Freedom!

… Oh, sorry, that was a mis-type.  I meant Free Dom!  Open up a bottle of the bubbly to celebrate the turn of the New Year.  I think we’re all going to need a little anesthetizing to get through 2016. (If you don’t understand the word play resident in the opening, e-mail me under separate cover and I will individualize a witty, sarcastic retort tailored to your specific likelihood to be offended.)

I am afraid that the upcoming Presidential (et al) election, while showing early signs of providing some level of humorous entertainment, will be distilled to the ever widening and deepening usual party politics.  Now I have promised to avoid political commentary as much as I could and I promise this rant will not turn in the direction of an endorsement of either party or candidate.  I hate them all.

One of the fundamental flaws of our current state of self-government is that we have turned over its operation to mercenaries.  You probably know, if you are among my highly educated readership, that originally our representatives (congressmen, in case you have already gotten lost) served as a matter of civic duty being remunerated only by per diem recompense for expenses incurred in furtherance of their service.  Today, they are paid nearly $200,000 per year (probably considerably more when all perks and benefits are added to the sum); why wouldn’t they fight tooth and nail to retain their positions?  And although the focus of party hoopla is the Presidential seat, it is in Congress that the real power lies.  Every four years we debate the merits of this candidate over that and totally ignore the real problem, that those truly important changes that we look to them to make (regardless of which direction you want the government to turn) are not under the control of the President, but of Congress.  We complain that nothing gets done then reelect the same clowns to Congress, or their party backed heirs, in the case of retirements, that vow to make real change when in fact it is in their best interest to maintain the status quo!

Perhaps it is true that while we shout our displeasure with the state of the State, we in fact also want the return of the “don’t rock the boat candidate”.  Without assessing relative merit, it looked like this time we would at least be entertained somewhat by those vying for political power, but even eleven months out it looks like were forming up ranks along the same old lines.

“So Dale,” you ask, “what is your solution?”  Well, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is running a Marx Brothers marathon today.   Need I say more, Mrs.Potter?