PERSONALLY SPEAKING

This year’s election has once again proven two things; the system is broken and we will never have real change until we start replacing it. We have been conditioned to look superficially at the results of the election as one side won and the other side lost. For far too long elections have been about personalities and parties when it should be about character and we the people. The system is the reason the election was pretty much decided before it ever took place. Of course the incumbent would run unopposed in any primary and naturally the Republican Party would hand pick their candidate from within the system and once again we are left with the lesser of two evils; this is the way it always works.
The system is the reason we have $ 4.1 billon dollars in debt for our state. We elect lifetime politicians that receive lifetime pensions and then we blame the other guys while those we elected to serve us have been in office the entire time; this is the way it always has been done.
The System will give us the redistricting. Incumbents protect incumbents and the system gives us gerrymandered lines and districts to keep parties in power; but this is just the way it always happens.
We know that the system is broken but we never quite seem to learn our lesson and elections come and go and we except that this is just the way things are. To fix things we need to stop looking at the people in the system for the answers. Politicians like Sen. Damon Thayer and others are not the answer but are part of the problem. This election has proven a couple of things; there is a system and that system is broken. It is up to you to begin to change that system from the inside in the election year to come and make a difference in May 2012 primary. No longer assume incumbency is a right to keep screwing things up; look at others running in the primaries or even step up and run yourself. Understand politicians like Damon Thayer are thinking about Damon Thayer; instead find servants with a servant’s heart that has your interest in mind. Stop looking at personalities and what your party is telling you and start looking for character and what is the right direction for we the people.
Eric Wilson
Georgetown