A voice in the wilderness

I’ve been fairly successful sticking to my resolution of avoiding political topics, but yesterday’s headline, mixed in with the stalled federal budget and state-level assaults on line workers, is more than I can take. An anticipated one billion dollars is being raised to re-elect the President. How much more will be spent by his opponents?

The number of corporations and special interest groups who buy their way into political influence is staggering, and growing daily. How much more abuse can the crumbling middle class take before rising up in true protest, not just sign-carrying at the state house? Taxation without representation led to revolution more than two hundred years ago by the forefathers now held up as exemplars by those who would tear down the rights they fought to uphold. I fear for our country, more now than at any time I can recall.

And before the criticism rolls in, I’m not defending any political party; they’re all motivated by greed and self-interest. I see very little evidence of the civic-minded public official working for the good of the community rather than to solidify a personal power base and gain re-election.

More and more I withdraw from the media. I’ve already sworn off television news programs. They’re all so biased and one-sided, focused on meaningless sound bites and scandal instead of real news, as to be completely useless. I scan a number of websites for news headlines, trying to stay informed about the global community, but even that is getting to be too much to bear. The insanity is spreading, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.

As I’ve said before, all I can do is concentrate on my own corner of the world – my family, my friends, my community – and do the best I can to make that corner a little better. Fiddling while Rome burns? Maybe, but democratic, non-violent options have been removed from reality by the almighty dollar.

One billion dollars on one election...seriously?!