The intent of this blog is to Provide a forum for open and constructive discussion on the current political environment in the United States. Our country has become polarized on almost every level because we do not engage in constructive and open dialogue. It is named Article 28 based on the a proposed amendment to the constitution to reform the government. While the proposed article has very little chance of survival, to does provide a foundation for discussion and, God willing, a platform for political change. As I begin, I want to provide some personal background information so those who choose to engage in this discussion will have a point of reference for my thought process and opinions.
I am a retired Air Force veteran and served in a Special Operations Unit in Thailand and Vietnam. I retired from active duty in 1991 shortly after Desert Storm. During my Military Career, I had the opportunity to live all over the world and experience the politics and cultures of other nations and peoples. I cherish those times, albeit some more than others. In the final years of my Air Force career, I had the privilege of providing briefings to command staff at the Pentagon and Command Headquarters in Langley. I also had the opportunity to meet with legislators on issues around military spending with fraud, waste and abuse. (Don't be too impressed as it wasn't that big of a deal but it did provide me with an initial exposure to the working of our government and the political machine behind it.) After my exit from the military, the opportunities for political action increased significantly.
My post military career was centered on ministry and social justice. I had the privilege of serving in a predominately Hispanic parish in Arizona working with migrant farm and dairy workers. After 6 years in the parish, I was employed by two non-profit agencies serving clients who were elderly, those with mental illness and the homeless. In all of these positions I had the opportunity to advocate for these individuals at the local, state and federal level. I was exposed to, and took part in, the political machinery. I learned to negotiate my way around a legislator and their staffs, deal with business leaders and speak in the Public Forum about these issues. In other words, I played the game. Much to the chagrin of my co-workers and supervisors, I did not always play nice. If someone needed to be called out, I had no problem doing so in a public forum. I discovered that I could only play the game for a reasonable period of time before I decided to engage in "full contact" advocacy out in the open. It ultimately lead to my alienation from other non-profit executives who were convinced my actions would destroy their government funding sources. They are all great people trying to do good things but, in my sole opinion, operated out of fear when dealing with the political structure.
Based on this experience, my interaction with Elected officials, lobbyists, co-workers and those who love politics as much as I, here are the things I have discovered to be true in this country:
- The American public is apathetic and uninformed. (This is not a judgement as I find myself in this category on numerous occasions.) We do not wish to know unless it touches us directly. We also fall prey to the propaganda instruments of the media, religious denominations, public education system, organizations and businesses. The majority of our population has never read or studied the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Congressional Records, or the history behind how these were developed. (Recognizing that we all had to memorize the Preamble to the Constitution in hi school to pass US History, and perhaps the Bill of Rights.) There are many other examples, but my point is made.
- Our elected officials do not run their office or the country. This is done by the those who put up the funds for their election. These include lobbyists, special interest groups, big business, and so on. You can not be elected with out funding and those that provide the funding do not do so out of the kindness of their heart or because they have a strong belief in the democratic process. They provide funding to make sure no one rocks the boat against their wants and desires. Mr and Mrs America like to believe they elected their respective representative; they didn't. The also embrace the fallacy that their elected official works for them; they don't.
- The various interest groups have their own set of facts that are spun and re-spun ad nauseaum, and their media machines play the game perfectly. A recent example is the Obama Care debacle. The Republicans call the amount citizens pay for the program as a tax. However, it is really a re-name for their regular insurance premium. Democrats boast that nearly 9 million Americans now have insurance because of Obama Care. That too is a spin as it includes individuals who have renewed their plan through Medicaid and Chip or who changed their plans from private to federal or state exchange plans. So it is all smoke and mirrors.
- Religious groups are under the misguided view that you can legislate morality; you can't.
There are others, but these are the key elements I hold to be true in 2014.
If we are serious about making change in this country then we must become informed, and effect change from the bottom up not the top down. It can be done.
I look forward to great discussion and reading other posts about this and other issues as we move forward. It may not change a thing, but it will provide a forum for discussion and, perhaps, keep some of us from picking up a tire tool and chasing after a government official. :)
