The Most Useless Thing in the US? Political Parties

Time to update slightly my original post about the evils of political parties.  In the first sixteen+ years of this century they have certainly not become any more useful than when John Adams said:

There is nothing which I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other. This, in my humble apprehension, is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our Constitution.  (could be a headline anywhere, 2016)

or George Washington said (excerpted version appeared in my earlier post):

The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries, which result, gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of Public Liberty. 

Without looking forward to an extremity of this kind, (which nevertheless ought not to be entirely out of sight,) the common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it.
It serves always to distract the Public Councils, and enfeeble the Public Administration. It agitates the Community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms; kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which find a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions. Thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another.

There is an opinion, that parties in free countries are useful checks upon the administration of the Government, and serve to keep alive the spirit of Liberty. This within certain limits is probably true; and in Governments of a Monarchical cast, Patriotism may look with indulgence, if not with favor, upon the spirit of party. But in those of the popular character, in Governments purely elective, it is a spirit not to be encouraged. From their natural tendency, it is certain there will always be enough of that spirit for every salutary purpose. And, there being constant danger of excess, the effort ought to be, by force of public opinion, to mitigate and assuage it. A fire not to be quenched, it demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume.

Most of the Founding Fathers, and the first four presidents of the United States all agree - political parties are highly undesirable and will be the downfall of this "great experiment" that is the United States.

In my opinion, there are two things that cause me to disregard a statement completely and out of hand that is made in the public forum: 1) an obvious logical fallacy or grievous error in reasoning (see any news site comments online or any letters-to-the-editor page for a plethora of examples); 2) any statement by a political party member or backer.

Membership or partisanship in any political party of any kind by anyone immediately reduces my respect or estimation of the individual's intellect or usefulness to zero.   Joining a political party means surrendering forever that one thing that makes humans special -- the ability to think, reason, and react to our world and adjust our understanding and expectations to meet a constantly evolving and changing reality.  It is an admission that "I am a non-thinking, barely functional idiot who only responds to money, and I will follow my chosen party's platform no matter how immoral, un-American, against the country's best interests, or un-constitutional it may be". 

Political parties actively discourage any such exercise of intelligence, and thus have driven the US into an impotent, second-world status and toppled it from a position of true leadership and dominance that it enjoyed immediately after World War II.  Whether that status was truly earned through intellect, noble deeds, and desire to see all humankind progress or was just a more genteel version of self-centered econo-terrorism abetted by eco-terrorism is a topic for interesting discussion at another time.

The current high point is that political parties are rapidly losing influence in the US and they don't realize it.  They still have a tight, monopolistic grip on the so-called election process, but in a positive sign the ranks of independents are constantly growing in recent years, making up a greater percentage of the electorate.

The political parties create a two-year charade of choosing the presidential candidates, but in reality they are eliminating the majority of intelligent, thoughtful voters through their limiting participation to the "factions" (see Washington above). Other first world countries easily accommodate elections that change governments in a few months time.  The only purpose for extending our election cycle is to improve the ability of "big money" to flood the airwaves with false advertising.

If you want to (or need to) be coddled by an always-rigid, nothing ever changes cocoon of ignorance - join a religion...they are hurting for members/followers/sycophants/mind slaves too.

If you really want to participate as a human being in the greatest experiment in human governance ever conceived -- then register to vote, and actually vote!  But as a thinking, reasoning Independent - not as a brain-dead sycophant of others!

Jimmy Kimmel - Street-Walkin'

One of the things I have always enjoyed about Jay Leno's version of the "Tonight Show" is the "Jay Walking" segments, where he goes out on the streets and asks seemingly innocent questions, that all too frequently serve to point up the incredible ignorance of the 'man or woman on the street' in the US.

After viewing this particular segment, I don't think there is any question that this fine tradition will be in good hands once Jimmy Kimmel takes over the Tonight Show reins (nor sadly, is there any end to the depths of the average American's ignorance about their country or current affairs).


 

The BS Squad

Here is a TED Talk that should appeal to thinkers everywhere - the professional "bad ideas and just plain BS cops":






I have to say it...and then they voted!

Why Would Anyone Want to be President of the US?

As I reflect on the unbelievably incompetent, at times completely illiterate coverage of American politics in the "popular" media, one recurring thought comes to mind again and again.  Who in their right mind would want to be President of the US?  Sure you get a cool plane and the jail you have to live in is plusher than most, but what else are you going to do?

Look folks, our Founding Fathers feared two things above all else -- the establishment of an 'official' or state religion, and the establishment of an all-powerful 'kingship' under the guise of the Presidency.   As a result, the US presidency is not all that powerful...unless you take the George Bush II view that "Wow! I can play army anywhere I want now...and I will just direct my lawyers to say its OK if I ignore the Constitution".  In many ways George II was the scariest, and most anti-American and anti-Constitution presidents we have ever had.

Others though have had to deal with reality -- not only the "checks and balances" purposely inserted into the Constitution but the fact that Congress has to agree on just about everything a president wants to do.  They also used to have to deal with an independent, edited, professional inquiring press!  

The President has a limited amount of freedom in how to run the executive branch (which after all is "the government that gets work done") but any change in spending, revenue, or major policy changes including all cabinet heads and judges has to be approved or vetted by Congress. 

This is the same Congress that stopped answering to its constituents about 2000 or so, and of course they and the President are all members of political parties, which should tell you something right there about their capabilities.

But the ignorant media continues to pander shamelessly to the common falsehood that the Presidency is somehow this all powerful office that is responsible for everything from unemployment (thank you George II and your Wall Street buddies) to the weather, (and oh by the way he apparently wants to take all of your precious guns away so you all stop shooting each other).      

Thinkers need to be on guard...there are a great number of morons and idiots among us...probably at an all time high in our country's history and unfortunately they vote !!

Do you?

Just Where is the Lowest Common Denominator, Anyway?

It has been awhile since I have posted one of these....and this particular polling company seems to seek out the fringe, but if their polling methods are accurate Jay Leno will have no trouble filling out his remaining "Jay-Walk" sequences....

http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/2011/PPP_Release_National_ConspiracyTheories_040213.pdf

...and then, of course, they voted!

Overwhelming Support of a Bad Idea by the Ignorant

We have in our state a certain segment of voters who think a 2/3 majority requirement for tax increases is a great idea.  Only problem is, they keep trying to change it through the initiative process which is our state is a laughable platform for the feeble-brained to see how many of their equally ignorant voter-buddies they can persuade to get behind the latest hare-brained but populist idea (if you are drunk enough or high enough on the state's latest cash crop).  Fortunately our state constitution has a clear-as-day statement that the legislature needs a simple majority.  What a boring concept to even have to repeat for a democratic, representative form of government.

Of course the idea itself is completely ridiculous - completely destroying the democratic process and putting any kind of wacko political minority permanently in the driver's seat.  The proponents like to point to the 'overwhelming support' the initiative got --  but given the generally paltry voter turnout for any election, the 'overwhelming majority of the vote turns out to be a pretty paltry number of the actual population.  And especially given the extremely low level of US citizen's knowledge about how government even works, one has to question just how useful or meaningful this vote was (or if these people should have been allowed to vote).  A 2011 poll by the Annenberg Public Policy Center showed that among the US citizens polled:

Only 38% could even name all three branches of the U.S. government: the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.

One-third (33%) were unable to correctly name any of the branches.

Among those who claimed to know the purpose and role of the three branches of government either very or somewhat well, only 50% could name all three branches.

When asked about presidential veto powers, only half of Americans (51%) know that a two-thirds majority vote by Congress will overturn it.

While 91% of Americans know that the U.S. Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States:

• Only 37% know that a Supreme Court decision cannot be appealed to the Federal Court of Appeals.
• Only 62% of Americans know that the U.S. Supreme Court is the final decider as to the constitutionality of a law.

Less than half know that a 5-4 Supreme Court decision know that such decisions have precisely the same effect as 9-0 ones.

Just over half are aware that Supreme Court justices usually announce their decisions in writing   

Now I Know What Twitter is For!

One of my favorite NPR programs is "Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me", a weekly comical look at current "news".  It will both make you laugh and groan at times.  One of the things I like about it is the synergy of the panelists and hosts - sometimes ideas just kind of come together on the spur of the moment.  

This week's episode had a particularly good line.  I have never been able to figure out the value of Twitter, at least to where I should want to waste any time on it (although I can also say the same about Facebook and the other so-called "social networking" sites.   Combining comments from Paula Poundstone and host Peter Sagal following a particularly stupid conspiracy theory racing around Twitter that Obama had somehow caused Hurricane Sandy, the consensus between them was:

"Twitter is a dipstick for us - and we are idiots - its the only mark on the stick."

And then they voted...#1 of an indefinite series

A mentor/boss/friend of mine once sent out a series of humorous emails and one of them was about various...well...less mentally adept citizens among us all ending with the phrase "...and then they voted".   So with apologies, Carl, I am 'borrowing' this phrase for an irregular series of posts along the same theme.  Most of them will require no comment, including this one.