Feces and Politics

American politics are at the center of today’s blog. Seems to me, the difference between feces and politics is stark: one is destructive, and the other has purpose. Guess which is which?

I realize this language may be offensive to some people. The truth is that feces have a biological purpose that is primary to life. Ingest food and nutrients, the body processes what is good and necessary, then expels what is considered waste. The waste then becomes processed and fertilizer. It is a natural byproduct of life.

Politics is not a byproduct. It is a process, a method of governance. It is used to determine which policies are germane to American governance. We elect representatives who enact legislation that creates and enables policy to form and operate. Those same people hire civil servants to manage the operations that give life to the policies. As such, politics is not a dirty word.

What is dirty is the misrepresentation, manipulation and lying that besmirches the political system and process. Dirty politics misshapes the outcome of the process.  Voters make their candidate selection based on what they know about the candidate. If their understanding is shadowed, distorted and mistaken, it is due to misrepresentation in the presentation of the candidate. He or she claims to be something they are not. They are likely not going to represent what the voter is supporting. The process is hijacked to produce outcomes distant from voter approval. On this basis, democracy is thwarted.

It is time to repair the damage to American Democracy. Campaign finance reform is one element needing repair. Corporate money must be eliminated. Corporations are not people; they are organizations with large interests and have the money to influence the outcomes that benefit them and their wealth. Large organizations – yes, even political parties – also have interests that would benefit from political manipulation. They are not people, individuals. They are not voters. They should not, therefore, contribute campaign funds to candidates or referenda organizations.

Campaign speech needs regulation which provides fact checking and truth. Simplification of the process should help with this task. Open lying and misrepresentation of reality needs immediate control.

Current political speech is representative of the worst distortions in our history. Saying something is true while totally false attracts voter support without their knowing it is so. People in the know recognize the falsity quickly. But others? They simply don’t know and base decisions on bad information. Political manipulators know this and use the method freely without recourse. That is so very wrong.

The American form of government has been slowly distorted to the point where the minority now controls the federal legislature, judiciary and portions of executive branch machinery. The work of the federal government is not reliably performing its function with proper voter direction.

The role of the media is to inform and educate the public on all matters political. Any effort to mistrust or pollute media content is part of the problem.

It is time voters insisted the political process return to its constitutional roots. When might we expect this to happen?

May 17, 2024

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