Time for Change - November 7, 2006

Next week this time we will know how serious the "AMERICAN PEOPLE" are about making a change. Every election those out of power try to convince most of the electorate that what the people need is "change". The voters, we are told by all the talking heads on Fox, CNN, and MSNBC are angry. Angry about everything. Its the economy, political corruption, the war in Iraq, YADDA, YADDA, YADDA. The political writers all say that this election will turn on Iraq. I'm not sure about that. Political polls all show that the war in Iraq is very unpopular and they blame Bush and the Republicans. But I truly believe that most people in the United States are not that interested in the war itself...most of them are living their lives and rarely if ever give it a second thought. I know that's not true for the people in my life or for others that have love ones who are in Iraq...but for the most part....most of America is still disengaged with whats really going on here...too caught up with their financial troubles or their bad marriage or the job they hate or whatever. If Americans are angry its because they don't like to be inconvenienced or to make unnecessary sacrifices. This war thing...this war in Iraq....the "war on terror"...the war in Afghanistan...well shit....they are really, really inconvenient. I mean, look at what Americans are asking to give up. Reduce their use of gas? Nope...people love those 10 mile per gallon "hummers" dammit and they won't give them up for nothing. Higher taxes? Nope. We don't want to pay a dime more then we have to and thanks to the Bush tax cut we don't have too!! The really rich people in this country really don't like to pay taxes and Bush made sure of that too. What about conservation and recycling like they did during past conflicts. Remember that woman gave up silk nylons during WWII and there would be community scrap metal and rubber drives to help out with the war effort. None of that....we don't care about recycling and we don't want to give up anything that will affect our "quality of life." This war makes us angry? Naaa...we just don't like to here all the bad news. It depresses us. We want change because we don't know any other way. We got big change in 1994. 12 years later...we see what this change has wrought. Not a pretty picture. But can "Americans" step up to the plate? Can they pull that blue switch instead of the red? I am hopeful but not overly optimistic. Mainly because we have been down this road before. Last time...2004...the Republicans made sure that the campaign in the end would be a about gay marriage and abortion instead of the war and the economy. The Democrats...miserable failures at standing up to them....just laid down and let the Rove Machine work its magic. They need to clean their own house too, grow some spine and stuff John Kerry in a lock box for awhile. If they win on Tuesday...it will be because they managed to "not lose it" and the tired Republican ideals finally were rejected by most of the country. Get out there and vote my friends...or you might end up in Iraq. Haha.