Lyle Northey (Silent/Boomer)

We have so many angry people running around shouting and telling one and all that you cannot be __________ and vote democrat. That is an opinion and the person doing the shouting is the one holding it. What makes him right or wrong or smart or stupid? 

So, look at it as his opinion and he has a right to it, shouting about his opinion and telling others what he thinks is stupid. We each hold opinions on so many things and if we truly hope to get others to accept and support that opinion, we should try by not pissing off half the people within earshot of where we are shouting. 

Expressing oneself is a right but inciting a riot is a crime. In the present state of so many states it would also be a very good way to get yourself killed. This is the ultimate way to shut up someone who has definitely lost the necessary mental ability to know when to be quiet.

All of these well informed, we know what is best for everyone types, seem to possess the same attitude these days. That attitude is to be as loud as possible and repeat our message as often as possible even when it has nothing to do with what was going on. Social media has the same hang up in as much as you can get plenty of talk on any subject from any angle and most of it is supportive of only one side of any issue.

This is also the way that our elected officials seem to be handling the business of the nation. They sit in the palaces of Congress and talk incessantly about how good we are and how bad you are depending on which side of the aisle you sit. How the hell did any congressional group ever get anything done? The Continental Congress had to come together to wage the war of independence, the Civil War did not get concluded without cooperative effort, WWI the great depression and WWII. The more recent activity must have been a monumental challenge as all we have is talking heads. Decisions do not seem to be part of the outcome of our current batch of elected officials. 

There are some members that we hear next to nothing about, so hopefully they are taking care of business not spending their time at a casino or strip club. The ones that are always in the news are either trying to make a name for themselves or pushing some punitive measure that is designed to hurt the majority of the country’s citizens and help just a handful of rich ones.

Money seems to be the only thing that is needed to get elected by either party. There seems to be no background checks. We hear so much about profiling when it comes to police interactions with certain segments of the population, but no one is profiling people running for congress. It would be helpful to know certain things like how many times have they been picked up for DUI, or are they a former porn star, or do they have a history of violence? These attributes as well as others might tell us what kind of legislative person they are going to be. 

What on the list bothers you? Not being able to control drinking, the violence or being a porn star? Other things that should be considered are things like can this person make decisions without running to a parent, or church leader, or based on a situation not hyperbole.

At one time all actors and people connected to movies were considered to be Communists. Then a few years later we elect an actor to be President. No one would have considered Al Capone for President, but we elected a man that talks and acts like a mafia boss. What happened to our value system? Did the nation go and lose focus on what we are, and where we were headed? Has the change come about gradually as members of Congress have gone from the stance that legislation was to be considered and tempered to reflect the best for the largest segment of society to the stated attitude that “My one task is to stop whatever the President put on the table”. 

This is not legislation; this is belligerent malfeasance and it needs to stop. The person that so blatantly is going to be the roadblock needs to go home and not come back. The people that follow those kind of directions need not be in congress as they are representing anyone, unless it is a core of rich contributors that are making this very buyable but not reputable individual rich.

Too many influences have been added to the mix over recent years, such as corporations are people too, and these super PACs that put millions into the companies to get individuals elected.

It seems that if you do not have money and you cannot be bought you have no place in politics.  We might be better off with the porn star, after all the main reason to have sex is pleasure and if you can keep the endorphins going that pleasure can last quite a while and if they are able to get pleasure from service to the public good then go with it.

Once an older man described to me when he thought of the U.S. as great. That was during the Second World War and he watched for 7 days in a row as American troops marched through his village going south toward the coast of England. They stopped at night, were taken in by the locals, and the next morning they joined up and continued. Then a few days later they watched as trucks and tanks moved on that same road around the clock for 7 more days and he said everyone knew that the Germans were in for it then. Let us hope that we do not have to fight World War Three to be considered great again.