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Originally Posted by squeeeb
from what i understand...representatives and congressmen are supposed to listen to the people in thier state and do what the majority wants done. is this correct or am i misunderstanding their role?
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Yes and no. Representative democracy means that our ability to rule is in choosing who rules. We are to choose the best and brightest, the most ethical and such, someone that represents our political beliefs and values. after we've chosen this person, it's out of our hands. Sure, we can apply pressure, we can vote for someone else the next time around, and we can impeach if there's criminal behavior, but otherwise it's kinda up to them. They don't have to listen to us, but generally it's a good idea for them to do so.
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Originally Posted by squeeeb
it seems to me that the congress and senate and whoever is up there pretty much does what they want, when they want, how they want. when you write to a congressman, you get a letter back saying "thanks for your input, but i know what's best, don't worry your head on these matters, i got it."
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If your congressperson or senator is doing something you disagree with, vote against him or her. If you can't find someone else to support, run yourself.
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Originally Posted by squeeeb
the government is supposed to word "for" us, right?
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It's not that simple. The "founding fathers" understood that the voting public is never going to be immune to our most ignorant citizens. We're never going to be immune from group think. We're never going to be a collective group of learned individuals. The theory is that we can elevate the most ethical and capable among us to lead.
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Originally Posted by squeeeb
what am i not understanding? how do you change it? (other than trying to vote everyone out of office, which doesn't work, but that's another whole discussion).
am i just saying what everyone knows and that's how it is and i am expecting something that isn't there?
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Your average politician has an interesting relationship to ethics and truth. Ambitious people are generally self-serving. These people tend to congregate at the top. The only way to fix government is to remove its power, which is the ultimate paradox of government.
Don't expect politicians to be selfless. Don't expect them not to take advantage of you. Remember, as they spin some beautiful seeming words, that what you're hearing was written by people that get paid to make the politicians sound different, sound honest, sound ethical. Senator Barack Obama spoke repeatedly about transparency, about hope, about change, but now that he's in office the things he spoke about have only come into effect when it's benefited him.
It helps to be cynical in politics. Generally the best politicians are those which have the least power and are marginalized by the rest. The rest you should take with a grain of salt.