"Woman, thy name is vanity."
Have no idea who really said it or when.
Though it sounds hauntingly like something from Shakespeare it is not, or at least not entirely. "Frailty, thy name is woman" is how it was originally intended and is from Shakespeare's "Hamlet".
Today my mind's not wrapped around this particular quote but in one more up-to-date, more relevant; "Politician, thy name is greed." Or perhaps thy name is corruption, or self-serving, self-centered, arrogant. In what other job or profession does one, can one give themselves the perks and raises that our political leaders do . . . okay, well maybe big shot CEO's with their mega-million dollar salaries. Ironic though that it's the little people like you and me, those at the bottom of this totem pole, that foot the bill. When will it ever end ? It's become like a snowball rolling downhill, getting bigger and bigger. Will the day ever come when that oversize snowball reaches the bottom of the hill and finally comes to rest, losing all inertia ?
Quite often I find myself seething at the thought that our present day politicians and most of their predecessors saw fit to give themselves the best of all things, a fantastic medical package, superior retirement plans, perks and benefits out the wazoo . . . always skimming off the thickest, sweetest cream . . . and who pays for it ? No happy face here, I think we all know who's pocket it comes out of.
Received an email the other day proposing that government at all levels be scaled back, that all have become too massive, like lumbering dinosaurs. Dinosaurs are long extinct and perhaps the time has come for our over sized government to do likewise. The email made sense, especially the part about how many billions would be saved yearly, but could it ever be done? Doubt it! Politicians are certainly not about to ax themselves out of a job or any of the sweet and overly decadent benefits that have been accumulated over time. Think that would be like pulling bear's teeth !
I've also heard people question the party system, is it needed and what good does it do? Yes guess it has caused division in this great land of ours. It's become an "Us against Them" mentality, which may be fitting if applied to a highly charged sport event such as football . . . our team against theirs. In football, baseball, hockey; team rivalry is fine but has no place in government, a body of people who are supposed to be dedicated to serving this nation and it's populace. Unfortunately they've lost sight of who the general populace is. It's not the upper 1 or 2 percentile with their mega-million dollar mansion, like Donald Trump, the bulk of the US populace is made up of the middle class . . . you and me. The last thing on their minds is to serve us; all they want from us, the suffering middle class, is our vote and our money in order that they may skim the cream off this country and live their lives of luxury.
And so the snowball keeps right on rolling.
Though it sounds hauntingly like something from Shakespeare it is not, or at least not entirely. "Frailty, thy name is woman" is how it was originally intended and is from Shakespeare's "Hamlet".
Today my mind's not wrapped around this particular quote but in one more up-to-date, more relevant; "Politician, thy name is greed." Or perhaps thy name is corruption, or self-serving, self-centered, arrogant. In what other job or profession does one, can one give themselves the perks and raises that our political leaders do . . . okay, well maybe big shot CEO's with their mega-million dollar salaries. Ironic though that it's the little people like you and me, those at the bottom of this totem pole, that foot the bill. When will it ever end ? It's become like a snowball rolling downhill, getting bigger and bigger. Will the day ever come when that oversize snowball reaches the bottom of the hill and finally comes to rest, losing all inertia ?
Quite often I find myself seething at the thought that our present day politicians and most of their predecessors saw fit to give themselves the best of all things, a fantastic medical package, superior retirement plans, perks and benefits out the wazoo . . . always skimming off the thickest, sweetest cream . . . and who pays for it ? No happy face here, I think we all know who's pocket it comes out of.
Received an email the other day proposing that government at all levels be scaled back, that all have become too massive, like lumbering dinosaurs. Dinosaurs are long extinct and perhaps the time has come for our over sized government to do likewise. The email made sense, especially the part about how many billions would be saved yearly, but could it ever be done? Doubt it! Politicians are certainly not about to ax themselves out of a job or any of the sweet and overly decadent benefits that have been accumulated over time. Think that would be like pulling bear's teeth !
I've also heard people question the party system, is it needed and what good does it do? Yes guess it has caused division in this great land of ours. It's become an "Us against Them" mentality, which may be fitting if applied to a highly charged sport event such as football . . . our team against theirs. In football, baseball, hockey; team rivalry is fine but has no place in government, a body of people who are supposed to be dedicated to serving this nation and it's populace. Unfortunately they've lost sight of who the general populace is. It's not the upper 1 or 2 percentile with their mega-million dollar mansion, like Donald Trump, the bulk of the US populace is made up of the middle class . . . you and me. The last thing on their minds is to serve us; all they want from us, the suffering middle class, is our vote and our money in order that they may skim the cream off this country and live their lives of luxury.
And so the snowball keeps right on rolling.
Posts
I agree with you. I truly think the country has gone so far in the wrong direction that it's past the point of no return. Not sure what the answer is other than kicking everyone out - federal, state and municipal and starting over again, this time with term limits for everyone. None of this serving as a senator or congressman for 50 years.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard when you finally get caught up in all this political nonsense, and then realize how powerless you really are and how screwed up everyting really is!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately we are at the mercy of politicians. I hate politics.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid I'm so sick of all the political games at the moment. With the election looming that's all that is on the news. The country has gone downhill over the last while and sadly, not sure when or how it's going to go back up. I think we need a "do over"!
No matter your political affiliations, it's a tough time for most.
I agree politics in this country needs to change. Unfortunately I don't think it's going to happen anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteValerie
Everyday Inspired
Something I said to a friend the other night -
ReplyDeleteAs I watch network television right now I start to wonder what happened to all the "products" that once supported those shows. Where have all the commercials for Tide, Totinos Pizza Rolls, local car dealers, etc. gone? They have fallen to the huge money of the politicians and their adversaries smearing everything from their dog’s name to their political career all the way back to the 90’s. If these politicians took even HALF of what it cost to run all these recoculous ads on TV and put that money towards the national deficit how much do you think we could knock off the debt? It makes me sick to hear all of them talk about the country’s budget issues as they fly around in their private jets (killing the planet thank you very much) to 5 different states in one day.
I don’t know who I’m voting for this time around but I’ll vote because I should. It is my right and all that happy crap. But no matter who I vote for I also am smart enough to realize that I will be let down in some way. I hate that I KNOW I’m supporting this dysfunctional relationship.
Yep, Anna, it all seems so ridiculous. I am not happy to hear that there is over a BILLION or more spent on EACH of the Presidential campaigns alone.
ReplyDeleteMy son just worked out that at his present hourly rate job he would have to work 40 years to make a million, not paying taxes, saving every penny.
It is hard for me or him to put any of this into perspective.
Roll on after the elections but what will be different?? :(
Hope you have a lovely weekend, cheers, T. :)