This week and next are all about politics here in the US. Generally, I detest politics, so I rarely will go there. Unfortunately, this years race is really starting to hit a hot button with me. Like most people in the US, the economy is a worry, the war in Iraq (and Afghanistan) is an issue, but one that is unlikely to win or lose the election. The economy is ultimately going to be the issue central to this election, as it should be.
The problem is that our economic problems are deeply rooted in several other issues yet it appears that the politicians are unwilling to talk about the fundamental problems, just the impossible solutions. These fundamentals are things we have to deal with, not the fluff.
I think what rubs me wrong is that fact that so much of the issue is that we can't say what needs to be said without committing career suicide for the politicians. We cannot continue the vicious cycle of raising wages to cover the cost of living. Every time you raise wages, you raise to cost of goods or force jobs offshore. Yet, that is the political solution, raise wages, adjust taxes. Interestingly, this also relates to the 'energy crisis'. You see, the US has forgotten how to live frugally. We have come to use our gas guzzling automobiles as a part of our self image. Those of us that have chosen to ride scooters, often for entirely different reasons, have found out how much that self image issue is. We hear the ridicule all the time. It is just another aspect of the bigger is better culture that is so prevalent.
You see, that is one of the fundamental issues that needs to change. Bigger is not always better, and making a choice to downsize is really a good thing. This doesn't just mean cars, it reflects many things. The real solutions start at the personal level, not the political level. The tools running for president do not really give a rat's ass about anything but your vote and your tax dollars, the solutions to our problems start and end in our own lives.
So vote for whomever strikes your fancy (I'm voting McCain. Judging all republicans by GWB would be foolish and Obama is charismatic, but at this point hasn't given me any solid reasons to embrace his platforms), but if you really want to fix things in this country, start at home, tighten your belt and stop thinking super size. Sadly, the readership here should already have this firmly in mind, but sheesh it feels good to vent sometimes :-).
More Scooter talk tomorrow...