Last night I watched a show on PBS about Obama’s first term as President. It was enlightening and interesting. Frontline. But what a mess our political system is in. The Republican Party is a disaster and a nightmare to our country’s ability to get anything done. I’m afraid they are going to end up destroying our government completely, it’s become so completely locked in gridlock because of their politics and refusal to compromise at all and it’s awful. Poor Obama – this has aged him and taken him from idealism to cynicism; as it has the majority of the country. It’s pathetic and depressing. But he’s a good man and thankfully he has another four years to try to get us out of this rotten mess – IF it’s even possible until the Republican Party – or more accurately, the Tea Party – goes away.
I also saw yesterday on the news an interview with our Governor, Jerry Brown. I was rather amazed to hear that he has apparently somehow managed to balance our state budget. I don’t believe anyone has been able to accomplish that for a number of years, although I could be wrong. I just know California has had financial trouble for as long as I can remember, although I do remember Jerry Brown being governor years ago and it seems like things might have been better then.
But State governments have been plagued with political gridlock every bit as much as the Federal government. In California, there is the “initiative process” that was voted in at some point, and apparently that is the only way things are being passed into law in many cases. Nobody was prepared to believe that Californians would vote to increase their own taxes, but that is just what we did with Prop. 30. And that was what enabled Brown to balance our budget.
But what a stupid frustrating mess it is to see how nonfunctional our system has gotten; it makes me angry. There are too many stupid, selfish, greedy, self-serving individuals in government, who cannot look beyond the moment and what they might get or not get. What happened to feeling ethical responsibility for the people on the whole? It is just bizarre to me. All this arguing like children; first the “fiscal cliff” and now gun control. I get really distressed over what the NRA and Republicans are doing. Where do they get such strange ideas? Arm the teachers? What world is this we live in, anyway? Here’s an interesting article about the NRA and how things have gotten to the point they are now. BATTLEGROUND AMERICA
I sometimes think that we should get rid of the Republican Party altogether and split the Democrats into two groups: those that are relatively moderate and mainstream like I am, and those that are more radically left-wing. Wait – does that mean I’d be a Conservative??? Well that’s weird; I am a Liberal, but I strongly believe in Common Sense; balance and moderation are necessary. Today’s Republicans are EXTREME – and isn’t that what one would call “Radicalism?” Didn’t that used to be Democrats?
What a mess. God help this country. 