The level of dishonesty we have become conditioned to accept in political campaigns is disconcerting. Rumor, innuendo and outright deception are trumpeted across every form of media. The use of common fallacy is increasingly common. We hardly notice anymore, and if we do notice, it is always the candidate from the other party who is the culprit. The contradictory claims of the candidates are mutually exclusive. In other words, someone has to be lying. In some cases both candidates lie. We elect liars to office, expect them to represent us with integrity and become indignant when scandal is exposed.
I don’t like Democrats and I don’t like Republicans; don’t like conservatives and don’t like liberals. Author, Tom Robbins, said, "Conservatives understand Halloween; liberals only understand Christmas. If you want to control a population, don't give it social services, give it a scary adversary." With our two party, one agenda system we’re forever trapped somewhere between Halloween and Christmas and Thanksgiving comes for fewer Americans every year.
Democratic candidates posture a concern for the downtrodden to hang on to their slim majority of voters. To pay for their ability to remain in power the fifty percent of us who actually pay income tax in this country are increasingly burdened by the costs of an ever growing government bent on being all things to all people. Democratic candidates appeal to people with open minded and egalitarian views, to non-judgmental people and to people with guilty consciences who want the government to force everyone else to assuage that guilt.
Republican candidates posture a concern for enemies that surround us at all times to hang on to their slim majority of voters. To pay for their ability to remain in power the fifty percent of us who actually pay income tax in this country are increasingly burdened by the costs of an ever growing government bent on projecting American corporate power into every corner of the world. Republican candidates appeal to hard working people with conservative values, to entrepreneurs and to people who are afraid of anyone who is different and want the government to force everyone to have the same values and religious beliefs.
How’s that for a political (or anti-political) ad? Oversimplified, emotive and not entirely accurate? As far as technique it isn’t too far afield from the marketing campaigns “approved by” today’s candidates. I have to wonder if we would actually elect a candidate who dared to tell us the truth, because the truth does not a guaranteed happy ending like a half hour sit-com.
The truth is deceptively simple; easy to see but hard to reach. The continued prosperity of a nation is dependent upon just a few simple things: private investment, productivity and a sustainable population growth. Private investment is dead right now because entrepreneurs and small businesses which might otherwise be hiring and building are instead saving and paying down debt. The specter of increased taxes will support that trend. Sustainable population growth is the 500 pound gorilla in the room that is increasingly hard to ignore. It is at the root of the inability of either political party to solve the immigration problem. Without immigration, legal and otherwise, we have a below-replacement fertility rate in the United States. With immigration we just about break even, which nevertheless may not give us enough of a working force to pay for the Social Security and Medicaid of the impending flood of Baby Boomer retirees. As far as productivity, it has increased dramatically over the last two decades. The problem is that the benefits of increased productivity have been appropriated by the financial sector. Real wages have stayed the same or, according to some estimates, decreased as prices have risen.
And here, dear readers, is the rest of the story. The last problem mentioned is the one that will prevent a solution for all the others. The continued appropriation of productivity by the financial sector will continue and expand the hardships felt by average citizens. Do not look for solutions from government, for as the actions of the Obama Administration - that great hope for change so quickly subdued by the corporate elite - clearly illustrates, government itself has been appropriated by the financial sector. Nothing in politics today indicates that either political party will do much to change the status quo.
As Jean Monnet said, “People only accept change when they are faced with necessity, and only recognize necessity when a crisis is upon them.” We can by all means vote our conscience and our convictions, but don’t expect anything to change. Not just yet. The quiet coup orchestrated by the financial sector will ultimately lead to crisis. There is no other outcome to the policies they have designed to enrich themselves. When that crisis comes, then we will have a chance to purge the den of thieves which currently controls the reins of power. Better to batten down our hatches. Save our money, cut our expenses and pay down our debts. Invest wisely. Pay attention. Look to our families, neighborhoods, churches and local organizations for support. Think outside the box. Develop local ties and affiliations and again, pay attention. Pay attention.
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