After the tragedy in Tucson, Arizona (in which 6 people died and 12 were wounded) there has been much criticism over the state of politics in America. The discussion has been about the level that political rhetoric has risen to as well as all the anger and frustration brewing in society toward politics and politicians.
Regarding the level of political rhetoric between politicians as well as all the political commentators, the answer is quite simple. The politicians need to stop bashing one another and start solving problems. They need to stop pointing fingers and start being accountable. It is quite possible to disagree but retain your level of self respect and respect for others, period.
The political commentators need to stop giving their opinions so damn much and simply REPORT the news, let us gather our own opinions. In addition, they need to stop creating the “feeding frenzy” atmosphere with all the hype, name calling, and blustery emotion.
In regards to the frustration with politics in this country, can you blame us? We hear reports everyday now telling us that we’re falling behind other nations in education, infrastructure, and economy. How do politicians expect us to feel when this is happening? The bottom line is this, the politicians are not doing their job. If they want the level of frustration to go down, the answer is quite simple…problem solving for America should take priority over the greed and finger pointing.
At the end of the day though, I am someone that believes in accountability, this shooting is not Sarah Palin’s fault (for the record I think Palin is a walking reality show, and a joke as a politician). The blame for this tragedy rests on the shooter, possibly his parents, and potentially those around him that knew he was not “okay”. Politics frustrates many of us (in fact I would say most of us) but we don’t go around shooting people.
What have we learned: The media needs to shut up with all their Op Ed pieces and report the news. The politicians need to stop bickering and start problem solving. And the rest of us need to hold them accountable!! Cheers to a brand new world!!
Related articles
- In Blaming Sarah Palin, Our Violent Culture Gets a Pass (politicsdaily.com)
- Sarah Palin removes ‘target list’ as ‘vitriolic rhetoric’ blamed for Arizona shooting (dailymail.co.uk)
- Shooting could tame tough political rhetoric – Reuters (news.google.com)
Matt, while I agree with most of the items you post and certainly some of the points above, what we also need to call to attention again is the lack of citizens who continue to stay away from the polls at election time. The politicians are people we have either elected or tried hard to make sure were not elected (I vote). But the %’s at best turn out only for major elections every four years, not their local or state elections which may be held at other times and are lucky to draw a turn out of 20-30% of possible voters. So year after year we see the same old faces beholden to the same old agenda. And because they’ve been in office so long, some have become political “celebrities”. Who didn’t think Sarah Palin filmed the Alaska show in a bid to showcase her family (in quite the majestic setting) as a “typical” hardworking, hard loving American family that we would love to elect President in 2012?
Poor Sarah, the whole sad Tucson event occured the weekend of her show’s finale.
Stay informed, vote regularly AND voice your pleasure or displeasure to your elected officials when they vote for or against legislation you see as important. Believe me, they do pay attention to the constituents in their districts and state when the calls or letters or petitions roll in.
I agree with your point about more people getting out to vote, all registered voters should vote. A secondary issue though, is that some people feel like we are voting for the lesser of two evils versus two qualified choices. There’s been a bitterness built up in this country but I still go back to each individual being accountable for themselves.
If you aren’t satisfied with how things are going than you should get involved, vote, run for office yourself, etc, etc. And the existing politicians really should take a good long look at their actions and determine if they are really doing what is right for the country.
I appreciate your comment Cheri, great points made!!