Let me go on the record to say that I hate politics. As smart Mike said, "Politics naturally divides." I'm so uninterested in elections and current events because I see no relevance. But I can see why people think this stuff is important. Politics is (or are ... whatever, I ain't no english major) the institution that runs our country and our whole entire way of life. It makes our decisions, it allows or prohibits our freedoms, it decides our future. I understand the right-wing Christian perspective of putting conservatives in high positions to get rid of things like abortion, gay marriage, and doctor-assisted suicide. I understand the reasoning behind these ideas. But I think it's a fight not worth fighting. I think our country is beyond repair. I don't think a few changes in politics will make any difference at all. Plus, as smart guy Scott once said, you can't legislate moral changes.
My other critique of politics is that it's not really run by the people. They make it look like the common man has a say in things by giving him the right to vote. But for the presidential election, where do our votes go? In the trash. This is because the electoral college is the body that makes the final decision. They can take our opinion into account. Or not. And even without the electoral college problem, you have the state majority problem, which is the fact that an individual's vote is swallowed up by the state's popular vote, meaning that if a person hypothetically voted republican in a democrat-ridden state, that person's vote would be rendered meaningless. I may or may not be speaking from personal experience.
I understand the reason the electoral college exists. It's basically so that a candidate can't win an election by only campaigning in big cities and thereby neglecting the rural areas. But just because I somewhat understand doesn't mean I have to agree with it or be happy with it. I still think it's stupid.
And my final (for now) argument against politics is that it's driven by rich people. You don't become a politician unless you have a bunch of money you can use for campaigning purposes. And yes, politicians raise money for campaigning. But they have a lot to begin with. So in other words, if you have a lot of money, you might want to consider politics as a profession. You'll be among friends. Just look at the mayor of New York City, Mike Bloomberg. I know nothing about this guy or his politics, except that he's so rich, he does his job for no pay. I think that's kind of cool, except for the fact that it means he's doing the job basically for fun. And the problem with having lots of money is that you tend to own things. He owns his own media outlet. The combination of politics and media is never good.
#politics