Time For a Break

I hate writing about politics. It’s unfortunate that politics are a necessary evil in our system of government. What many of us see today is government by money. Pay to play. I can’t pay much so my play is limited to some small dark spaces along the outside edges of what passes for healthy political participation. Those with the most money have the most power and receive the most benefit from government. At least that’s how it looks from here.

Half of our population fought to see Donald Trump elected, the other half did their best to keep him from being elected. I wonder if anyone on either side of that vote is now sorry? Congress seems to be deadlocked or unwilling to do their job. Where there was once a willingness for legislators to sit down and talk seriously with legislators they do not agree with that sort of debate or bipartisan agreement on issues no longer exists.

Although the Supreme Court has always been connected to politics the justices today are much more likely to align with the party of the president that appointed them. That has led many citizens to ask, “if decisions appear to be driven more by political considerations than legal reasoning and constitutional interpretation why is a court even needed?”

The Supreme Court today is more often using the shadow docket method of deciding high stakes cases which are deemed urgent. The court has always had what is known as emergency docket. Those cases are decided by the justices with little or no open court arguments and little or no information about what the positions of each judge were. In other words decisions are made out of sight of the public.

Our founders established a government with three equal branches which in theory should set each branch as a guard rail on the other two branches. The founders hoped this equal division of power and responsibility would create a government which citizens could trust. Today much of that trust is gone. We mostly stand in opposite corners and throw stones at one another while the ones pulling the strings are partying on their tropical islands.

That’s the short version of the reason I hate writing about political issues. It gives me indigestion, not that I don’t think those issues are important but I’m a very small voice in a very large noisy barrel. I also know that some of my subscribers and friends may have different political views from my own and I’d rather not argue with friends, at least not here. It’s unfortunate that politics are a necessary evil in our system of government. What many of us see today is government by money. Pay to play. Those with the most money have the most power and receive the most benefit from government. At least that’s how it looks from here.

Our founders established a government with three equal branches which in theory should set each branch as a guard rail on the other two branches. The founders hoped this equal division of power and responsibility would create a government which citizens could trust. Today much of that trust is gone. We mostly stand in opposite corners and throw stones at one another while the ones pulling the strings are partying on their tropical islands

That’s the short version of the reason I hate writing about political issues. It gives me indigestion. I think those issues are vitally important to our democracyi but I’m a very small voice in a very large barrel. I also know that some of my subscribers and friends may have different political views from my own and I’d rather not argue with friends, at least not on the internet. The world would be quieter if we didn’t do that.

My advice these days is stay away from the “news” as much as you can, get outside and do something fun.

I have a very non-political post that should be ready Friday. See you then.

My advice these days is stay away from the “news” as much as you can, get outside and do something fun. Plant some flowers. Take a walk in the woods

I have a very non-political post that should be ready Friday. See you then.