We’re more worried about image than results. We’re more concerned with conjecture than reality. We’re obsessed with process, not progress. And by we, I mean the media, Congress, the lobbyists, and the folks with the big pocketbooks who seem to control the decision-making in this country.
The media thinks we have more at stake with Kate Gosselin than we do with confirming the first Hispanic woman to the Supreme Court. Yes, CNN, I’m calling you out on that. I don’t care about her. I care about the confirmation and swearing in of one of NINE people who have an extremely powerful influence and control over the course of lawmaking and progress in this country. Yet you feed me “opinions about Obama’s first 200 days” and “Kate to open up on Today Show.” Why?
Because you care about ratings. And money. And because, sadly, you can get away with it because people as a whole are stupid. They only care about whether their TV will swallow up their stress and horrible workdays. They only care that they can eat at McDonalds again or yes, as Obama so poignantly pointed out, “cling to their guns and religion.” (As a side note, that’s not a bad opinion; it’s pretty true. Sometimes people don’t like being told the truth.)
I just read Bill Maher’s article on the Huffington Post: “New Rule: Smart President (does not equal) Smart Country.” He calls out the country for being stupid, and in general I agree with him. His examples are stunning (I’m pulling snippets here):
“…Polls show that a majority of Americans cannot name a single branch of government, or explain what the Bill of Rights is. 24% could not name the country America fought in the Revolutionary War. More than two-thirds don’t know what’s in Roe v. Wade. Two-thirds don’t know what the Food and Drug Administration does. Nearly half of Americans don’t know that states have two senators and more than half can’t name their congressman. Only half of Americans are aware that Judaism is an older religion than Christianity. That’s right, half of America looks at books called the Old Testament and the New Testament and cannot figure out which one came first.”
There’s a part of me that hopes these statistics aren’t true. That for the sake of comedy, Maher is exaggerating. But the numbers seem a little too real, and that’s scary.
Where’s the failure? The media? Politicians? Schools? Parents? Is anyone listening to this?
The right people are not listening. The right people are the ones who should be making the decisions about the direction of this country and are sick of the partisanship. Sick of the lobbyists. Sick of Congressmen worrying more about re-election and less about governing. Sick of politicians who will say anything to get elected, but fall back on the moneybags once they’re in office. Sick of the “No Accountability” times we’re in, where you can sue corporations for your own wrongdoing and win.
We’ve tuned out not because of apathy, but because of exhaustion. There’s too much bullshit to sift through.
I want everyone to have healthcare coverage that’s affordable. I want those costs to go down. I don’t want to have to pay the bill for 30 years. But no one is telling me how it can be done. Instead of telling me the other party’s plan is terrible, tell me how you’d fix it. Otherwise I won’t listen.
Don’t give me 1,000 pages of gobbledygook. Give me 15 pages (at most) with charts and graphs. Give me a YouTube video. Give me Ross Perot for 30 minutes in primetime with charts and a pointer. No commercial breaks. Don’t hide behind legal language; give us clear, simple language so we know what you’re voting for–so we know what and who we’re voting for.
Take a chance and have faith that America will know not to freak out. Take the time to let us understand the truth, not the spin. Don’t perpetuate our “Freak Out Nation” nature. If we’re the best, most powerful, most intelligent nation in the world, let’s act like it. Challenge us. Test us. But most of all, believe in us.
There. I’ve spoken my peace. For now.
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