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| No | 62% | 78 votes | Total: 125 votes | |
| Yes | 38% | 47 votes |
No
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Add to FavoritesWhat has become of politics in the USA in 2009? It seems that Americans lost their way and objectivity three or four generations ago and have now become two sides of one neo-liberal political movement. Use of the terms democrat and republican have become nothing more than two platitudes to represent a one-party system.
Somehow Americans have lost what the meaning of "left" and "right" is in the United States. You will never hear someone put things in the proper perspective as collectivism vs. individualism. Rather, Americans settle for what is fed to them while democrats and republicans split the difference of the same political movement playing the population against itself.
In the last United States election the public chose Senator Barack Obama to be president, hoping for "change". Yet, war continues, the trickledown economics of the past continue, government spending is still out of control, and the empire that replaced the British Empire continues.
The problem will never be fixed while the public is not allowed to hear an honest debate in the media from an honest opposition. The information that is fed to the people is filtered by corporate and government interests. Debates are framed by the media, creating a false reality and a political agenda that is to the detriment of the best interest of the majority.
Who is the enemy? The real problem is deeper than a system of politics and economics. It is the American culture; a culture of greed, selfishness and pragmatism that is destroying the nation. Far too many people consider things that don't either earn them money, or appeal to their vanity, to be worthless and not worth the effort pursuing.
There is no shortage of websites, books, and articles trying to direct the attention of the public to the "real" problem. Most of these "real" problems, sadly, are merely distractions. Those who have differing opinions are marginalized, discredited, or eventually silenced, so that only a predetermined truth is heard.
There are two words which have not yet been uttered in the mass media in the United States. Two words that describe the problem and could enlighten the public. Two simple words that could have more impact on the political and economic landscape in the United States than any "change" speech: Permanent revolution. This is why there is no room for truth in politics. If everyone was told the truth, there would be political upheaval like has never been seen. Fortunately for the politicians, the American public is content maintaining the status quo.
Learn more about this author, Kaarina St. John.
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Yes
At first blush, truth in politics sounds like the epitome of oxymorons. But is truth ( or the lack of it) really the issue? Has the political agenda surpassed the concern for the greater good? The answer is a simple yet resounding "NO". Dishonesty in politics is ,quite simply, a better story than run of the mill government reporting. The disillusionment of the public in political arenas is merely a by product of a 24 hour news cycle in the modern era.
Lets face it America, the media reports with far more vigor on scandals than on positive stories. It is not so much that all media is slanted towards a certain view, as it is that the media is merely a reflection of its audience. We in fact create the desire to find the scandals and the villians in government by the media because we buy the newspapers, etc. that report them. The media has to serve its paying customers first and foremost because they are a for profit business in a Capitolist society. It is in their nature, as with all business, to make their product more appealing to consumers. The research shows a clear and difinitive spike in ratings, sales, etc. during times of crisis or scandal.
All politicians are human beings. All have failed in some way or another to live up to the Gold standard we have placed on political figures. However, few are so villified for their shortcomings as politicans. Do they lie? Of course they do. So do you. So do I. But is there truth in politics? Certainly. It just doesnt sell papers. It doesnt make for great water cooler debate. So it is overlooked and assumed dead. But we share the greatest country and the greatest political system in the world. Of course it would be great to think it was perfect, but its flaws are what makes it genuine and unique.
I can related to getting caught in a lie. I am no saint. My lies were never broadcast worldwide for weeks at a time, but they hold no less weight. The lies of politicans hold no greater weight. If you question the truth in our politics you question the legitimacy of the entire Democratic system. Visit a so called democratic country in Africa and you will see first hand what a failed and dishonest democracy looks like. My friends, we are no where close to that precipice.
At the end of the day, we set back in our homes with our families, safe and secure. We are able to pursue our dreams and speak our minds as we feel. We enjoy the freedoms of a secure and honest political system that, for all of its short comings, still serves the common good of a nation and its people in the best way possible. The next time you point the finger at a politician for their dishonesty be sure to ask yourself how the world would view you if all of your lies and secrets and mistakes were aired globally twenty four hours a day seven days a week and its easier to believe that they are good intentioned men and women by and large, and they serve the nation honorably.
Learn more about this author, C. Michael Lowery.
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