Lazy Politicians

You'd think it was a freshman literature class. One of those gen-ed courses that everyone has to take. Where neither the students nor the professor are really excited about being there, so everyone half-asses it. Where you can read maybe half of the Cliff's Notes and still get a B.

It's not.

When will these people realize that they are running a country? A fairly large and powerful country, at that. When I skipped the reading in a literature class, there were two key facts - I was prioritizing the work for other classes and projects, and I accepted the consequences for not doing the reading. These politicians who voted to go to war without doing their homework were doing neither. Aside from leading the country, all they have to do is campaign for the next election. And now that their votes have unpopular consequences, they're by-and-large trying to say they shouldn't be held responsible. When will we, the voters, start holding our "leaders" responsible for their voting and legislative record, instead of their name-recognition and rhetorical abilities?

Because that's the real catch - if our politicians are being lazy students, WE are being even lazier grading them.

We need to start voting based on the records of our senators and congressmen. Only rookie politicians who have no record should be able to make promises - for everyone else, the voting record shows what they will do.

What if we refused to vote for any politician who voted yes and then reneged on their Iraq War vote? Yes, you made a mistake, but mistakes have consequences. Or, if you feel strongly about it, deny your vote to any candidate who you disagree with on your biggest issues. The Iraq War. Global Warming. Immigration. Oil consumption. Zoning laws forcing us to be an automative and gasoline based society. Spending millions of dollars to build sports stadiums. Closing public schools and pools.

Why would you vote for a politician whose votes you will disagree with?

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