November 6, 2012
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Go-Bama
I’m really glad this political season is coming to a close. It’s been lame, to be honest. Nobody really discussed the “issues”; the best issue debate I saw was between Jon Stewart and Bill O’Reilly. (Highly recommended — they tangle about a number of policies that ought to be central to our discussions in America).
If I had fiat power, I’d change a lot of things….. one of them would be to outlaw political advertising and instead require candidates to give lengthy policy speeches on national TV at various times throughout the election season. (Other countries do this.) I’d certainly force all political campaign contributions to be public, and diminish the “rights” of corporations to fund political candidates. Money corrupts.
I’d also change the length of presidential terms to 6 years so the man can get some actual work done. Seems to me like presidents spend 6 months honeymooning, about a year and a half trying to work, and two years campaigning for re-election. What a waste. I’d bump representatives’ terms up to 4 years, too. This 2 year thing is dumb.
I think there should be a federal board of elections with broad enforcement power, like the Fed kinda, to oversee elections. America needs to move toward internet options for voting and more early voting. Go read up on Estonia. They’ve got this down pat. Venezuela does too.
And why don’t we vote on a Saturday, when most of us aren’t trying to work and stand in line to vote? I don’t know how hourly, minimum-wage workers can afford to lose so much time voting. Unless their company lets them vote on the clock (which I think all companies ought to do, if they can), voting becomes a costly burden.
It burns me that this whole election comes down to Ohio. bleh. Ohio. The electoral college system prevents voter fraud from mattering in most areas, because you’d have to wholesale defraud an entire state to get anywhere in throwing a presidential election….. but I hate that only Ohio seems to matter tonight.
All that said -
to all the people who have spent this entire campaign season spewing out the idea that America is going to hell in its proverbial basket, in the worst shape it’s ever been in, under the worst president in the universe, yadda yadda — please find a new trope to push.
And study some history. Do you think the 1830s were a picnic? How about the 1880s? or 1950s? I don’t ever want to go back to slavery, gold standard currency, race riots, segregation, violence against immigrants, gross abuse of workers by powerful companies, robber barons, corrupt political “machines” in big cities, or other gems of the past two centuries.
Whoever turns out on top tonight, the Gospel is big enough for the whole mess. “Trust not in princes.” Indeed.
PS> If you hate government social programs, but aren’t involved yourself in actively making this world a better place (perhaps by sacrificing out of your own budget to feed hungry people, caring for the poor, building your community’s overall health, fostering a child, serving as a guardian ad litem, sorting food at a pantry, mentoring unwed mothers, or tutoring at-risk students at your local public school) — I suggest you get cracking tomorrow. There’s a ton of work to be done, and the government wouldn’t be involved if Christians actually stepped in and loved the people in front of us in tangible, gracious ways.
/soapbox.
