And the Rich Get Sicker

Some people are so caught up in an overpowering, false sense of patriotism (i.e., "America: Love it or leave it," which is actually so much worse than "America: Love it and heal it") that they haven't noticed: we have passed the apex of our civilization.

Think about it before you refute it. Let's face the facts. First and foremost, evolution is dead. The world's population is too big for us to evolve any more. Then there are the many slow changes that have tried to drive all those nails into our coffins: the value of the dollar is falling faster than Romeo fell for Juliet (ah, those teenaged fools...), our wars of the current toddler century have cost us many allies, and then there's the fact that modern America is polarized, torn into too many factions to keep track.

And despite all of this, our elected officials and candidates to replace them insist on driving the wedge even further into the crack! Even Obama, my personal choice for President (inability to vote in this election notwithstanding), is and will continue to be beholden to divisive partisan tactics just to get him what he wants: a seat in the Oval Office. Of course, McCain and Palin have, as a rule, been far more prolific agitators, but the point and the insult still remain.

Here in Washington State, I doubt the violent partisan confrontation could be any worse. Our incumbent governor, Christine Gregoire (who won the '04 election by 100-some odd votes, though many claim the result is fraudulent), is locked in an epic death battle with sleazy challenger Dino Rossi, who, among other failings, refuses to admit he's a Republican (yes, we know what GOP means... but do you, Dino?) He claims she allowed 1300 convicted sex offenders to escape (a false claim) and she claims all sorts of crazy things about him, some of which are true and some of which aren't. I don't like Gregoire very much, but I would prefer her to Rossi, a man so devoid of all morals and ethics that he can't even move the muscles in his face when he shouts.

But from here to Hawaii, from Florida to California and from Maine to Alaska, every politician refuses to give our current financial debacle a comment other than, "It's Bush's fault" or "We need change."

Of course it's Bush's fault! Of course we need change!

Change is generally proposed by either wacko bystanders like me or obscure, third-party candidates who haven't a prayer of winning their races. These changes range from corporate guard-dogging on the one extreme to the institution of socialism on the other.

Socialism is a good idea, in theory. I cringe to think that my income will one day be controlled by men who toss money denominations that small down the toilet. But the sad fact is, socialism and communism have never worked because humans cannot be trusted to run the program. Technically, most humans in charge of anything can't be trusted to tie their own shoes, but who would bother to do it for them?

Corporate guard-dogging falls under the category of "too little too late." Back when we excepted this madly unfettered system of capitalism, the side effects of which can only be corporate greed and economic recession, we should have implemented safeguards against those fat cats' destructive philosophies.

That being said, I really have no alternative to offer to salvage our wounded economy. All I can say is that, if the founding fathers or John Reed could see us now, they'd be pointing, laughing, and saying, "I told ya so!"