Act VI: In Which Wolf Blitzer Hot Carls All Over the Place

It's sad when people must consult foreign news sources to find out what is going on in the world and in their own country. Protests broke out in Egypt Friday, January 25, 2013, and CNN reports that the Egyptian people are protesting because the democratically elected regime is part of the Muslim Brotherhood and attempting a power grab. Unfortunately, in the past two years our media failed to report that we, the U.S., supported Egyptian rebel regime change leadership in 2011 and, therefore, the current regime.

So what?* 

The muslim world has been very successful in using social media to spread word about, and draw attention to, their causes and political movements. Friday's protests were no different. Egyptian citizens involved in the protests were actively commenting on Facebook about what was really going on there, unfiltered and without media spin. I'm not going to provide a screen shot of the thread because blurring all the photos and screen names is a headache. However, follow this link and find the status update from January 25, 2013 that says "This is happening in Egypt right now." Here are some quotes from Egyptians in the thread (minimal editing for clarity):

• "Today clashes are everywhere in Egypt we want to step-down our system and the new constitution that allows the military trials for [civilians] and ignores women rights".
• "csf are shooting demonstrators with Cartouche and tearbombs."
• "our new system is part 2 of mubarak's system, nothing changed."
• "do not believe whoever tell you that the demos are against the president because he belongs to religious party! it is not true"
• "What's happening is, the new democratically elected president (this is why democracy is shit) gave himself sweeping powers and plans to enact a constitution that is sexist, sectarian, and despotic. This is the Egyptian people's response."
• "back in time, 2011 ...we revolted against Mubarak's system because of poverty,repression and thefts: [We] lost our friends during ,during incidents happened nothing changed, nothing at all we want [is] retribution for the revolution martyrs we want a constitution that represents all the Egyptians our revolution slogan: freedom-dignity-social equality and bread"

I think my favorite part is when they say "this is why democracy is shit". While we were largely posting pictures of snow all day, they were busy posting pictures of the violence used on protesters because, again, they often use social media for something constructive.

Also, please remember that CNN reported Egyptians are upset because the current president is part of the "Muslim Brotherhood" while the Egyptians themselves say that the protests have nothing to do with the president's "religious party". Should we believe the actual protesters or Wolf Blitzer, Zionist/Corporate Journalist?

Why would they lie?*

Because it's better to say that the president belongs to an unpopular "religious party" than to say the regime is despotic and misogynous, especially when we helped put that regime in power. Granted, our role in that revolution has not been widely publicized despite the English media linking documented proof of our support. Lastly, the U.S. doesn't have a good track record in regime changes. Seriously, look it up.

Clearly our media doesn't give us the full story, if they give a story at all. It is widely known and understood that we are using Predator Drone strikes in countries with which we are not at war as part of our ongoing "War on Terror". I may be wrong here (because I can only stomach mainstream news for approximately 10 minutes at a time) but I don't believe our media gives these strikes too much attention, if any. Of course, we are going after Al Qaeda and Taliban leaders and that is necessary**. However, A simple Google search will yield plenty of stories on drone strikes, most of which are the about the number of civilians killed with heavy focus on women and children. Independent news website PolicyMic reports that approximately 36 civilians are killed for every 1 terrorist in thse strikes. Whether we are going after militants or not, that number is ludicrously disproportional and unacceptable.

I get that this is a war but we need to put this in an unbiased perspective. What makes us so great? What makes us right? What gives us the right to do this? We all recognize the Newtown, CT shooting as a tragedy because it fucking is. There is nothing anyone can say to justify or logically explain what happened or why. Twenty-six people were killed, majority children. We all identify with the families, as Americans, and it scares the shit out of all parents.

Imagine if you were sitting around watching television and a missile or bomb suddenly decimates your house, family, and neighbors. That exact thing happens regularly in countries such as Pakistan thanks to our drone strikes. On January 6, 2013 we killed 16 Pakistani people, majority civilian (man, woman, and child). This begs the question, if innocent people are killed by a random act of violence, and they are not American, is it still a tragedy? Our media doesn't seem to think so.

The difference between the average drone strike and the Newtown massacre is not just the age of the victims. We repeatedly do this to people overseas without apology and our media doesn't really say shit about it. If they do, it is justified and the victims are "collateral damage", not people. Yes, we are going after militant leaders but we are killing innocent people in the process. It is tragic and it should not be acceptable to anyone with a pulse. If we can't take out specific targets without killing civilians we shouldn't do it. We need to lead by example. Let's not forget that we are setting the precedent for what is acceptable with drone warfare. Right now we have a lock on the market. How will we like it when someone sends one of those things into our territory or that of our allies? I bet it will be considered an act of war...because it is goddammit. Furthermore, our taxes pay for this shit. Do you like that the money you earn goes to killing innocent people in some way?

While I'm at it, I had a thought about President Obama's speech after the Newtown shooting, the one in which he cried. He has described the event as the worst in his presidency and in this speech he said that the victims had their future stolen from them. What about the foreign children that are dying as a result of the drone strikes he authorized? Do they not matter? Are they lesser people because they are not American? Drone warfare has been a consistent criticism of Obama's foreign policy. The fact that by June 2012 he had authorized 5 times as many Pakistani drone strikes as President Bush, killing around 3,000 people of which only 2% are reportedly militant leaders, makes his Newtown speech seem a little sanctimonious.

Our media so heavily spins stories on our foreign policy that we can't really understand what is going on. They'll show Palestinians throwing rocks at Israeli soldiers without showing or saying how Israel shelled a Palestinian neighborhood. They'll talk about rising anti-U.S. aggression against U.S. soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan without mentioning that it is in response to civilian casualties. Hell, they don't even acknowledge that the main reason for the tension between the U.S. and the Middle East is largely do to our foreign policy and influence on the region.

Well, that's over there. How does our media do with domestic issues?*

Piss poor.

Remember Occupy Wall Street (OWS)? I remember the news coverage on television was pretty much tents, hippies, squalor, interviews with extremely uninformed outliers, and an overall presentation that they were lazy and unorganized. Mostly I remember the backlash against the movement. Cops used unnecessary violence against protesters to detain, disperse, or humiliate them. People were pepper sprayed, hit in the head with gas canisters, and arrested for staging peaceful protests.

You may have missed this story because our media failed report it altogether and should be ashamed of themselves for not doing so. Fortunately, the British media still seems somewhat objective. The Guardian, a respected British newspaper, reported and linked documents proving that the OWS crackdown was planned and executed by a cabal of federal, state, and local law enforcement officials working in cahoots with private institutions, namely BANKS AND FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS.  Officially, this is known as the Domestic Security Alliance.

I feel like this also needs some perspective. The Occupy Movement put the terminology "99%" and "1%" in our everyday vernacular. The movement was born out of dissatisfaction with the influence that the wealthy and financial institutions hold over our government and the favoritism our government shows them. The very people OWS are protesting against - the ones that caused the recession; the ones that try to shirk paying taxes; the ones that lobby and obtain favors from politicians - are now working hand in hand with the federal government to take down the movement by providing law enforcement with private and financial information on protesters. The people benefiting from ruining the country are now working with the government to stop people from rallying against them.

For those of you that may not remember, the head of the intelligence community was recently taken down by the intelligence community itself. Do you feel comfortable expressing a dissenting opinion knowing that your bank may turn your financial records over to the government? Shit, they apparently even talked about assassinating OWS leaders. That shows how much big business cares about us common folk doesn't it?

Why should the media report this? Wouldn't it just spread dissent?*

The media should report this because we are taxpayers, not the enemy. We are citizens, not Al Qaeda and, fuck yeah, it would spread dissent. The protests exist because the system no longer works for the people. It now works for the affluent and big business. To the government I say this: Go after those motherfuckers. Throw their asses in jail when they conspire to fuck people over in the name of greed and you will find it restores integrity. Make them pay their fair share in taxes, business and individual alike, and you will find that there is plenty of money to kill children with drones or whatever other hegemonic activity gets your dick hard. If this Domestic Security Alliance doesn't convince you that the system is broken, I don't know what will.

Our media is an utter failure and public enemy number one. U.S. journalism died in the 1980's. We don't get objectivity, we get a very phosisticated*** form of propaganda. Prior to cable, there was approximately 60 minutes of national news on television per day and it was more efficient and of better quality than today's 24 hour format. The premise is the same in that there is still one act of journalism - the breaking of new information. In the 1970's the story would break and the known facts would be given. The next day, all the new facts would be given. Today, the story breaks and then people talk about it and speculate for a few hours until new information is available. Then they talk and speculate about that. Then they put a pundit on that presents their batshit crazy opinions as fact on a talk show that is designed to look like a news program. Punditry is entertainment disguised as journalism. Every topic is beaten into the ground and spun until the audience no longer can tell fact from bullshit. It's not a conspiracy, it's business and they are in the business of protecting the status quo. What we now call journalism in this country is a festering canker sore of marketing, opinion, sensationalism, fear mongering, celebrity worship, and bullshit. The revolution will certainly not be televised.

Today's topic has been brought to you by the letter "p":

      * For the record, for all of the hypothetical questions I imagine you are asking me, in my head your voice sounds lik Kermit the Frog with Cerebral Palsy.
   ** I guess.
*** That spelling is intentional.

Act V: In Which a Parade Continues Despite the 95% Chance of Golden Showers

Please watch this video if you haven't yet seen it:

Isn’t that great? If that doesn’t put a smile on your face then you are probably not human and you didn't see it because you were too busy licking your irises. Every time I log into Facebook I’m hit with a virtual money shot of positivity and this video is just one example of the “uplifting” things that I see there daily. Sure, it sprays into my eyes and ruins my shirt but that’s okay. This kind of stuff makes people feel good and it’s comforting to think altruism exists.

Of course that bit about altruism isn’t necessarily true. Experiments aimed at proving its existence have been, at best, inconclusive. The most thorough studies, the ones removing as many undesirable variables as possible, show that altruism, as we define it, exists only if a person feels they are being observed. The best argument against its existence is made in Chapter 3 of the book Super Freakonomics*. They analyze multiple experiments, the results of which would have Jesus questioning his decision. You’re probably thinking that the video above shows numerous examples of altruism, and you’re correct. If controlled experiments show that people are self-serving then what you see in the video is just anomalous behavior.

Now here is a fictional and slightly exaggerated example of a common Facebook thread I observe:

• Status Update : “Standing out in the rain got me sick but it was so worth it to help all those kittens find a home!”
• Comment 1: “I hate, hate, hate this! No one helping kittens should get sick!”
• Comment 2: “’If you haven’t got charity in your heart then you have the worst kind of heart trouble’ – Bob Hope”
• Comment 3: “Hopefully this video will make you feel better. You're a beautiful person and if everyone had a heart like yours the whole world would be like this":

  
If studies show people to be altruistic only under observation, why the outpouring of love for humanity on Facebook? I don't necessarily observe this love of, and belief in, our fellow man outside of that website. People don't seem to maintain that worldview, including some of the ones posting this stuff. 

I truly don't care how optimistic and hopeful people are but it feels fake. In essence I don’t understand the need to constantly let everyone know how good of a person you are, or how much love you have in your heart. Is there an election I don’t know about? Are they merely trying to convince themselves they are good? If the altruism experiments imply the primary motivation for doing the right thing is based upon a concern of judgement on one's actions, then I can’t help but wonder if those oozing positivity on Facebook do so for the same reason. Some people are naturally cheery and maintain that demeanor in the face of all adversity. Most often, positive attitudes are negatively correlated with dislike and/or disagreement, meaning if you cross them a venemous non-Facebook persona will manifest itself.

My response to that security camera video shows a different and more commonly documented human behavior. In both cases, the people were not conscious of the cameras:

A herd of Ginormous Americanus altuistically trample two people to save $50 on a late model HDTV

Would you believe people say I’m a cynic? Oh, it’s true! It’s true! Some even go so far as to call me negative. Can you believe that? Of course I'm a cynic! You'd probably be more shocked to find out I'm divorced. That being said, I’m not negative and I don’t constantly piss on people’s parades. Yes, I think the worst of people, society, and the human condition, but I laugh at it. I acknowledge and choose to laugh at all the shitty aspects life rather than let them bring me down. I make jokes - some may be offensive - and I may challenge someone’s thoughts or beliefs in the process but I don’t do it because I’m negative. I do it because I honestly think everything can be funny and people need to laugh more. People need to stop being so goddamn defensive about their opinion. Do I offend people? A few I'm sure. The vast majority understand that I'm joking and laugh saying I have a "sardonic wit", which I take as a compliment. I think inciting laughter in anyone is a positive attribute regardless of topic. Laughter heals, after all.

I get frustrated when I see this outpouring of positivity on Facebook because I see it as cliche at this point. It is an extension of the 1960's hippy mentality that love will heal all. That mentality has been the cutting edge of social revolution for 50 years now and it hasn't gotten us anywhere. It's great if you love people and you believe people possess the ability to move mountains by working together. All I'm saying is that it hasn't really accomplished anything and while some groups are more socially accepted, the entire working class has suffered at the hands of big business, big finance, big banking, big marketing, big corrupt politicians, and a wealthy class that simply can't seem to get enough. 

As a father, I am very concerned with the world in which my children grow up and what type of world they will inherit. I don’t want them to become indebted wage slaves living paycheck to paycheck, lucky if they can eat and pay the bills because they are taxed so heavily to pay off debt incurred from perpetual warfare while billionaires continue to make billions  and corporations get billion dollar tax returns . I would prefer they have a working atmosphere, access to health care, and, above all, freedom to do what they wish, when they wish, how they wish (within reason) without concern of money, concern of offending someone, or penalty of law. I hope that they will not have to filter fact from bullshit out of news content. I hope they don't have marketers enticing them to indebt themselves for unnecessary material goods. I get frustrated because society as a whole doesn’t seem to share my concerns and all of our kids are going to inherit a steaming pile of ill-formed peanutty shit. You ever notice there are no advertisements for ill-formed peanutty shit? That's because it's so awful that even people with marketing degrees cannot make it sound good. 

Recently I was stuck in traffic and I took notice of the number of cars around me. I was surrounded by hundreds of strangers on one patch of I-64, strangers just trying to get wherever it is they go to do whatever it is they do. Some of these people have stickers on their car espousing political beliefs, musical preferences, sports preferences, or showing stick figure families. There were truck nuts, car eyelashes, and various other forms of self-expression I loathe. Meanwhile, a song playing on my stereo sampled the following monologue from Network**:

It dawned on me. I’m that guy. I'm Howard Beale! Sure, that video is outdated but it is still relevant. Technology has made our world tiny and there is a global recession. Crime is down, but spree killings are up, which is terrifying. Yes, people seem outraged in some ways but they also seem fearful and content in others. At the very least they seem unwilling to break routine. 

Of course, in real life people would see that guy on TV and say "he's fucking nuts!" So, I guess I'm "fucking nuts" for being that guy. Being conscious of your proximity to hundreds of people on a 3 mile stretch of interstate really puts the U.S. population into perspective. I always knew the world didn't revolve around me or the sun that shines out of my ass, but I failed to realize how big America is, let alone the world. When you're surrounded by strangers as far as the eye can see and you can tell that most of them are content with their lives - inside their overpriced vehicles, listening to talk radio, buried in their smart phones, posting what a beautiful day it is to be in stuck in gridlock - it's infuriating to someone that thinks the world is going to shit. It is evident by the political bumper stickers that many people do not question what they are told by pundits or the media, let alone think for themselves. The entertainment stickers and car decorations give you an idea of their priorities, their interests, and show a pension to spend money on pointless pop-culture phenomena. No, not all of them can be lumped into a single category, but I got the idea that many of them are so wrapped up in everyday stress that they don't even realize everyday kind of sucks a little more than the last. 

I am Howard Beale's fear of impotency. The most unrealistic thing about the Howard Beale monologue is that he's actually saying that on TV. I am deeply dissatisfied with our culture, our government, and our future and I have no means of riling up the masses. 

Am I only one with this worldview? It often seems a majority of Americans are complacent and ignorant of exactly how screwed I think we are. They seem to think their life is great. Several polls  actually indicate many Americans are dissatisfied with government performance. Other  ones show people are dissatisfied and pessimistic about the economy***. While even more show people think we need to raise taxes on the wealthy. From Teabaggers to Occupiers to the "silent majority" there is divide on both problems and solutions. Problems and solutions don't matter if everyone continues with business as usual. People in general:

• Distrust politicians and disapprove of their performance yet continuously vote for one of two parties that seem to differ on social issues which are never legislated while those that are legislated benefit the wealthy and big business, not the commoners.
• Hate outsourcing yet continue to support companies that outsource or buy goods manufactured from outsourced plants
• Despise a company’s business model but continue shopping there
• Feel our education system is terrible but don't participate in local elections
• Complain about traffic but refuse to carpool or use public transportation
• Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera

Positive atitudes are great for small scale individual changes, lifestyle changes, and business models. A positive mindset has helped me quit smoking, lose weight, maintain an exercise regimen, raise 4 children, and, most importantly, not put a bullet in the head of my depression riddled void of a life. Unfortunately, great societal changes are always born out of anger, not complacency and positivism. The American Revolution, abolition, Civil Rights, universal suffrage, colonial independence, European austerity protests, and damn near every revolution you can name, including the non-violent ones, are born out of anger. Yes, revolutionaries and protestors often remain positive about their mission and its outcome, but movements would never happen if people just sat around exchanging niceties and hoping for the best.

How many times have you heard someone say that they are going to rid their lives of "negative" people. If someone is a human Eeyore, just a sad sorry sack that never has anything positive to say and serves only to depress everyone with endless nonconstructive commentary, solution-less criticism, and nothing worthwhile to contribute, by all means, kick them in the taint until the stuffing comes out. On the other hand, if they are well-informed and are merely challenging your perception of reality, you should probably have a conversation with them. Long before smart phones, internet, computers, television, and radio, people used to do this thing called talking. They exchanged ideas. They didn't regurgitate what some corporate media asshole told them. They read books and articles and then discussed them with friends, neighbors, and acquaintances. They didn't stop discussing things with people that had a different views because that is how you learn. You want to be positive? Try understanding opposing views instead of judging them. 

I understand the positive outlook view. I get it and I have it on certain topics. The optimism/pessimism debate is just so cliché. People put so much emphasis on how the glass should be viewed that they fail to acknowledge it isn’t full either way****.  

No, I don't have all the answers. Answers aren't necessary until enough people are fed up with the problem. Polls show people are getting there, but actions show complacency and Facebook shows fuck-all about shit about fuck-all about shit about fuck-all but a bunch of rainbows and kittens. Social media should be a catalyst of change, a springboard for new ideas, and a forum for discussion and spreading information. Instead, technology has only helped people to cipher out all ideas that oppose their worldview and, as a result, they isolate their mind and learn nothing.

I honestly think contented positivity is part of the problem. We can all hold hands, sit Indian-style, and sing Don’t Worry Be Happy, but it won’t change anything. Thinking the best of people and plugging your charitable open-mindedness on social media is not going to change anything. We cannot meditate our problems away. It isn't easy and it isn't supposed to be. Businesses notice when people stop shopping there. Politicians notice when you don't vote for them. Outsourcing companies notice when sales decline. Banks notice when accounts are closed and people stop borrowing. The individual can make a difference in numbers. It takes inconveniencing yourself. As George W. Bush would say "Ya gotta stay the course. Now where's my Spaghetti-O's?" Research the current protests in Europe that are not being covered by our media because they are already dealing with things that are coming soon to an America near you. Research how Iceland handled their economic crisis and how they're recovering in comparison to the U.S. and see if you you still think a belief in human altruism is getting us anywhere positive.

If you really want positive change, a positive society where humanity and love can flourish, where there's kittens and puppies in every household, and random acts of senseless hugging in the street, Godammit, you’ve first got to get mad! 

 * Great read and I highly recommend it.

** Great movie and I highly recommend it.

*** That's right I said they're pessimistic.

****It probably contains piss.

Act IV: In Which Congress Brings Out the Gimp*

For some reason our media labels US economic crises with cute names. We don't have market failures, we have "bubbles".  We don't have a fiscal crisis, we have a "debt ceiling". The latest economic crisis, the "Fiscal Cliff" - a  phrase which they've beaten into the ground - was recently "resolved". The resolution was accompanied by a barrage of bi-partisan Congressional self praise which is infuriating considering the fact that they responsible for the crisis in the first place.

The resolution of 2011's "Debt Ceiling Crisis" resulted in 2012's "Fiscal Cliff Crisis". In a nutshell, the Budget Control Act of 2011 was set to go into effect January 1, 2013 and, among other things, it was to repeal the Bush era tax cuts, end specific business tax breaks, and initiate several spending cuts. All of this was going to coincide with the beginning of Obamacare taxation. The overall effect of less expendable middle class income, business expense cuts (jobs anyone?), and a decrease in government services would have,at best, worsened the current recession. 2011's "Debt Ceiling Resolution" merely postponed the fiscal crisis until 2013 at which point it was relabeled a "Fiscal Cliff" to make it seem like a completely separate issue.

As usual, Republicans don't want to raise taxes, especially on the wealthy, and seek to solve the problem through spending cuts. Democrats want to solve the problem by raising taxes on those making more than $250,000 per year without any spending cuts. Neither way will work. Most every economist agrees, at a minimum, taxes need to increase on the wealthy, if not everyone, and that spending cannot continue undeterred if there is to ever be any semblance of a budget. Still, neither side will concede nor bring any new ideas to the table.

So what happened in this "resolution"? Democrats caved on the $250,000 target and agreed to increase taxes on individuals making more than $400,000 ($450k for couples). This is a marginal tax increase meaning that those affected will pay the normal tax rate on the first $399,999 of their income and the higher rate on only the amount that goes over $400,000. Seriously, that really isn't going to help too much. Don't worry, the middle class will ALSO get a tax increase because Congress failed to extend the "Social Security Tax Holiday" which forced employers to cover 2% of all their employees Social Security contributions. Now that 2% will, once again, come from employee income. As a result, people making around $50,000 can look to pay nearly $1,000 additional in taxes per year. Any reduction in middle class income can have a negative effect on our economy because they are the key consumers and spend larger portions of their incomes than the wealthy. All spending cut decisions were postponed a few weeks for a 2nd "Debt Ceiling Crisis". If past behavior is any indication how this year's debt ceiling crisis will be handled it will be the same childish partisan pissing contest we always see. Last time it affected our credit score. With any luck this time it can ruin the world economy (which is actually possible given US economic influence).

In truth our economy is screwed no matter what. The successes we've experienced are only due to stimulus money from the past two administrations. Economic stimulus packages the equivalent of treating gangrene with a band-aid: It ain't fixing shit and the infection is steadily spreading.

Here are three simple thoughts regarding taxing and spending that would be really beneficial but that no one talks about:

1) Why are we protecting the wealthy? How does that benefit us? Do we really need an upper class? Is it necessary they exist? I'm sick of the favoritism ALL politicians show them, from taxes to loopholes to special interest legislation. This isn't solely a Republican thing either. Republicans are just the more honest about who they serve.

If you say something stupid like "the wealthy create jobs" I'm going to kick you in the ding-ding**. Anyone that believes that should be stuffed into a box filled with AIDS tainted razor blades and rolled down a rocky slope into a vat of Phall curry. They don't start companies out of the goodness of their hearts or out of some  sense of civic duty. It's all about money. They exploit the working class - pay as few people as little as possible with as few benefits as possible - and hoard the profits. Even though the government looks out for them, the wealthy use loopholes to avoid paying taxes at all costs. They bite the hand that feeds them, employee and overseer alike.

I'm not a communist and I'm not saying we should seize all their money. I'm saying that if government insists on maintaining a progressive income based tax system, then we should progressively tax the shit out the wealthy because that's the way a progressive income tax system is supposed to work. They'll be okay. They're rich.

While I'm on the subject. I'm also sick of hearing millionaires argue that they aren't paying enough in taxes. If you truly feel you are not paying your fair share, give some of your money to the government willingly or shut up. It's bad enough that we pay more in taxes without having you rub it in our faces, asshole.

2) When it comes to spending cuts, why are we always looking to cut social programs? I've got a great idea. STOP FUCKING KILLING BROWN PEOPLE. It's simple. The bottom line is that we could place a 90% tax rate on everyone making more than $450,000 and it would maybe pay for a week of all our current military operations. Since 2011, apart from Iraq and Afghanistan, US forces have also been active in Libya, Jordan, Somalia, Uganda, Pakistan, and Yemen. In addition, the US contributes a majority of the soldiers and weapons to UN operations. We've seen what one day of war costs and it's insane.

We engage these wars for two reasons: Hegemony and Resources. If you look at this as an investment (money invested versus the return) it seems like an awful idea. Even a smart businessman would say "Can we kill these people more cheaply? No? Well then stop killing them". Why would we not even consider stopping our wars and/or closing our overseas military bases? It is a huge drain on the budget that helps only the rich, big business, and government power...oh, never mind. I forgot these things trump logic and the well being of the citizenry.

If you say we do this to "export democracy" or to "protect our freedom" you should be teabagged with ipecac coated balls. The best way to export democracy would be allowing countries to set up their own government without US coercion to attain influence. Also, none of these countries are a threat to America at all, end of story. I said "brown people" because most of our military action seems to occur in the "military powerhouses" of the Middle East and Africa.

Someone might say "these people hate our freedom". To that person I would say, "you, sir, did not have a good enough grasp on the English language to be President". If they hate freedom so much why aren't they attacking Holland, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong, Sweden, or any other country more free than our own.

3) Congress itself is a giant waste of Federal money. They don't really do anything, but when they do, it's really shitty (ethically, morally, qualitatively, and quantitatively shitty). We should institute term limits, require transparent campaign financial records, reduce Congressional salaries, and, most importantly, disband the House of Representatives. The last point is key. These fuckers are held responsible by too small of a constituency. As a result, they may believe and say crazy shit that is important only to the people of Beaufort County, MS (for example) but still have influence on legislation that affects everyone. Since they can speak their batshit crazy views without fear of losing their seat, they even have some sway on public opinion. The House of Representatives is essentially an institutional WWE-Barnum Brothers hybrid where the craziest shit is said, the most fighting occurs***, and most legislation is tainted. It is antiquated, no longer relevant, and was only created to make it seem like states matter. They don't. Ask Colorado and Washington how much money they are making off the legalization of marijuana.

I find Congressional incompetence infuriating. They are the main problem with our government. The 113th Congress has recently convened for the first time but the previous Congress had an average 18% approval rating in 2012. A recent report indicates their approval rating is as low as 5%. Congressional approval ratings have averaged 33% since 1974. You read that correctly. Despite continuous widespread disapproval, we tend to reelect incumbents approximately 85% of the time. Until people hold them accountable for their actions, nothing will change. If they had term limits and knew they would soon be part of the private sector they would have more incentive to act in the interest of everyone. As it stands now, private sector life really isn't a consideration for most of them. I wish I had a job where my boss had such low expectations that I could disregard my responsibilities to the point that the reputation of both myself and my profession suffered, all while having no threat of actually losing my job. That's a lower expectation than that of meteorologists. The reputation of a professional politician is rivaled only by that of Lawyers and Used Car Salesmen, all of which stay gainfully employed despite public perception that they are slimy, untrustworthy, douchebags.

A man can dream.


    *To clarify, we would be Marcellus Wallace in this scenario and fuck you if you don't get the reference. 
  **That goes for ladies too.
***Pelosi from the top turnbuckle! She misses! Boehner slaps her in the Figure 4 and she taps! She taps! $400,000 it is!