realize that this is a strong generalization that can be argued against with a few pieces of anecdotal evidence. However, I don't believe there is anything other than weak evidence to support the opposing arguments. America is divided right now. There are many Americans who are suffering a daily basis. These politicians have no desire to really address these problems in a true way. They have no incentive to do so.

When I look back at politics, I see a different America where people were at least heard. People had a voice. Whereas today most people do not have a voice. Most people are simply ignored and will remain so. There is something wrong with politics in America. The solution to this problem has to come from everyone demanding of their parties a more honest selection of candidates. I hope that in the next election year we can be given candidates who both understand (which arguably Kerry and Bush might understand) and be willing to pursue solutions to cure problems plaguing a large part of America.