Taking Sides

Fun fact: during the recent election for Prime Minister over across the pond, British citizens complained about how long the campaigns went on. Do you know how long that was? How long were the candidates battling for votes? What made the Brits crazy? Oh, about 12 weeks of political campaigning. No, you didn't read that wrong, 12 weeks. For a major campaign. Does that blow your mind?

Here in the US, word on the street is that there is a presidential campaign happening in 2016. That's not this November, it's the one after. Possible candidates and issues and big time money are already being thrown around. People are beginning to predict who will be our next president and what problems they will have to overcome. This is for an election that won't take place for more than a year.

That makes me crazy but here's what I hate more than endless campaigns; the idea that somehow politicians don't have to follow the same rules as the people they represent. Somehow they think that they are above the law.

You and I have to balance our budgets. We're not allowed to rack up debt and then not pay it for years and years. We have an amount that we have to work with each month and if there's not enough then we have to make cuts or pay some pretty serious consequences.

You and I have to make tough choices. Sometimes there are things that we would like to do for our children but IT'S NOT IN THE BUDGET so we have to say no. It doesn't matter how much they complain and cry, if there's no money it doesn't happen.

You and I live by basic standards of goodness and morality. Why don't the people that represent us follow those same rules? Why do they get to cheat and lie and steal and benefit from people that have worked hard? If you or I tried to do that we'd get thrown in serious trouble.

You and I have to get along with our neighbors even if we don't like them* or don't agree with their ideas. If we were to label someone based on their beliefs or their appearance then we'd be labeled prejudiced (with good reason) but if you're in politics you can do that and call it division of the parties. If our kids are fighting they get privileges taken away, sadly I don't think there is a timeout chair in Congress...

Of course I don't think that all politicians are bad, there are some very good men and women that are in politics but sadly they seem to be the minority.

I don't know how to fix all of the problems that face our good and great nation but I would think that if those that were running this country were held to the same standards we demand for ourselves and our children, wouldn't we all be better off?

Political parties and divisions don't matter, what is important is morality, decency and basic fiscal sense. We need to expect that the people that represent us actually do represent our values and our expectations. That's not too much to ask, right?

*I actually adore all of my neighbors, we seriously hit the jackpot when we moved here!