Systemocracy

According to a recent story from the Columbus Dispatch, "An Ohio minister accused of driving a teenage runaway to a bus station last year has retained a lawyer as police say they're investigating whether anyone broke the law in helping the Christian convert leave home for Florida". And why did she flee to Florida? Because, she says, when her devout Muslim father found out she had become a Christian, he said to her, 'I will kill you'. And with Islam's death penalty for apostates, she had to take that seriously."

This story only reinforces my belief that we have been taken over by a nameless, faceless dictator known simply as The System. The police and courts acted as they did because The System required it. The lawyer for the girl's father was able to prevail because he was more adept at manipulating The System. How many of us have been victimized by actions which made no sense but were required by The System? The explanation? "I can't violate procedure."

Recent surveys indicate that most citizens are unhappy about the lack of action in Congress. The reason? Congress has been gridlocked by The System. Politicians love this because they are able to tell people, "I'd love to help you but I can't overcome The System". This gives them an excuse to draw their large compensations while doing diddly-squat.

Many people, when asked about their opinion on current affairs, reply "more information is needed before making a decision". This is one of the main tactics of servants to The System. The System is so complex and confusing that those who supposedly enforce its dictates don't understand it. The System speaks its own
language which is impossible for the average person to interpret. We must depend on the interpretations of those supposedly familiar with its workings. In many cases, they are just as much in the dark as we are.

So if you are angry with the government, don't blame Congress. Don't blame the President. We are all just slaves to The System. Here is my suggestion for a new Pledge of Allegiance:

I pledge allegiance to The System of the United States of America and to the bureaucracy for which it stands. One System, which recognizes no God but Itself, with policies and procedures for all.

Just Say No

I just finished watching one of the Sunday morning political interview shows. They had representatives of both parties talking about the gridlock in Congress. As usual, each side blamed the other. They both spent all of their time trading talking points without any discussion about how to solve the problem. I seriously doubt that either one was interested in solving the problem.

It is obvious that the current political system has broken down to two sides pointing fingers at each other instead of working to make this a better country. Enough! My solution to ending the gridlock, unlike those usually put forth by the government, is very simple. I propose a Constitutional amendment requiring that every election, from President to dogcatcher, list the names of those running for office. At the end of the list would be a space marked "None of the Above". If "None of the above" gets the most votes, you throw the current bunch of losers out and start over.

This would put an end to the current tide of petty bickering. Any time you had two candidates calling each other names, they would both be campaigning for "None of the above". Think of it this way. Let's say you are a prosecuting attorney. You have two defendents. Defendent A is saying Defendent B did it. Defendent B is saying Defendent A did it. Who should the jury believe? As the prosecutor, I would tell the jury to believe both of them and lock them both up. My proposal would have a similar effect.

Hopefully, this would force political candidates to address the issues and offer constructive solutions instead of telling us how horrible their opponent is. The voters could then weigh the opposing views and vote for the candidate who best reflected their views. The winners could then work together to solve our problems rather than stirring up distrust and hatred. The result would be a government working for the good of the voters so they would have positive results to announce in the next election. I believe that's how the system is supposed to work.

All too often, we are faced on election day with choosing between the lesser of two evils. The lesser of two evils is still evil. We deserve better.

He Still Doesn't Get It

In his weekly address, President Obama talked about the soaring cost of health insurance. He talked about the upcoming health care summit with members of Congress and asked them to come to the meeting in a spirit of good faith. He said he doesn't want the meeting to turn into political fear with each side reciting talking points and trying to score political points. Maybe he also wants them to bring cookies and ice cream.

If we have learned anything from the debate on health care, it's that the Republicans are not acting in good faith. They are like schoolyard bullies who want to beat up the President and take his lunch money. At the recent Tea Party convention, I did not hear anybody talking about good faith. The Republicans are in a race to see who can get farther to the extreme right of the political spectrum in order to win the favor of those who are disgruntled by the current administration. Showing good faith to the President would be political suicide for them. The only common ground they are interested in is the ground they want to shovel over Obama's grave.

If you want to see my ideas about health care, you can go to http://barnes4prez.com/health.html. By creating a Federal Insurance Commission (similar to the Federal Communications Commission), enacting tort reform and other actions, we can control costs and make health insurance available to almost all Americans. But the upcoming health summit will accomplish little if anything toward this purpose.

Obama wants politicians to focus on the next generation, not the next election. He still doesn't get it. Our elected officials are the most short-sighted people on the planet. All they can see is money and power. If opposing the President will bring them more money and power today, the next generation can take a hike. We have already seen how much the government cares about the next generation by their deficit increases and the way they looted the Social Security Trust Fund.

So if you are waiting for the government to bring you quality, affordable health care, don't hold your breath. Maybe you should ask Santa Claus to bring it next Christmas. You'd probably have more success.