Saturday Morning Politics Thread: Now What? [Y-not]

Good morning horde.

Well, that was a pisser of a week, wasn't it?

What I found most discouraging about last week's events was the rejection of the right, embodied by the 10th amendment, of all Americans to decide for themselves what their local community standards should be. Although the Obamacare (excuse me, SCOTUScare) decision is probably the more devastating one in terms of immediate economic impact (and the "logic" behind the majority decision was quite Orwellian), I found the same sex marriage decision to be the most disheartening.

Hale Razor summed it up very well on Twitter:

It certainly seems as if there is no "truce" possible with these people. They are intent on rounding up Americans who hold opposing views into ideological "camps," figuratively if not literally.

I was traveling during most of the week, which was probably a blessing given what transpired. There was so much political news last week, most of it bad, that I don't think today is a good day to continue with our regular candidate series. Instead, I thought we could try something different -- that is, try a brain-storming session on what, if anything, we can do in the political arena to try to steer the ship of state back on course.

One idea comes from commenter Ben Had who contacted me yesterday:

My intent is to construct an open letter to Congress detailing the most salient facts that demonstrate congressional failure to represent "We the people". My top three points are voting on legislation without reading it, decreased interaction with constituents and possibly the influence of lobbyists over constituents. Any thing that you feel that should be covered would be greatly appreciated. This should be a very serious and well reasoned letter. My ultimate goal is to ask many people for input with the final draft published on the web for signatures and then be presented to be read on the floor of Congress.

Ben Had goes on to say:

...this would be the conservative answer to a million man march on Washington. I think if this truly well done Louie Gohmert in the House and Ted Cruz would bring it to the floor. If this can become an online force we will at least be heard.

He continues:

To start refining the points is the first step and then It's going to take a gifted writer to put them together, but it needs to come from the people. Your comment about not being able to endure the LiB philosophy brought this about. I can survive either way but I choose not to let surrender be an option.

As Ben Had mentioned, I am not a member of the Let It Burn camp. My reasons are two-fold.

One, I am constitutionally (SWIDT?) unable to abandon my country, at least fully. My parents raised me to be involved and engaged. I worked my first political campaign in '71 (Nixon's the One, Baby! LOL) and participated in both local and national elections throughout my young adulthood. I am the kind of person, as are many of you I expect, who does not sit silently when I see an injustice done. I have a tongue in my head and I use it.

Second, my lifestyle is such that I cannot live "off the grid." Although I admit this is a less noble reason for not subscribing to the LiB philosophy, it is no less valid. The life my husband and I have built for ourselves is a community based one. We aren't hunters or subsistence farmers or members of a large extended family, therefore we are to some extent dependent on a properly functioning American society to survive.

So, for good or ill, we are committed to making this country work.

ExJon wrote a very good piece for Ricochet on "Fighting Fatalism" that I encourage you to read.

As disheartening as last week was -- and perhaps this is a bit premature -- I'd like to see if we can come up with constructive ways to recapture the America most of us grew up with. The Saturday Morning Politics thread commenters tend to be quite collegial and thoughtful. Let's see if we can help Ben Had brainstorm ideas for his letter or come up with other ways to fix what is wrong with America.

Open thread.

posted by Open Blogger at 08:55 AM

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