Kind of mad and probably going to take it
I realize I probably say this every year or so, but I'm so fed up with politics. I'm so fed up with the prevailing strategy of "hey, I didn't vote for X" when, for me, the problem is that not enough legislation has made it through, not too much. So who am I supposed to support? The endless cycle of "I'm an outsider, I'll change things" which is obviously untrue is ridiculous. The Democrats haven't been seen to do anything, and the Republicans actually want to do less, so in the end what are we voting for?
I'm so tired of being told that I'm not an American by people who think that my support of tax dollars going to programs is un-American. (It's okay when non-US people tell me I'm not American, because I think it's a compliment, but it's still sad.) If I can live on what I make, then people making several hundred thousand dollars more can afford some taxes. Obviously the difference is philosophical, not a matter of financial survival, but am I that far out of step with my country that I can't relate to any of them?
There's a fundamental impossibility in all of it, in that Obama was supposed to change everything, and didn't, and people are angry about that but also angry at the things that were changed, "because I didn't see any improvement." And that assumes an expertise in the layperson that is nonsensical to me. For one thing, people are pretty subjective about reporting those things, and for another, I don't think most of us are qualified to sit on our front porches and say "X politician/law/program did nothing because my view hasn't altered." Every year we vote for change and then hogtie the people we elect. And somehow assume that the one year they've been in charge explains the past eight.
Now, I'm not saying "Obama is our savior" or anything like that--but I am disappointed on the opposite end from where all the ads seem to be targeted, with everyone denying responsibility for the stuff he has been able to do. It just seems pretty short-sighted to run screaming from policies that most economists claim we'd be worse of without, and selfish to judge the current climate only by how much your house is worth. This isn't to downplay the impact the economy has had on people, and some people are well within their rights to complain. I'm just saying that I can't be the only person out there who's surviving and doesn't respond to the call to turn away from social programs and healthcare and treating corporations like corporations, not people.
But you wouldn't know that, from our options. Or the polls.
This entry is also posted at http://my-daroga.dreamwidth.org/269025.html. Feel free to comment wherever you want.
I'm so tired of being told that I'm not an American by people who think that my support of tax dollars going to programs is un-American. (It's okay when non-US people tell me I'm not American, because I think it's a compliment, but it's still sad.) If I can live on what I make, then people making several hundred thousand dollars more can afford some taxes. Obviously the difference is philosophical, not a matter of financial survival, but am I that far out of step with my country that I can't relate to any of them?
There's a fundamental impossibility in all of it, in that Obama was supposed to change everything, and didn't, and people are angry about that but also angry at the things that were changed, "because I didn't see any improvement." And that assumes an expertise in the layperson that is nonsensical to me. For one thing, people are pretty subjective about reporting those things, and for another, I don't think most of us are qualified to sit on our front porches and say "X politician/law/program did nothing because my view hasn't altered." Every year we vote for change and then hogtie the people we elect. And somehow assume that the one year they've been in charge explains the past eight.
Now, I'm not saying "Obama is our savior" or anything like that--but I am disappointed on the opposite end from where all the ads seem to be targeted, with everyone denying responsibility for the stuff he has been able to do. It just seems pretty short-sighted to run screaming from policies that most economists claim we'd be worse of without, and selfish to judge the current climate only by how much your house is worth. This isn't to downplay the impact the economy has had on people, and some people are well within their rights to complain. I'm just saying that I can't be the only person out there who's surviving and doesn't respond to the call to turn away from social programs and healthcare and treating corporations like corporations, not people.
But you wouldn't know that, from our options. Or the polls.
This entry is also posted at http://my-daroga.dreamwidth.org/269025.html. Feel free to comment wherever you want.