Wednesday, August 28, 2013
It is hard for an uneducated person who does not pay attention to government, during non-election years, to truly give a responsible vote when time comes. These people also get angry when they unexpectedly have to obey new laws or pay higher taxes. The problem is that these type of people are all over America. These people bash the government because it is "cool" without understanding or even making an effort to know what's going on in the country. The disassociation with the government is the reason that these people are unhappy with the government. I think that if people would stay more educated about congressional actions, then much more support would come. In George Washington's farewell address, he warned the nation to avoid political factions. Today in congress we see why he warned us about this. We are not getting anything done because congressmen are refusing to vote for a policy that the opposite side came up with. The problem is not our system of government alone, nor is it the politicians, but rather that we as Americans must unite like the original 13 colonies for the better good of America. We must put aside our party affiliations and do the right thing. The uninformed American must also become informed so they can become a better citizen.
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ReplyDeleteI completely agree. One of the things that bothers me the most is when we arrive at a very important election and citizens go to the polls to vote without having done proper research on the candidates. If a congressman or other political leader purposefully did not vote for a bill simply because the disliked the author. If the public did their research there would be a better chance of him not being re-elected because people wouldn't elect him or her again because they would not be fulfilling their political duties.
ReplyDeleteBefore I express what I feel about this issue let me say I completely agree with both of you guys on the fact that people should know what they are voting for before they vote on it.This being said, I do want to point out how a person knows what they are voting for? Okay, of course there is standard education that develops citizens to know how our government works, but even this standard education does not cover every law, bill, and amendment passed. So how do people educate them self over this issue? Sadly, the only response I can give to this answer is simply the media. The media is the sole way for anyone to educate themselves on a particular law or bill. Although this is the only way for the people to educate themselves, it is clearly not very effective. I have often heard from many people that certain media stations are to liberal or to conservative. So how do you know which form of media is the correct form? The answer is you simply don't. Whether through an event, person, or ones own opinion it is human nature to be biased towards a particular idea. This is why these forms of media have been established. These forms of media want to connect with the viewers that agree with them so that they can influence them one way or another. This concept also explains why political parties are needed. I know George Washington was completely against political parties, but in reality they are simply human nature. These parties are created by people who have the same views on certain topics. This being said, I do not think George Washington was referring to this definition of a political party when he told us not to have them. I feel like Washington was telling us not to side on a particular issue just because your party says it is correct. In other words, instead of political parties there should be voting for each issue, not just voting for a particular party.
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