It is Your Monkey

Sometimes I think that the general population gets a little disheartened with the election process. I know that I do. While it is amusing to watch the political jabbing on both the national, state and local level, after a while it is like a re run of a really bad reality show. Everyone is pointing the finger at the other guy, laying the blame for embarrassing behavior at his feet, but the hard truth is that one person cannot make a circus out of the process, he has to have help to go down the murky path. It is unfortunate, on both the local and national level, that so many politicians are eager to participate in the decline of our government.

Isn’t it funny, in the ironic, pathetic sense of the word, how elected officials or those who desire to be elected officials will rip each other apart and then shake their heads in wonder at the public’s unwillingness to engage in the political process. It is much like saying the quicksand is fine, jump on in. Only a fool would follow a fool. And, I don’t particularly care if the fool in question is an establishment drone, a boisterous billionaire, a fundamental zealot or the guy that lives down the street. Eventually, people get tired of the fights and look for some substance out of their elected, or potentially elected, officials.

I suppose what bothers me the most is that, on both the local and national level, the political posturing has overshadowed substance and I have little regard for those that believe that their positions, causes and battles are more important than the offices that they degrade. Long after these officials have gone to the house, there will be a President and a Governor and a Mayor and Senate and a County Commission. Those that serve now, or seek to serve, do not own the position or title. They are simply a place holder in time, one of many, and the importance lies not so much in the individual but in the integrity of the office. To constantly degrade the office for political or personal gain is the absolute worst kind of politics. It is truly destructive to our structure.

Everyone is accountable for his or her own actions and politicians should be no different. Winning at all costs is just too high a price tag and, while the words may be forgotten in a few weeks or months, there is a lasting impact on how the people see the office. What a legacy-I came, I saw, I tarnished.

With all that being said, voting is still a responsibility and a privilege. Remember, if you are a citizen of the United States of America and are eligible to vote, these really are your monkeys and this really is your circus. All kidding aside-vote.