Entertainer Beyonce had a video showing her taking a baseball bat to a car window, and then to the camera filming her, as a way of resolving a problem she had. Dramatic, but ineffective. A bat solves nothing, unless you're playing baseball.
Some suggest solving our problems with government the same way; either throw the bums out, or cut, cut, cut. Either way, we're not addressing the root of the problem, so nothing will get better, only worse.
These "bums" are the people we've elected. If we want change in government, it's the voters who need to change, not the politicians. And the non-voters need to learn what's really happening and step up. Avoid the demagogues like the plague they are! Otherwise, with the same voters, we just re-elect the same sort of politicians.
Our own Crow Wing County "neighbor," 8th District Rep. Rick Nolan, is upset that members of Congress, both major parties, are expected to spend at least 30 hours/week fundraising, rather than working! He calls it "dialing for dollars." He spoke out against this on CBS' "60 Minutes" last night and is co-sponsoring a bill to prevent this. Will this hurt him politically? It's up to the voters; informed voters.
Politicians (many of them) go to government with good goals, but the system put into place through the power of money, only benefits those with money; the wealthy. When good people try to do something to correct this whole mess, they don't get support of the voters. We fall for the tricks of money, over and over.
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The other solution offered is to continually cut everything. This is as simplistic as taking a baseball bat to our problems. We've known of people who "cut" themselves. It's not a pretty situation, and doesn't solve problems, theirs or ours.
A. Martin
Merrifield
