Wednesday night’s Democratic debate was a waste of time. While more and more Americans are wondering where their next meal will come from, the debate focused on tabloid topics.
While patriotic young Americans are being killed, maimed, and traumatized in a war that may cost us three trillion dollars or more and leave us unable to defend this country before it ends, debate moderators rehashed old trash that has been dealt with over and over and over.
The public shares the blame for this fiasco. We’ve allowed leaders from both parties to promote this type of discussion to mask their inaction and missteps on important issues. While we fight with each other about what color someone is or isn’t, where or whether or not someone goes to church, who slept with whom and when, and who was last seen talking to whom, the thieves and irresponsible adolescents we elected are throwing away our tax money, stealing from the poor to give to the rich, and destroying our country’s future. And we won’t vote for anyone on either side who tells us the truth.
Our education system is falling behind those of other industrialized and some emerging nations. One-third of high school students are dropping out in a world where a two-year degree is becoming the minimum prerequisite for a living wage. We need second jobs to pay for gas to get to the first. Our bridges are collapsing from under us as we drive over them. Our levees won’t hold back water. We spend more money on health care than any other nation, yet, according to the CIA World Factbook, life expectancy in the U.S. is below that of Bosnia and nations I can’t find on a map. And those aren’t the only serious problems we face.
Where is the serious debate on these issues? Citizens of nations around the world are laughing as we self-destruct. No wonder we can only export democracy at gunpoint.
Let’s vow to make this a year of change. Just say no to politics as usual. Let our media know that we will not watch, listen to, or read any more tabloid coverage, and let the candidates know that we will not vote for ANYONE who does not remain focused on the issues at hand.
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my email newsletter or to my RSS feed. Click Posts or Comments to the right of the black menu bar near the top of this page. Thanks for visiting!
