As it now is, how can our trust, let alone world trust, of our leaders be created when too many politicians rely on everything but the truth when seeking offices that lead to them becoming wealthy while far too many (and damn per capita income figures and the dunce that came out with them as indicative of anything other than garbage) Americans live in or near the state of poverty.
Right now, eight days before the presidential election, what must other leaders and their people be thinking about the U.S. and its leaders as they view or hear about the methods being employed by Dole (the most visible) and other candidates for various federal and state offices? The writer feels ashamed to be associated with such people, if only as a fellow citizen, who resort solely to negativism.
Due to microsecond communications, the world is as aware of the actions of our leaders, of our distrust of politicians and others, as each of us are. They know of political manipulations by politicians in suiting their own purposes rather than striving for equality and justice.
They know of our politicians responding to the needs of special interest groups rather than the good of all the people.
They know of politicians not striving for financial harmony which could be created through less and equal taxation, and not stopping the abuse to the taxpayers' dollars. The knowledge each of us has is the same knowledge the world has.
How can we expect other peoples on Earth to listen to politicians who lie about each other and to their own constituencies? Who could expect other peoples to listen to pleas of acceptance when we have politicians behaving as those we have seen during the primary and presidential campaigns? Stab each other in the back and then, when it suits one's purpose, kiss the other on the cheek. The Dole-Kemp ticket exemplified this.
In preparing for the millennium, each and everyone of us must assure that we are governed by politicians we can be proud of, that we can show we have the maturity to work together for the advancement of Mankind, rather than the advancement of a few individuals. Who can be proud of politicians who lie, distort the truth, and, for all practical purposes, are self-serving hypocrites?
Partisan politics are a hindrance to working together. We often hear that such and such was due to a bi-partisan effort but, by and large, too often it was a political ploy suiting the purposes of both major parties.
Usually, any joint efforts are the result of both parties having been backed against the wall by public demands. Fear of the next election prevented them from even considering acting in other than a bi-partisan fashion under these conditions.
This the writer can state with certainty. Until party biasing no longer exists, we will never be free of prejudices which guide so many of us. Republicans are biased against people just because they are Democrats and vice-versa. People such as these represent childish immaturity in disguise as adults and this includes party members in the private sector who think in a like fashion.
If party members can't rid themselves of such utterly fantastic idiocy as being prejudiced against another party and its members, how can we possibly work together to solve once and for all time major issues that revolve around prejudism? How can we lead ourselves to unbiased thinking involving race, sex, and religion?
Politicians keep speaking of 'family values' while too often practicing anything but the belief in family values. Or, is speaking the truth no longer a family value? Is infedility no longer a family value?
Then again, the latter may be the case as the majority of people who have been married have or had extra-marital affairs. The situation does keep divorce attorneys busy. But, to our detriment, it also keeps alive "do as I say, not as I do" in our young people. What kind of 'value' system is that?
The writer doubts any American citizen does not believe politicians lie, mislead, and misinform. It has been rather obvious since this election year began. Why tolerate it? If a friend lied to you time after time, it is likely you would find a new friend, a friend who valued the truth rather than stomping the hell out of it, a friend who had enough respect for you to be honest with you.
Maybe we have to prioritize our political thinking in a like fashion. A politician that lies and gets away with it will lie again. A politician that lies again and again doesn't have any respect for his constituency. He doesn't have any respect for the office he has been elected to, nor the responsibility he has been entrusted with.
His value system centers around only one person - himself. He doesn't have any qualms serving special interest groups, even if it means not doing what was best for the people that have placed their trust in him.
One might even question his self-respect. Is it possible for a person that has respect for himself to not respect others? This writer thinks not.
At any rate, this type of politician must be weeded out. We do not need them (nor are they capable of such actions) for proper governing, for passing on positive human behavior to our young people, for dealing with other societies, for treating all people in an unbiased fashion, nor for maintaining the reality of family values rather than creating the illusion of proper family values during campaigns.
Besides, who can trust a man that belittles others in the attempt to further himself, especially if the attacks depend on half-truths, misleading statements, or statements completely lacking the truth? Wouldn't it be much better to have a person representing us who stands on his accomplishments and merits rather than misleading voters.
Isn't a negative campaign actually a statement on the quality of our political system and the politicians who are in the system? Think about it.
If you do concur, then why must we tolerate the onslaught of negativism we have been subjected to during the year l996? Doesn't it upset most of us to hear nothing but negative trashing time after time?
If you agree, then we must take steps once again regulate the regulaters. Why should the potential of great enlightenment be affected by such people?
Is there room for such people in what could be the greatest era in Mankind's history? No, not in the positions of leadership and public awareness as their presence will only hinder our advancement.
The following are essays written in response to many political situations that occurred during the primary and presidential campaigns in l996. The writer's perceptions may not agree with your own but, if any cause the reader to think, to take some action, then his efforts have been made worthwhile.
Addendum: Since it is now February 19, 1999,
there will also be many articles included from those written during the Clinton Vs Republican Anti-Clintonites up to and
through the President Clinton's impeachment trial.
Anyway, what I had to do was correlate letters to various letters to publishers with essays and the events in the essays to determine the date written.
By September, 1996, I began dating the articles so I would have a permanent record of the
actual date written. I should have done that all along but I didn't think it was proper to do
so. I decided the heck with what was proper - I had to know the dates written in case I
ever needed them.
The Meaning of Negative Ads
Sick and Tired...
Simplifying Our Tax System
Balancing the Budget
More on Misleading Politicians
Letting Go
Who Is Kidding Who?
Apparent Political Stupidity
Money, Politics, and Corruption
The Plan???
A Matter of Public Record (FBI File Controversy)
"Not If You Play It Right" - G. Bush, 1996 Presidential Campaign
Is the Two, Sometimes Three, Party System What We Really Need?
United At Last! Yeh, Right!
Jack Kemp Reveals His True Colors
Political Conventions - BAH! HUMBUG!
Bridges - To The Past; To The Future
Grasping At Straws
One Big Plan - "give Americans back part of their hard-earned money."
The True? Nature of Lobbyists
THE ANSWER BOB DOLE DIDN'T REALLY WANT
Sex and Washington Politicians
More on Sex and Washington Politicians
The Undermining of American Democracy
The Non-Voting Majority
Dole Attacking Clinton's Character....?
Debates - NO!!!
The Political Arena - Where Truth, .....have been disallowed.
"Where's the Outrage? There's no outrage!"
TEN COMMANDMENTS of WASHINGTON POLITICIANS
Dole Taking Off the Gloves
Relief, At Last
A Rose by an other name .... Rose.
Where Are They Now?
Dick Armey, ..... , Misses the Point
No Shame Here
What Should We Expect of Our Politicians?
Pride and Politicians
The Search For Excellence
Paula Jones and Abuse of Sexual Harassment Laws
The People Vs Washington Politicians
Enough Is Enough
Open Letter to the House of Representatives
Fair Is Fair
Erosion Of Faith
Gingrich Smiling - And, Why Not?
What do morals have to do with it? Get Real!
The Needless and Detrimental Acceptance of Political Corruption
Limiting probe into campaign fund-raising abuses. Why?
At It Again, Are We, Newt???
Gingrich Bailed Out by Dole
House Speaker Gingrich, Business as usual!!
What the Devil Has Happened???
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Rep. John Boehner, (R-Ohio) states the case against Gingrich is over.
A Matter of Personal Choice, Not Mistakes
Republicans sacrifice disaster victims to "politics as usual"
"The Public Has the Right to Know"
Guilty By Innuendo
Line between politics, journalism? What line?
The objective of political contributions .....
Straight Ticket Voters - An enemy of democracy
Party politics, not concern over campaing funding abuses
Why investigate just one or two politicians?
Let's Make A Deal
"I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE to the FLAG ......."
To Anyone Who Might Care About Accurate Reporting
Starr - $40,000,000 Gone and No Evidence - What A Waste!!
Morality and ethics must not be muddied .......
Just who the devil does Jones's advisor think she is?
Starr - The Fleecing of America
Paula Jones - Willing tool of the Republican Party Clinton-haters, including Starr
Gingrich - Picture of Contempt
For the Good of America
Letter to Rep. Pat Danner
Just A Thought!
How About This?
The Broccoli Controversy
Thumbs Down
Jones To Appeal
Jones Ad Naseum
No wonder our legal system is in trouble
NOW's Decision
Kenneth Starr, Kenneth Starr, Kenneth Starr ....
No Hypocrisy Here, eh, Newt?
Cigarette Tax Increase
Immature members of the Republican Party ........Braindead
The Nearest Mirror
Cleaning Up Congress - Can it be done?
Flat Tax - The only way to go ...
Campaign Funding
Your tax dollars at work???
Washington politicians and family values
Congressional leaders - too much power!!!
Putting it into perspective
Still in search of the truth
The Search for the Truth - Fact or Fiction
The IRS Vs the US
Constitution
Maybe George was right.....
"Our concern is for the youth of
America.....
The 105th Congress of the
United States of America
The KISS Formula Applied to Congress
Privacy and Tripp's
Recordings
Fair Taxation
The Truth Revisited
Notes for Consideration - Doing away with
the IRS and Governmental Extortion
The 105th Congress Revisited
Lott's Turnabout
So you think you are free
Tobacco companies and Republicans
concerned about the little guy - Yeh, right - And I have a bridge to sell
I Pledge Allegiance to .... The
Congress.....
Social Security - FUBAR
Republican Congress caught once
again in a lie
Lewinsky's Dress
Jones's Appeal - A bit on sexual
harassment
Two Questions
Campaign Reform - Merely a
dream if the Senate gets its way
Campaign Reform II - GOP
dominated Congress protects corrupt system
We (not the
people) Rule
It ain't much but it is our
money
Republican hypocrisy
A few observations
Terrorists - Killers of the Innocent
Who Is To Blame
What is good for the goose is good for the
gander
Something that makes me go
"hmmm". Or, Democratic Morality
Scumbag, Indeed
On Integrity and Morality
The New Morality
Integrity and Morality III
Integrity and Morality IV
The tip of the iceberg
The Dilemma - Letter to an email
correspondent
CENSORSHIP
On the Darkside
Misplaced concerns
The Conspiracy
Unsung Heroes
The two-faced value system of
Congressional leaders
A case of misplaced values
Sign of the times
One Hour A Week
So you think your vote counts
A Great Day for America
"For the good of the ______party..."
WORLD PEACE
More on World Peace
World Held Hostage
Political BS deepens - America be
warned
Keeping Forever Vigilant
Man, is this getting tiresome
...
Cleaning Up the Mess
Guess I am just slow...
"Know Your Customer" - but for
what reason?
God Protect Us
The Letter of the Law
The Honorable ......
Bill of Rights Enforcement!
"Part I Articles Continued"