Bolton Update / Political Crap

Just to update a previous rant:

Bush Adminstration Gives UN "The Double Deuce"

Blah blah blah... the rest of the world needs to clean up its act and just do what we tell them to. I'm sick of criticizing this guy. I'm rather sick of politics. In fact, allow me to expound on how disillusioned I am with the whole political process as of late:

For the past year or so, I, and many of my fellow bloggers have done our best to underscore the shortcomings of government in a quixotic attempt to change the system for the better. I see now that most of that was wasted energy. Oh politics. How I loathe thee for all the time and bandwidth you have stolen from me, to leave me only with outrage. I consider myself a loyal American who is interested in what happens to my country, and I still believe that my voice matters. But if you were to take a stroll through my politically oriented posts, you'll notice that I've been defeated on every front. It's just frustrating is all.

There are a lot of things going down that I really don't approve of. I don't want to lie down and submit to the ultra-conservative agenda. This isn't because I don't agree with the moral or political views brought forth. For example: I am pro-life and for years, I've hoped that the next Supreme Court might strike down Roe V. Wade. The recent argument over whether new justices should be allowed to be the sort of decision makers who can do that or moderates who would help to maintain balance leaves me conflicted and exhausted. On the one hand, this is a huge opportunity for the pro-life movement. On the other hand, it seems to be more of a power grab than a moral statement.

This last part is what frustrates me about watching the system at work. On one side, the Republicans are trying to consolidate their power, playing on issues upon which they know they will never reach an agreement with the other side. All this, under the guise of creating a safer, more moral America. I have no problem with a safer, more moral America, but it seems more ostensive than sincere as of late.

On the other side, the Democrats find that their only option is to become "The Party of Opposition." As such, they greet most proposals with automatic criticism and resistance, in an effort to keep the Republicans from gaining too much power. The end result is that nothing gets done.

I blame both sides for their lack of compromise. In a more idealistic mood, I once thought our system was meant to represent the people and make progress on behalf of all Americans. Having taken a bit of a hiatus from trying to make an impact on public opinion (assuming that would then affect our politicians), I return now to wonder what is the point of it all.

You might ask me if I mean to say that there is something inherently wrong with our system, and I might say yes. This isn't a renegade attempt to rage against the machine. I'm neither so anarchistic nor that stupid. The American ideal, including our somewhat broken political system is still much better than despotism and genocide. I am indeed thankful for what we have. But I'm not satisfied with it.

The dilemma is that we are ruled by career politicians, whose job security depends on their ability to play the game well, not on how well they serve the people who elected them. But to seek out representatives who would be more representative--citizens who are not lawyers, for example--would give us a government which does not have the luxury of being able to concentrate on governing. Can you imagine what would happen if we relied on farmers and doctors to write our laws? They'd be absent all the time, attending to their other responsibilities.

The worst part is that I don't see a good solution. Not right now, anyway. I'm too tired of thinking about it. For now, I'll leave this as an immature blanket dismissal of politics in general, with an intelligent solution pending. But right now, I'm giving up on political commentary. It's just no fun.

Peath out.