Losing My Faith

I am losing my faith in our government. In fact, it may be gone altogether. What happened to a government "Of the people, by the people and for the people?" Our government has become one of the ruling party, if they can avoid the filibuster, by special interest groups, lobbies and pork barrel spending and for the too-big-to-fail banks and corrupt corporations to make sure that they can continue to suck the life blood out of the American people and thereby continue to buy elections and block any legislation that could curtail their ever-growing influence over our political system and flailing economy.

The recent supreme court ruling that has uncapped corporate campaign contributions has signaled the end of democracy as our founding fathers envisioned it. The people of the United States have not lost our voice but it will be drown out below the booming megaphone of corporate dollars sure to flood the coffers of the 2012 campaign. In the interest of trying to remain bipartisan and because the answer is fairly obvious, I won't go into which party stands to benefit the most by this ruling. However, no matter who it helps politically, it hurts the American people by marginalizing our voice in Washington.

Thanks in large part to the corporations and special interests who even before this ruling have immense control over our government, partisanship is at its worst right now. This results in gridlock on capital hill. Even which the 60/40 split in the Senate, hard party lines and the dreaded filibuster have impeded progress in delivering the change America so convincingly asked for in the 2008 election. What results have come out of Congress are so watered down that they accomplish little in improving the lives of Americans.

Greed and corruption have taken over Washington and the problems America faces today can only be laid in the laps of Congress for their inability to work together for the betterment of America. Neither Obama, nor McCain should he have won the election, can be blamed for our state of affairs, the problem is Democrats and Republicans alike refusing to work together.

It is so bad in Congress that today Senator Evan Bayh (and others have before him) announced he will not seek re-election citing excessive partisanship as the primary reason for his decision. Those who have left understand that this is not what our government is supposed to be about.

I grew up prideful of my country because I had a voice, because my vote counted, because no matter how poor or wealthy, blue collar or white, Liberal, Conservative or Moderate, I mattered. Today I am saddened upon the realization that my voice has been smothered by the corruption in Washington and that our elected public servants no longer serve the public. Until we can again work together and break free of the tyrannical chains of the de facto corporate dictatorship, it appears Democracy in America is on hold.