Editorial

The Bates Student - November 6, 1998

 
 

Who are we kidding? Our votes don't count.
 
Thank goodness so many of you people didn't vote. It is a waste of your time. What, nobody told you? Your ballots do not matter. Everything you always suspected is true. You are defenseless from the wealthy and the powerful from taking advantage of you and your neighbors.

Besides, even if voting did make an impact, do really think they'd allow for someone or something that wanted to change the system to really accomplish something? They'd simply change the election results, or minimize the power of that person with slander, red-baiting or a scandal or two. You rarely look to see if there's actual evidence, all they need to do is insinuate.

Be realistic. Votes and elections aren't free things, they're controlled by big money. Even if there were an honest politician out there, they're going to succumb to the opponent with the bankroll from the fat cat lobbyists with soft money funds. You can almost see the puppet strings those politicians get pulled and pushed by.

How `bout a revolution? Come on, you couldn't get people to get together and accomplish anything without having them disagree a thousand ways beforehand. Nobody is willing to put aside their own interests for the sake of bigger political advancement.

You don't know what's going on anyway, so they can spin things any way they want. Hell, the way they've made government seem so complex, the average Joe is so intimidated by government they won't even question the decisions. Instead they've got you so convinced it's beyond you that you all look the other way as soon as they mention a vague economic term on C-Span.

You all seem to think that it takes more than common sense, honesty, and a little vision to be a leader. You've taught government that scandal is sexy, and spending time getting interested in other people's problems is boring. So they'll pander to what they think you want; negative ads and impeachment talk. Leaders and their lawyers will make neat little snakebites that sound vicious and as if they're doing something.

We'll ignore the titanic deficit we have already costing us money we could use for a multitude of other ways, including giving some back to you. Forget fixing social security's reserves, by 2030 commodities will be so expensive even if it did survive it wouldn't be enough to cover your food costs let alone your medical insurance. Instead they'll hand you a disabled President, a divided Congress full of `moderates,' and a media trying to figure out how to sell more newspapers instead of shoring up some kind of journalistic integrity. Who can blame them anyway, with less than half of you voting them in?
 


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Last Modified: 11/08/1998
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