http://howtostart.org/2007/08/16/the-problem-with-america/
Although written in reference to the US I suspect to varying degrees follows thru with most governments. Point is we have people fighting for power more so than actually working “For the people”. As I like to say politics creates sides, not solutions.
~Matt
Matt,
Here is the deal as I see it. You say that politics creates sides, not solutions, and you are not wrong. But “sides” is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I would argue that sides are necessary. Our government is set up so that legislation needs to be passed with a majority. Could you imagine trying to get anything done if ther weren’t sides and every single nuance and opinion had to be taken into consideration? Maybe that would be a good thing (a different argument altogether). Partly, politics includes negotiation and compromise. Sometimes it gets ugly especially when it gets into the public arena, and that is good I think. Still, if you look back at history the ugliness has always been there, in fact it is arguable that politics is cleaner today than ever.
I think that what has been lost is Statesmanship. If you ever listen to Rep. John Dingell speak and debate, you will see and hear a true Statesman. He is also a hardline partisan though. What I think frustrates people is when the see the “talking heads” on the 24 hour news channels and they mistake that arguing (debate has long since ceased) for political discourse. We should be able to listen to each other and opposing view points without getting angry with each other. I would say that these kinds of discussions help to form understanding and strong coalitions through compromise. If you approach a disagreement by trying to understand what each other’s end-game is, you can work towards a settlement to try to make everyone happy. This, I think, is what has been lost.
Politics is not the problem, it is the people.
Bernie