So looking back, from the American perspective, on 2013 it was a year of manufactured distractions, gridlock, and standing by your principles in American politics.
I prefer not having to regurgitate the pathetic statistics of the performance, or rather lack of any performance, by the members of Congress this past year but if we all exhibited even just one week of the type behavior in our own professions, it would be quite clear that the majority of us would have been fired from our jobs.
As a member of Congress with this type of performance you still receive a base salary of $174,000 a year, weeks of vacations time, a work week that is barely four days a week, excellent health care benefits for you and your family, and a pension after five years of service at age 62.
So what would motivate you to do any more or work any harder for your constituents?
An election? Hardly. The way the 2014 mid-term elections may play out is any one's guess. What I do foresee are two things.
First continued manufactured crisis' to distract the American public from the real issues of Main street.
Secondly the continued influx of the obscene amounts of money that will flood into local and national elections races by Super Pacs and other special interests.
The greatest and most appalling fact is the America public gives both houses of Congress a big pass on either of these two points.
There is no public outrage or accountability directed to the members of Congress to address these excesses.
On one side you hear the battle cry " We need to take our county back!" First you have to ask from whom? I say this because when the majority of money fueling this narrative is from billionaire capitalists, you have to wonder is it their own special interest they have at heart or the interests of the working class people of America?
If you look at the economic data it is the latter.
On the other side you don't really have one clear message but the underlying theme is we are going to hell in a hand basket at the excesses of the cultural wars, corporate greed, and special interests in America.
From a polling perspective it is still a 50/50 split on these two views.
The more we stay divided the more things stay the same.
Americans do need jump in the driver's seat and begin steering the car but who are you going to trust with the keys?
Your neighbors? Or some patriotic sounding Super Pac running endless TV commercials? Or a self-promoting politician?
I think 2014 needs to be the year of "Who do we have more in common with?" The wealthy special interests? Or our own neighbors, co-workers, and strangers we wait in line with at the grocery store?
Sadly over the last few decades we have lost a sense of community and civic pride as we have been pushed into a partisan driven illusion of days past and greatness lost.
Things are different today in many ways and if you want to live in a romanticized Norman Rockwell painting... well the 21st century is clearly not for you.
People are yearning for what will be this generation's calling. It is clearly not war or terrorism but it needs to be something closer to home and right on our own streets. A good quality of life, a well paying jobs with benefits, and good quality schools for all of our kids.
That is not so complicated or even hard to achieve but if you are stuck inside the beltway it is a million miles away and unsolvable.
People clearly " don't trust the government" anymore and that may be a sad necessity of the times but why would you trust a Super Pac or a corporation even more? Both have proven to have, and continue to, abuse and manipulate the public trust and the harsh reality is when it comes to corporatism and Super Pacs there are very few if any check and balances to their power and influences.
Do you ever wonder why not one Wall Street executive has not been convicted of a crime connected to one of the greatest economic collapses that occurred back in 2008-09?
There are numerous reasons why and sadly they start in both the Executive and Legislative branches of our government and thanks to the Citizens United ruling the Judaical branch can be included in this as well.
The majority of people in America believe in equal and fair treatment for all but that is not the case anymore.
If you would just take the time to talk to a neighbor or a stranger at the grocery store you will begin to see this. The simple fact is that the majority of Americans are all in the same boat, but it may be pride,foolishness, or ignorance that we just don't allow ourselves to accept this fact.
Acknowledging this fact that you are just like everyone else is not a sign of weakness or failure it is what makes this country great. It also makes us part of something bigger than ourselves and includes us in a place, our country, were we can all freely be who we want to be.
This fact should empower us not divide us.
So steeping into 2014 later tonight think about all those strangers around you...they are the future or our country. A future that needs to be fairer and works for the common good of all. A future that will need all of us working together toward a more perfect Union.
Remember these are the people who you have more in common with, so reach out your hand and introduce yourself and lets begin manifesting that future we all dream about right now.
Happy New Year everyone.
