Where there is life, there is hope. The question is: how much? In the case of the Democrats winning national political office, I fear that there is not much hope. I hope that I am wrong but I feel that on the national level, the Democrats will be a permanent minority party for the next ten to twenty years at least. The establishment of the Democratic Party does not seem to understand the basic fact of politics which is that one needs to win elections. In the words of "Moscow Mitch:" "People who win elections make policy; those who lose go home."
And that means winning at the local level. Many state legislatures control redistricting and can use gerrymandering to favor the majority party in said legislature which often is controlled by republicans. The republicans in the House and Senate don't need to do anything but sit back and watch the Supremes carry out the republican right wing agenda which is to take us back to the 1920's legally and politically.
But I can say that one can have a very pleasant and satisfactory life even if one's political party never wins an election. I live in Alabama which is a very heavily republican state and I think that over the last twenty years I have voted one time for a winning politician in a statewide race. That was Doug Jones who ran for the Senate as a Democrat in a special election in 2017. That was unusual in that the republican (Roy Moore) was accused of sexual improprieties at the local mall. People who want to know more can go to Wikipedia.
But what I am getting around to is that devoting large amounts of time to following and supporting politics might not be a useful endeavor. What I think about politics and politicians is completely irrelevant to anything. There are many other things one can do such as catching up on reading, listening to some good music, gardening, cooking, reading things on the internet, taking a long walk. These activities are much more productive and satisfying than following politics.
Best wishes and happy life to one and all. Remember your life is what you make it. Always look for the good things.
We are finding out that, like many things, our national government is terribly over-rated as to it importance. The Congress is pretty much dysfunctional. We had Donald as President for four years. He who has the mind of a five-year old and the short attention span to match. The Supremes are obsessed by matters relating to sex and religion.
Yet here we are -- most people are going to work everyday and living productive lives.
Washington and the national parties are working to bring America to its knees (and not in prayer), but America just keeps going about its business and people are living their lives.
You make some good points but I do feel we're cheating our children and that is a serious crime. You read the grim statistics on malnutrition and poverty and the wretched education bestowed on those most in need and it's heart-breeaking.
Of course I agree with you completely about malnutrition, poverty, and wretched education. Particularly the education part because my early life and working career were in the field of education (college library) and I have always had a love for reading, books, and education. The future of the country is not good -- the top half of the population might do well (career wise and financially) but the bottom half will struggle.
The Democrats at least make a pretense of supporting good policies on nutrition, health, poverty, and education but it is frustrating that their good intentions don't gain more traction in electoral politics.
I suppose that I am frustrated because the things that I always valued -- liberal democracy, scholarship and education, Christian teachings of loving ones neighbor, etc. -- seem to be going by the boards and going out of style.
"Republicans satisfied with a policy of denial..." It's as though many Republicans think that "Politics is the team you root for" rather than "Politics involves creating policies that do the greatest good for the largest section of those governed."
I had a first-hand experience of this while I was pumping gas this morning. I watched a large, well-fed white man open up a panel on the pump and put a mirror inside to look around. When he was finished, I mentioned that I had worked for an oil company for years, and that I was still curious about "all things related to the business." With that introduction, he took me for a carbon copy of himself. Once he warmed up, he slung expletives at "Those Leftists who go on about greenhouse gases" and "Those folks getting handouts for not working!" I couldn't have amassed that level of excitement to properly counter his oversimplifications - to say "global warming is accelerated by the use of fossil fuels, and what kind of a world do you want your grandchildren to inhabit?" or "In this pandemic, if we allow a generation of growing kids to suffer life close to starvation, and deny them equal education and life experiences, we'll end up supporting many of the following generation of adults in prisons or in "facilitated living homes."
This "policy of denial" could have some basis in the way that many Republicans see the world in concentric circles, centering and ending in themselves. I'm glad, at the present, that there seem to be enough Democrats, Liberals, Greens, and such among us to keep awareness of social and environmental issues in the forefront of the political conversation.
I'm reminded, right now, of my "Republican in Every Way" father. What would he think, if he were alive today? Edward Gibbon's "The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire" seemed like a crystal ball to him, in terms of our own societal portents. Based on Gibbon's timetable, Dad predicted that the United States would begin to fall apart once we reached 2020. I don't know if he would have pointed to environmental pollution as an issue. He did see "classism" - the way some Roman residents lived luxurious lives as powerful upper class folks getting more than their share of amenities, while many of those who lived in Cyrenacia or Hispania suffered through life in the face of great deprivation. To Dad, extreme social inequality that was the straw that broke the Roman back. We're moving more and more in that direction ourselves here at present, especially under the aegis of the DT Republicans.
The question is, will it be possible to get half of our nation's faces out of their mirrors, so they can see what life is like for all who contribute to the human and natural environments that we share?
Some people say that the Roman Empire is unusual because it lasted so long. The empire grew for about 500 years under the Republic, then was stable for about 200 years under the Emperors, then declined for about 300 years under more emperors. Gibbon seems to say that the Christians undermined the empire and contributed to its fall.
But is the United States an empire? I thought it was a country. The city of Rome and the country of Italy still exists; they just don't have an empire. But lets face it, everything comes to an end eventually.
You are right that politics should be for the betterment of the people and country; not just a game where one side tries to get one on the other side.
I think you repeated yourself :)
Last two paragraphs are the same
Where there is life, there is hope. The question is: how much? In the case of the Democrats winning national political office, I fear that there is not much hope. I hope that I am wrong but I feel that on the national level, the Democrats will be a permanent minority party for the next ten to twenty years at least. The establishment of the Democratic Party does not seem to understand the basic fact of politics which is that one needs to win elections. In the words of "Moscow Mitch:" "People who win elections make policy; those who lose go home."
And that means winning at the local level. Many state legislatures control redistricting and can use gerrymandering to favor the majority party in said legislature which often is controlled by republicans. The republicans in the House and Senate don't need to do anything but sit back and watch the Supremes carry out the republican right wing agenda which is to take us back to the 1920's legally and politically.
But I can say that one can have a very pleasant and satisfactory life even if one's political party never wins an election. I live in Alabama which is a very heavily republican state and I think that over the last twenty years I have voted one time for a winning politician in a statewide race. That was Doug Jones who ran for the Senate as a Democrat in a special election in 2017. That was unusual in that the republican (Roy Moore) was accused of sexual improprieties at the local mall. People who want to know more can go to Wikipedia.
But what I am getting around to is that devoting large amounts of time to following and supporting politics might not be a useful endeavor. What I think about politics and politicians is completely irrelevant to anything. There are many other things one can do such as catching up on reading, listening to some good music, gardening, cooking, reading things on the internet, taking a long walk. These activities are much more productive and satisfying than following politics.
Best wishes and happy life to one and all. Remember your life is what you make it. Always look for the good things.
We are finding out that, like many things, our national government is terribly over-rated as to it importance. The Congress is pretty much dysfunctional. We had Donald as President for four years. He who has the mind of a five-year old and the short attention span to match. The Supremes are obsessed by matters relating to sex and religion.
Yet here we are -- most people are going to work everyday and living productive lives.
Washington and the national parties are working to bring America to its knees (and not in prayer), but America just keeps going about its business and people are living their lives.
You make some good points but I do feel we're cheating our children and that is a serious crime. You read the grim statistics on malnutrition and poverty and the wretched education bestowed on those most in need and it's heart-breeaking.
Of course I agree with you completely about malnutrition, poverty, and wretched education. Particularly the education part because my early life and working career were in the field of education (college library) and I have always had a love for reading, books, and education. The future of the country is not good -- the top half of the population might do well (career wise and financially) but the bottom half will struggle.
The Democrats at least make a pretense of supporting good policies on nutrition, health, poverty, and education but it is frustrating that their good intentions don't gain more traction in electoral politics.
I suppose that I am frustrated because the things that I always valued -- liberal democracy, scholarship and education, Christian teachings of loving ones neighbor, etc. -- seem to be going by the boards and going out of style.
Apologies from late night support. The last paragraph was unintentionally duplicated and sent before it was caught.
The people who won't mandate a covid vaccine are the same people who will force women to give birth to babies they don't want.
If only Trump had said what Aaron Judge said after the Yankees lost to the Red Sox.
"Republicans satisfied with a policy of denial..." It's as though many Republicans think that "Politics is the team you root for" rather than "Politics involves creating policies that do the greatest good for the largest section of those governed."
I had a first-hand experience of this while I was pumping gas this morning. I watched a large, well-fed white man open up a panel on the pump and put a mirror inside to look around. When he was finished, I mentioned that I had worked for an oil company for years, and that I was still curious about "all things related to the business." With that introduction, he took me for a carbon copy of himself. Once he warmed up, he slung expletives at "Those Leftists who go on about greenhouse gases" and "Those folks getting handouts for not working!" I couldn't have amassed that level of excitement to properly counter his oversimplifications - to say "global warming is accelerated by the use of fossil fuels, and what kind of a world do you want your grandchildren to inhabit?" or "In this pandemic, if we allow a generation of growing kids to suffer life close to starvation, and deny them equal education and life experiences, we'll end up supporting many of the following generation of adults in prisons or in "facilitated living homes."
This "policy of denial" could have some basis in the way that many Republicans see the world in concentric circles, centering and ending in themselves. I'm glad, at the present, that there seem to be enough Democrats, Liberals, Greens, and such among us to keep awareness of social and environmental issues in the forefront of the political conversation.
I'm reminded, right now, of my "Republican in Every Way" father. What would he think, if he were alive today? Edward Gibbon's "The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire" seemed like a crystal ball to him, in terms of our own societal portents. Based on Gibbon's timetable, Dad predicted that the United States would begin to fall apart once we reached 2020. I don't know if he would have pointed to environmental pollution as an issue. He did see "classism" - the way some Roman residents lived luxurious lives as powerful upper class folks getting more than their share of amenities, while many of those who lived in Cyrenacia or Hispania suffered through life in the face of great deprivation. To Dad, extreme social inequality that was the straw that broke the Roman back. We're moving more and more in that direction ourselves here at present, especially under the aegis of the DT Republicans.
The question is, will it be possible to get half of our nation's faces out of their mirrors, so they can see what life is like for all who contribute to the human and natural environments that we share?
Some people say that the Roman Empire is unusual because it lasted so long. The empire grew for about 500 years under the Republic, then was stable for about 200 years under the Emperors, then declined for about 300 years under more emperors. Gibbon seems to say that the Christians undermined the empire and contributed to its fall.
But is the United States an empire? I thought it was a country. The city of Rome and the country of Italy still exists; they just don't have an empire. But lets face it, everything comes to an end eventually.
You are right that politics should be for the betterment of the people and country; not just a game where one side tries to get one on the other side.
With kindest regards.