Upset the Established Order

Hello America, it’s time to upset the established order

In 2012, President Barack Obama was elected for his second term in office. This milestone in US History was made possible by an estimated 118 million voters, and a margin of 300 electoral votes. In 2012, the one-hundred-and-twelfth congress officially became the most unproductive congress ever. Less than a year later our government sits with extremely low approval ratings, and things don’t seem to be improving.  

The problem in the US is our party system. Our elected officials, as a whole, are spending all of their time countering the opposing party’s accomplishments. We’re either celebrating the right for the LGBT community to get married, or working on ways to once again remove that right. We’re busy concerning ourselves over whether abortion is a legal or moral issue. We’re fussing over legal use of marijuana. Often times our federal government doesn't even agree with our state governments. It’s time to step back and look at our options. We can either keep going like this, fighting back and forth, or we can re learn what it means to compromise. We all have our values, what really matters to us. Whether it is religious in nature, or a simple moral code, and these values influence our voting trends. The truth of the matter is, however, that we are focusing so much energy on seeing our values win over others’, that we don’t allow ourselves the chance to think it through. We need to get away from this selfish mentality, and realize that our votes, and opinions can be used much more effectively for the good of all US citizens. Marriage wasn’t invented with Christianity, same-sex marriage wasn’t unheard of in ancient roman and greek cultures. It was done in Mesopotamian cultures, and in china. Abortion, on the other hand, has pretty much been frowned upon to some degree or another since the days of Hammurabi. This country was built to honor the freedom of religion, yet we seem to spend a lot of effort putting our religious beliefs into law.

You probably knew that our representatives in the house are elected every two years. Do me a favor and ask yourself this: Are they really representing the views of their constituents? (and by that – I mean you) Have you ever been polled by their offices? Probably not. You can call them up, and list your complaints to an aid who answers the phone, and maybe the message will get passed along – but they are basically voting based on their own personal values. They are elected every 2 years because if the constituents for whom they represent are unhappy with the results, they can elect someone else, who will then vote based on their own personal values. So essentially, when a bill makes it out of the house and heads to the senate, it’s because it was approved by the 435 members there, not because it truly represents the accumulated needs of their constituents. Now, I’m not saying that our representatives are bad people, furthering their own agendas. With the current party system as it stands, a good bit of our values overlap. Perhaps you can see, however, that it is insanely important to really look at who we are electing to represent us. Beings these elections are held every 2 years, and these representatives don’t get near the campaign funding as the presidential candidates, a lot of people are realistically voting blind. The senate has its own issues with representation. With a fixed 2 senators per state, and a lengthy 6 year term, the senators were instituted to give a broader view on issues, affecting the entire nation, as a whole – as such, they don’t particularly pay attention to the opinions of the individual. Maybe now you can start to get an idea as to why it is so hard to get anything done in congress, aside from the petty squabbles between parties. On top of all that, or below all of that, depending on how you look at it, we have the same exact thing happening 50 times over, on the state level, and often times the state governments disagree whole heartedly, with the federal government. You've probably heard about this, at least to some degree. Same-sex marriage, marijuana legalization, and the infamous Universal Healthcare are some examples of issues that have caused several states to actually file suit against the federal government. I guess it’s no surprise that our present congress, the one-hundred-thirteenth is shaping up to be the most unproductive in United States history.

Then there is the POTUS, Mr. President. More often than not, there are different parties in control of the house, senate, and oval office. Since 1945, we’ve had only 20 years of full-coverage party representation in Washington. With party lines where they stand, that means that it is just ridiculously difficult to get anything done. Republicans have their agenda to push, and so do the democrats, and you guessed it – they are hardly on the same page. In recent years our elected officials have become so uncompromising that they’re reminiscent of preschoolers, unwilling to compromise, at all. The president steps in and throws down ultimatums, which are usually not met. With our system of checks and balances, there is no semblance of control.

Realistically, that’s just the tip of the iceberg, too! We, as a nation, and even as a global community are in the midst of a terrifying economic crisis. While the government may tell us that unemployment is dropping, it’s still unacceptably high. And what do they do about it? Instead of restructuring tax brackets for small business or offering incentives in an effort to create jobs, they repeatedly slash unemployment benefits. They are raising interest rates on student loans, which as of last year, over 9% of existing student loans are in default. And they are cutting Medicaid and medicare benefits – essentially trying to ease their bottom line at our expense.

So the government’s approval rating is low? Guess what? It’s your fault. Now a lot of you are probably saying “Hey, I didn’t vote for that guy,” – and while this may be true, the vast majority of you did, in fact, vote for our elected officials. Maybe you did so blindly, maybe they didn’t follow through with campaign promises, maybe they were your party and you vote for your party, because that’s how you were raised. It’s their job to try and get elected, and they will do so by any means necessary. It’s your job, no – it’s your obligation to do. Your. homework.

So what does all of this mean to you. To us. The American voters. Am I trying to tell you to change your party allegiances? No. Odds are, you are either a republican, or democrat at heart, because you share views with these political institutions. What this means, is that it’s time to stop voting straight ticket. Do some research before you cast your votes. There is no shame in voting for the opposite party – in fact, it’s sort of how things were supposed to be.

It’s time to make a stand. It’s time to turn this government around, back into a real representative democracy. It’s time to reclaim our freedom, and do away with our preconceived notions, and party ties. It’s time to reclaim the American dream. It’s time to reinstitute a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

And it starts today. Take an interest in your government. We are an independent country, full of independent thinkers. It’s time to stop following, and start doing. Share this blog, tweet this blog, like this blog. Show your friends, show the world.

We. Can. Make. A. Difference.

#VOTEVIRAL