Politics

The topic of the day is politics, and why they always leave me cold.

Having spent the past hour or so watching the State of the Union speech from the president, it only reinforced to me why I don't bother becoming more informed or active in the first place. It's disappointing to me to watch grown men and women act like petulant children or overeager ass-kissers (whichever your party affiliation may be) in the face of difficult times for those people who elected them to the cushy jobs they now have.

The previous statement could have been tempered, to be sure, but it's just the way I feel right now. On a night where the President spoke to the nation, our elected officials on both sides of the chamber acted like fools. It's no wonder that the American public has so little faith in the governmental process. I know that, as an American, I am lucky to live in a country that has an elected government and not a military dictator, but after watching some of the shameful displays of disrespect and outright cheerleading this evening, I'm still pretty discouraged.

I tend to lean toward Republican fiscal views and Democratic social views, so I can say without affiliation to either party (I'm officially undeclared in my state of residence) that Nancy Pelosi should give up the snarky smirking and ridiculous standing ovations for every word the President says, and at the same time the old white men that make up the Republican party should stop behaving in a manner that I wouldn't put up with from my two-year-olds.

Several of the points made in the State of the Union speech were easy to agree with, but difficult to fathom how they would be carried out. While I agree that health care needs reform, I don't know if this is the way it should be reformed. In my complete and utter naivete, I'd love to believe that the people in Washington could set aside party politics long enough to get us out of this mess, but that's as likely as me becoming the next president (read: won't happen). All in all, I'm left with a sour taste in my mouth and a bigger case of political apathy.

There, I'm down off my soapbox now. Enjoy the rest of your evening...