As I write, it's two days until the inauguration of
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the next President and Vice President of the
United States. Since my
post of 12 days ago, the FBI has fanned out over the United States and
arrested hundreds who attacked the capitol building on January 6th.
I've changed my mind about who these attackers
are. Initially, I wrote it was
individuals who had gotten caught up in protesting what they perceived as a
feckless government. But, after doing a
lot of reading, I realize I was wrong.
Many of those who attacked the cradle of our nation's democracy were
driven by the rhetoric of extreme right wing radicals who wanted to strike the
first blow to overthrow the US government.
But, why is there such hatred?
A lot of it comes from the public's perception that
our federal government is more concerned about themselves and their party than those who are paying taxes. I certainly haven't heard anyone say "these
congressmen and women are doing a great job.
Let's give them all a pat on the back and send them back to D.C." No, if anything, the sentiment is the inverse.
There is so much partisanship on both
sides of the aisle that Americans are sick of it. Unfortunately, most of our congress persons
and senators are clueless as to what people are worried about outside of the
beltway. My perception is they don't get home enough or believe what is being told
to them when they do go home to their districts and states. This has to change.
The actions taken by the rioters can never be
justified and those who broke the law on January 6th must be held responsible
for their actions. But, the bottom line
is, perhaps if congress would start working together and listening to their constituents, the citizens of this country would be better served than they are
now. Term limits and real, strict
campaign financing laws must also be enacted before things will change and the
American public feels it is being served by its senators and representatives as
they should be served.
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