How America longs for a President that is portrayed with reverence, honor, intelligence, and integrity in movies and books.
It's a position that requires it, yet for some odd reason, the American public is incapable of voting someone in that has those characteristics. Granted, it's not all their (our) fault. They vote for whom they are given an option for. Unfortunately, those options are chosen by business, politicians, and money; it's really not an option. It's choosing the lesser of two evils.
But here's the deal with the American people. We live in a time when information is freely passed, and available. Well, most information. The information is out there. Like the X-Files: The truth is out there.
The problem is that the news machine picks and pulls bits of the information to feed to the public. Information isn't fully disclosed, or bits are pulled out of context, or facts end up mangled and twisted. And a lot of people have grown complacent and just accept whatever news is provided to them from their favorite station, anchor, news show, or sadly, Jon Stewart.
And with this wealth of knowledge available, most of which has come about through the Internet age, we lack the critical skills necessary to absorb and analyze this information. We're so inundated with facts, figures, policy, perception, and positioning that we don't focus on getting the right data, and making the right decisions.
We have evolved from a country passionate about obtaining, establishing, and securing our freedom from other countries to a country that accepts this freedom without understanding the cost associated with it. I'm not talking about wars fought for this country and the sacrifices of our troops and their families- that's very honorable and should be revered.
I'm talking about the political ideals and processes and ideology. We fight for the wrong things, in my opinion, in the political arena. "We" fight for individualistic needs and wants. "We" want lower taxes. "We" don't elect people who will fight for lower taxes, or tell our elected officials not to raise taxes. "We" need to really understand what it means to have an individual right versus an individual want.
We have science. Get over it. We have religion. Get over it. Science will always be searching for the "how." Faith may not sync with science, but why does that matter? You can't argue with faith. Science may be able to poke holes in parts of faith, but in the big picture, does that really matter? Will it solve the issues of AIDS, cancer, obesity, poverty, malaria, economic collapses, or stock market fluctuations?
Our government should be providing our country's citizens with the capability to be financially viable, economically sound, and intellectually challenged for future generations. Our government is to supply its citizens with infrastructure to support the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Our government is to protect us from those that wish us harm.
Our government is not to create jobs for itself. It is not to pander or puffer to the media and citizens when a mistake is made. We're all human. Accept responsibility for your actions and act accordingly. Don't spin it. Don't lie. Don't blame the pressures or the system. Our government isn't to micromanage it's citizens. It isn't designed to spy on, track, trace, or detain it's citizens.
Uphold the Constitution. Uphold the office in which they were elected or chosen.
The citizens are responsible for being educated. If they can't be bothered with that, the government needs to make it easier and simpler for citizens to get the information they need. And tools to understand it.
That's how good decisions are made. By getting all the facts, understanding the facts and situation, and having the analytical skills necessary to make critical decisions.
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