Opinion: August 2009 Archives

First off, thank you both for reading my blog, "Why political debate in America is pointless". I'm posting my response to you here so it does not get lost at the bottom of the page.

MADISON -- you make a strong point in which I did ignore and shouldn't have. it was wrong of me to say that voicing opinion and political dissent has no value because it truly does. In fact, I am now a little embarrassed about my blog's title because it is wrong; there is some value in political debate. In democracy's most simple form, voicing opinions is what it is all about.

JAKE -- I have to say that I am quite disapointed with your post.

I understand that the United States is not a democracy and that is precisely my point!

I understand why our "elected" officials are called "representatives", but I simply think that they do not represent us.

I understand that the Founders did not want Democracy for us, but again, I simply disagree with their philosophy. You do realize that a majority of our Founders believed in SLAVERY, right? Now, it is not to say that I don't admire a lot of the Founders (for instance Thomas Paine and George Washington), but a lot of them had a poor -- or at least hypocritical -- view of liberty.

In addition, you claim that big corporations are a problem in how they have bought off our "representatives". And this is what I am talking about -- it is fairly simple to buy off 535 people, but not so much 300 million.

Your last comment insulting my knowledge of the American political system was nothing more than un-called for. I shall refrain from being nasty, but I will note that it is my understanding of the American political system that leads me to reject it. It is an elitist system and it does not value the concept of democracy or liberty. The Constitution is a fine document; it's our leaders who have failed and oppressed us for too long.

Recently, Miley Cyrus resurfaced in the news with yet another questionable choice in character.

The 16-year-old pop star has been known to take scandalous photos, post YouTube videos making fun of other Disney stars and is now being criticized for her recent performance at the Teen Choice Awards.

As part of the act, Miley dressed in a skimpy outfit and included a stripper pole in her routine.

Now do not get me wrong, it's inevitable that a teen growing up in the lime light is bound to get into a little trouble now and again. But Cyrus has repeatedly shown a lapse in judgment when it comes to her behavior. Not only is she setting a poor example for young girls across the country, she also is degrading herself and her reputation.

To me, a role model is someone who you can look up to and follow their example. To the parents of tweens and teens across the country, Miley Cyrus does not come to mind. A girl with so much talent and beauty should be using her gifts to promote self worth and accomplishment in the youth, not teach them how to take pictures in their underwear and "get freaky" on a pole.

My hope is that eventually Miley will wake up and get her act together. Otherwise, America prepare yourselves for the future Britney of pop!

I have to ask: why do people get so obsessed over politics and most recently our last Presidential election? What is the point of debating (or even worrying) about politics and government actions if people in this country do not ever get to vote on anything?

It is quite laughable when people in this country preach about how we have democracy when reality shows that is not the case. What democracy do we have in this country, really? Every two years we get to vote for our congressmen and every four years we get to vote for our President. But really, this is nothing more than voting for our own rulers. Once we vote for our President (ruler), the person that is "elected" can do whatever he/she wants and only has to abide by the Constitution (which a lot of times is also ignored). But where is the accountability in our "elected" officials?

Another myth is that the people we elect serve to "represent" us, which again is super hilarious!

In response to a question about how 2/3 of Americans say the Iraq War is not worthy fighting, former Vice President Dick Cheney was quoted as saying, "So?". The Interviewer followed up by asking, "You don't care what the American people think?" And Cheney then responded by saying, "No. I think you cannot be blown off course by the fluxuations of the public opinion polls."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SypeZjeOrY4

This disregard of of public opinion by Dick Cheney should just further prove the lack of care our "representatives" have of our opinions. In addition, to say that our new President Barack Obama does not think the same as Cheney would be very naive, in my opinion.

So, I ask everyone here: why bother debating any kind of political issues if we as a people do not hold any power to vote on laws and policy?