POLITICS IN AMERICA

When we talk about 'politics' - essentially it's supposed to refer to governing policy - but over the centuries of distortion, politics has evolved from beliefs and principles to strategy and maneuvers.

The "troops" and I haven't posted anything since the end of May, but not because anyone became ill or we're tired or otherwise distracted - but because we've deliberately sat back to 'watch' events as they unfolded around us here - and the globe in general...

And, in America's corner of this globe the view from the vantage point of our single and combined ages around my virtual kitchen table - is disturbing. There was a book published in 1969 titled "The Peter Principle". The basic premise of the work by author Laurence J. Peter was; "In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his [her] level of incompetence."

The problem with America's democratic republic is that too many people in politics start right at that level of incompetence immediately out of the gate. 

America has far too many politicians who don't even learn as they 'rise' through the ranks of a business or department. They start out as The Mayor or The Governor or The State Legislator or The Senator or The Congressman/woman. They don't care that the office they dare to hold requires 'big-shoes'...Too many only care that their shoes are in that office and they don't mind walking over the top of anyone to get there then 'stay' there.

In nature evolution typically means an adaptation over time intended as an improvement. Like the changes that came about to say, for example, the Arctic Fox. The fur coat of the fox is less dense and a grey-brown color in summer that changes to white as a camouflage against the snow in winter - that sort of thing.

However in the human species [rarely satisfied with having enough] over thousands of years, having more than one individual needs - has evolved.

This form of evolution has nothing to do with adaptation toward improvement, but a revision toward personal advancement - pure and simple...Well maybe not pure - and personal advancement is usually anything but simple, especially if your ambitions for personal advancement take the form of assembling an army to invade an adjoining country or assembling investors for the hostile take over of a company. The aftermath of those forms of events can complicate nearly everything that follows - for a long time.

History has an energy.   And - History 'wants' to be our teacher - but we're ignoring our history. We're ignoring what 'has-not' worked in the past in favor of falling back on old habits - hoping we get lucky. Really, we're that stupid? Yes, actually we are. History proves that too.

If we used 'history' effectively it would be like having future-hindsight...

Truly it would. However, over and over and over the similar decisions from the same motivation run US full circle and we're caught in the same trap - that WE made!

Stay with me now - because the direction of this rambling 'is' linked to Politics In America. More to the point it's linked to the 'evolution' of politics in America. Present day political roots [actually classless rule on Planet Earth everywhere in general] took hold between the American Revolution and the French Revolution.

Once upon a time - there were Kings and Queens and Emperors and Empresses, Princes and Princesses, there were Lords and Ladies, Counts and Countesses and all sorts of other grand sounding titles on and on...From 1765 to 1789 metaphorically and literally - the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker along with the farmer and hundreds of thousands of other oppressed and exploited peasants - rebelled .

Systematically throughout Europe, royal families became an endangered species - some even went extinct. But even that attempt at leveling life's playing field became undone. And once again The-Peter-Principle came into play with those who led various rebellions losing focus and dazzled by their own image.

But amazingly and regardless of weak and/or inept leadership - the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker, the doctor, accountant, teacher, inventor or entrepreneur began to thrive and multiply. Governing by any royal decree was replaced by a new system of government; of the people, by the people for the people...No 'class-system' no one person better or more important than anyone else.

Awww, but some humans just can't seem to help themselves and those who could see an opportunity for personal-advancement and personal glorification and personal enrichment dived right in. Those in politics for personal advancement, glorification and enrichment are easy to spot...They're not accountable, blaming someone/something else, they have accomplished little, there is no action to their speeches, they evade direct questions, and they feel entitled, normal rules or laws don't apply to them.

The 80's hit singers Hall & Oates recorded a song with the lyrics; "...it's easy to hurt others when you can't feel pain..." These lyrics apply to state legislators and federal lawmakers, who enact standards and regulations or increase taxes or cut budgets that won't hurt them - only the peasants, but culturally peasants don't exist any longer just the Middle Class. WHICH brings us to present day Politics In America and the systematic dismantling of the Peasant Class who evolved into not only America's Middle Class, but a middle class all over the world.

When the vast majority of people in every country could not read or write, were kept poor and dependent on a king or a landlord or a church then control was easier. But after two significant revolutions on two continents and immigration along with weakening global empires, the former Peasant Class gained more and more autonomy -and- began businesses with economic influence. Then after WWII politicians woke up in the late 60's to a growing-powerful Middle Class demanding Equal Rights and Equal Pay. And this group who were protesting were educated with degrees in all sciences, commerce and engineering.

This Middle Class was a threat, to an evolving number of regular folk who fancied themselves just this side of a monarchy - a.k.a. Social-Climbers.

So with a little slight of [political] hand those seeking personal advancement, glorification and enrichment knew exactly how to regain control.  If an advanced and well functioning public school education created the problem of a too powerful Middle Class then a systematic diluting of public school education could weaken it. Taxes were reallocated from a system of fair and even distribution to one of less taxes going to lower income areas. Creating an 'artificial-class' system created a fracture in the social progress. Since Martin Luther King and Women's Liberation America has lost ground.

But worse still, pulling vital components of knowledge from the last 30 years of public school education has produced an entire generation of easily influenced and easily led voters - who are technologically advanced - but lacking balanced judgement.Which is how inept mayors and weak governors of specific states were able to decide that defunding police budgets made sense...And - it's how federal politicians, on the personal-enrichment train for decades [accomplishing little] now desperately seek to convince voters we have a social crisis that only 'they' can solve - when it was 'they' who led Politics In America to this cliff...

*Sherrie Todd-Beshore was a feature writer and columnist [for a number of magazines and newspapers Memoir From 'There' to 'Here'] who shifted to fiction in 2006 with 16 novels in print. This blog attempts to highlight some of the social issues reaching critical mass in America.

http://www.patchworkpublishing.com/