Archive: Opinions

I went to college for four years in Missouri, the 'Show Me' state.  It must have rubbed off on me.  Now that the elections are over all the winners are talking about how they want to work with their opposing parties to get the work of the American people done.  I have two words for these giddy winners: show me.

On the Lansing ballot incumbents swept the election.  I haven't noticed a lot of aisle crossing over the past political terms.  So why did they bother to tell us it will be different now?  This kind of rhetoric makes the politicians feel good about their wins for a day or so, but does anybody really believe they're going to cross the aisle and do things that are good for their constituents, as opposed to things that are good for their party?

Governing is not supposed to be a game of dodge ball.  It's supposed to be representatives doing the things their constituents believe in, to make the country better.  For so many years this country has been split about 50/50 liberal and conservative, Democrat and Republican.  Maybe that makes it impossible to do what constituents believe in, because the voters are so split themselves.

Here's what I propose: split America into three countries.  That way everyone can get the kind of life they really want, and we can dispense with these miserable negative political ads and ineffective government.

Give the Liberals the West Coast.  If you put them anywhere else it would be too hard to move all those San Franciscans, so let's just leave them there and make that grand city the capital of the Liberal States of America.

Those moderate middle-of-the-roaders get the East Coast.  Let's face it, they deserve a nice ocean view, because they are the most reasonable people we have.  if they ran the country we wouldn't need to split things up.

That leaves the middle of the country for the conservatives.  A lot of them seem to come from there anyway, so it's the same solution as for the liberals -- avoid moving all those people.  Also, they eat a lot of cheese, and the mid-west is where cheese comes from.

That is my solution to the rift in our government.  Everybody can be happy if we just take this common sense approach.  Of course that will never happen.  When I say 'show me' they don't.  Or, rather they show me that things are not about to change, and the two sides are going to continue to throw dodge balls at each other as hard as they can, so it will hurt.  Politicians will continue to put politics before governance, and we all suffer from that.

It puts me in mind of the little old lady, who, when asked who she was going to vote for, replied, "I never vote.  I don't want to encourage them."

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