Ignorance truly is bliss. Sometimes I wonder if I might be better off just not caring. I use to not care one bit about politics. I found the whole process completely uninteresting and of little significance to me. What do I care about politics? I have no aspirations to ever run for office nor am I really one to rally behind a cause. I think the left and right are so blinded by their hatred for one another that it is amazing anything gets done in Washington. I may not blindly follow a cause or adhere to a party agenda. I do, however, care about individuals.
Lately it seems the present administration has written off the average person as simply a cog in the wheel of their master plan. Who can blame them? Ours is a world designed for dehumanization. Most of us get our daily “nutrition” wrapped up in a paper bag and served the exact same way in Sarasota as it is in Seattle. We commute in our SUVs and hope that being 5 feet off the ground will protect us from the world. We wear clothes made in sweatshops and listen to music that embodies the anger and isolation that everyone seems to be collectively fighting right now. Of course, when the day is done and we’ve done our 12 hours in the office, it is back to bed so we can do it all over again.
So why are we so miserable, yet so apathetic? Perhaps this is just a reflection of the millions of little contrasts in our daily lives. The present administration ran on a platform of smaller government, yet now more than ever we feel the almighty gaze of Big Brother. The Patriot Act has virtually nullified the constitution. We’re told to be strong as a nation and keep living our lives. Yet I get thoroughly searched every time I fly anywhere because my name has lots of consonants next to each other. Maybe I’m just lucky and managed to make one of the watch lists.
You may ask yourself how we came to this point as a nation. We once stood for personal liberty. The capitalism that the Republican Party loves so much is based on a free market economy when anyone who offers a good product at a fair price gets ahead. It seems that our present administration is working overtime to give corporations the same rights as individuals. More often than not, corporations have more rights. Why shouldn’t they? They do put money into our economy and provide jobs.
At what expense has America become homogenized? The individual is susceptible to having their home, personal records and person searched on mere suspicion. The American dream has been crushed under the thumb of corporations. Small businesses are unable to survive when they’re up against Wal-Mart and Starbucks. Corporations have lobbyist and investors on their side. All too often those same investors are the people running our country, state and city. With one hand in the pocket of a CEO and the other waving to constituents, it is hard to believe politicians have our best interests in mind.
Capitalism as we know it today is not the free market economy it once was. Sure corporations come out ahead because they offer products cheaper than competitors. Rest assured they’re still making a profit. Maybe they outsource their Information Technology department to India or open a factory in Taipei. The savings get passed along to the consumer for sure. If these unethical practices were not tolerated by our government, then we would have true capitalism. Every business, large or small, should be held to the same standards.
If Nike stopped using sweatshops and Starbucks had to buy coffee that was fair trade, then maybe the “little guy” would stand a chance at having a piece of the American dream. Honestly, there is enough to go around. I’m not advocating a society were everyone gets all their needs met out of a sense of obligation. The world owes me nothing and it owes you the same. Yet we all deserve a fair shot at success. Right now, a very small group is making decisions for the rest of us. They are the CEOs of huge corporations and their corrupted counterparts in government. Sometimes they are one in the same.
This coming November you have a choice. Sadly, it will be the lesser of two evils. I don’t doubt that John Kerry has his fair share of corruption. Something tells me everyone is Washington is unclean. I don’t know about you, but I don’t mind if my president married the heiress to a ketchup fortune. I’d rather see a president with a vested interest in condiments than one who’s pockets are filled by the civilian contractors that benefit so much from the “wars” he creates. I’m Jon Crosby and I approve this message.
Lately it seems the present administration has written off the average person as simply a cog in the wheel of their master plan. Who can blame them? Ours is a world designed for dehumanization. Most of us get our daily “nutrition” wrapped up in a paper bag and served the exact same way in Sarasota as it is in Seattle. We commute in our SUVs and hope that being 5 feet off the ground will protect us from the world. We wear clothes made in sweatshops and listen to music that embodies the anger and isolation that everyone seems to be collectively fighting right now. Of course, when the day is done and we’ve done our 12 hours in the office, it is back to bed so we can do it all over again.
So why are we so miserable, yet so apathetic? Perhaps this is just a reflection of the millions of little contrasts in our daily lives. The present administration ran on a platform of smaller government, yet now more than ever we feel the almighty gaze of Big Brother. The Patriot Act has virtually nullified the constitution. We’re told to be strong as a nation and keep living our lives. Yet I get thoroughly searched every time I fly anywhere because my name has lots of consonants next to each other. Maybe I’m just lucky and managed to make one of the watch lists.
You may ask yourself how we came to this point as a nation. We once stood for personal liberty. The capitalism that the Republican Party loves so much is based on a free market economy when anyone who offers a good product at a fair price gets ahead. It seems that our present administration is working overtime to give corporations the same rights as individuals. More often than not, corporations have more rights. Why shouldn’t they? They do put money into our economy and provide jobs.
At what expense has America become homogenized? The individual is susceptible to having their home, personal records and person searched on mere suspicion. The American dream has been crushed under the thumb of corporations. Small businesses are unable to survive when they’re up against Wal-Mart and Starbucks. Corporations have lobbyist and investors on their side. All too often those same investors are the people running our country, state and city. With one hand in the pocket of a CEO and the other waving to constituents, it is hard to believe politicians have our best interests in mind.
Capitalism as we know it today is not the free market economy it once was. Sure corporations come out ahead because they offer products cheaper than competitors. Rest assured they’re still making a profit. Maybe they outsource their Information Technology department to India or open a factory in Taipei. The savings get passed along to the consumer for sure. If these unethical practices were not tolerated by our government, then we would have true capitalism. Every business, large or small, should be held to the same standards.
If Nike stopped using sweatshops and Starbucks had to buy coffee that was fair trade, then maybe the “little guy” would stand a chance at having a piece of the American dream. Honestly, there is enough to go around. I’m not advocating a society were everyone gets all their needs met out of a sense of obligation. The world owes me nothing and it owes you the same. Yet we all deserve a fair shot at success. Right now, a very small group is making decisions for the rest of us. They are the CEOs of huge corporations and their corrupted counterparts in government. Sometimes they are one in the same.
This coming November you have a choice. Sadly, it will be the lesser of two evils. I don’t doubt that John Kerry has his fair share of corruption. Something tells me everyone is Washington is unclean. I don’t know about you, but I don’t mind if my president married the heiress to a ketchup fortune. I’d rather see a president with a vested interest in condiments than one who’s pockets are filled by the civilian contractors that benefit so much from the “wars” he creates. I’m Jon Crosby and I approve this message.
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