What have we become?

     I've been feeling more and more uneasy in recent years...can't really put my finger on it, but something has gone very awry in our nation.
     First of all, it really irritates me when former politicians and government officials retain their titles post-office...Article 1 Section 9 of the US Constitution states "No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States..." once a person has left his/her office they leave the title behind.
     Second, we put way too much emphasis and give way to much power to the President.  We do not have a monarchy, we are not ruled by one person, we are a representative republic.  Our founders set the terms of office in reverse proportion to the importance and influence of the job.  Do you know why the House is only 2 year terms?  Because they write the budget, they spend the money...Article 1 Section 8 lays that out.  Why is the Supreme Court appointed for life?  Because they are supposed to be the least influential...their role should be simply to check the block, "does this agree with the Constitution?  Yes/No"
Why do we go so far out of our way to isolate our leaders from us?  Why does the White House have a 24-hour chef on duty?  Why does Congress have its own gym, sauna, etc.?  I get that we need to protect our President...but haven't we gone too far?  We treat him like royalty, we shut down entire cities when the President comes to town...I don't know, something about the whole thing just makes me uneasy.
The most important act of George Washington's life was the day he left office...he could so easily have become king, he could have stayed in office for years, he was a national hero...he could have done anything.  By choosing to leave, choosing to give up power he not only set a precedent (violated, ironically, by FDR) he set in motion the course of American history.
     Perhaps that is the thing which gives me hope yet...the fact that every two years we essentially overthrow and re-form our government (peacefully and voluntarily) has been our key to success.  May we never lose sight of that.

I can blog too!

You hear all the time on the news about bloggers and the so-called "blogosphere" that I finally decided "Me too!" After all, there's only so many times I can use the same tired old jokes and predictable commentary on my friends and family...ok, well truthfully I have no friends so only my family...well, my family learned to ignore me years ago, so that leaves YOU, the unsuspecting web surfer!

I'm going to keep it simple this round...below is my list of political phrases (along with their true meaning) that I think should be banned (EDITOR'S NOTE: I am not actually advocating the banning of any word, it was metaphorical).

1. Both sides of the aisle--I don't give a d*mn what the other party thinks but I'm going to make it look like I care
2. Work together--you do what I want...and we are together while you do it
3. I will not rest until...--I'll see you after the vacation
4. Middle class/working class--I don't really know what this means but it sure gets applause
5. Comprehensive--an approach to a problem involving numerous tiny solutions whose aggregate effect is effectively zero while omitting any real solution
6. What the American people want--what I and my party want
7. Our democracy--I really have no idea how true REPUBLICAN government works, democracy just gets a lot of applause
8. National government--see above, I have no clue what federalism is
9. This isn't partisan politics--this IS partisan politics
10. This isn't about race--this IS about race
11. Fair share--you don't give me enough of your money, maybe when we start taking 100% of it then it might approach fair
12. Let me be clear--I will now say something which is anything but clear (note: this one is not mine, I read it somewhere else though I forget where)

OK, so is that boring, mundane, predictable, and unfunny enough for you?

Enjoy