20080905

POLITICS - PSSST. Hey you...

[This post is not directed towards any specific individuals]

...Are you American? If not, you may ignore the rest of this post. Stuff it. This applies to anyone voting anywhere.

Are you eligible to vote? If not, you might ignore the rest of this post, though it depends on how much you care about things, whether you can vote or note.

If you are eligible, are you planning on voting in the coming US Presidential election? If not, plainly and simply and with no excuses, YOU ARE A FUCKING IDIOT!

I've had soooo many people say "Well I didn't vote for Bush, so his Presidency isn't my fault". Two things here. 1) What have you done to discuss the matter of the direction US politics (and the day-to-day impacts to your life that politics creates) has taken over the past two decades (And the past eight in particular), outside of casual bitching with friends or family? 2) What have you done to ensure that the direction that politics takes heads in the direction that you want? I suspect the answer to both is "None".

From close observation of politicians in the US and NZ over the past seven years, I have lost all faith in politicians as a group of individuals. I have watched some honest people try to enter in to, or to succeed in politics, only to see them leave or struggle to achieve anything. Those that do succeed are those that are selfish. This probably applies to anything in life really, but I struggle to think of anything else that has as much impact on all of our lives as the decisions of the politicians that WE ELECT to represent us. From observation, politics is about one thing and one thing only and that is to get re-elected. Oh sure, somewhere in the are the hard decisions to be made that keep an economy and a country running. But deep down, every decision that is made is run through a filter of 'what will happen to my re-election if I make this decision?'.

My bull-shit meter is broken with all the crap flowing from the mouths of those running for office in both the US and NZ. Every word that leaves a politicians mouth is:

XYZ is a problem, or everything is broken. And electing me/my party is the solution.

Fuck you!

Now. Back to my original questions. If you do nothing more than vote. If you do nothing to interact with other people, particularly those who disagree with your perspective on things, then you are as much a piece of the problem as these politicians who you didn't vote for. Politics is now about getting 51% of the vote during the election, and then doing whatever the fuck you want to during your period in office (While applying your 'What will happen to my re-election if I make this decision' filter). And life has three camps. Those on the right. Those on the left. And those in the middle that the right and left fight over to get their 51%.

I wish everyone over thought things as I have been accused of doing. I wish everyone was capable of informing and educating themselves. But they are not. Some people can't. Some people don't want to. And if you want the things that you think are important to be represented, then you are going to have to fight to spread the word. Because the people on the other side are already fighting. And if you do nothing, then they will win.

And if your answer is "I'm too busy",then I'll say it now, and I'll say it later (When you're locked up in a prison camp after attempting to express your freedom of speech as things have finally got to the point where you can't take it any more, but it will probably be too late)...FUCK YOU!

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