Let's Simplify Politics

My hat is off to any person who can tackle a complicated problem, boil it down to its basic basics, and render it digestible, accessible, and understandable to the average Joe on the street in order to inspire action of the right kind. In this regard I'd like to introduce you to a friend of mine named John P who has done precisely that with the totally confusing and frustrating subject of politics.

To use John's own words, "In school they always talk about the three R's...reading, writing, and arithmetic. But in politics it's all about the three E's... the environment, the economy, and education." Let's take them one at a time.

The Environment is E # 1. And most people, with any degree of common sense at all, will readily admit that clean air, clean drinking water, and rich soil in which we can grow crops are pretty important issues for the human race, not to mention every other species on the planet. If we continue to screw up the environment in the name of development, of any kind, we do so at our own peril, and future generations will be the ones to pay the price for our self centered lack of foresight. It's just plain dumb to do anything other than cooperate with Mother Nature because if we choose to compete, we choose to lose.

The Economy is E # 2. In short politicians (or anyone else) can talk about the environment, they can talk about education, health care, terrorism, crime in the streets, government corruption, family breakdown, abortion, and school prayer...etc., but without the ability to pay for what needs to be done on these issues, we're all just talking. It’s nothing but talk, and talk is cheap.

In other words, if the economy is hitting on all cylinders we can pay for tackling all kinds of problems. But without a sound economy, without the ability to pay for pro-active initiatives, it's total BS. The difference between "cheap talk" and "legitimate action" is a sound economy. It's that simple.

Education is E # 3. But I'm not talking about the conventional indoctrination and bull manure that we label education in the 21st century. You know, the 12 to 20 years worth of classroom experience that systematically grinds our naturally round pegs into entities that fit neatly and efficiently into square corporate holes, and underwrites the status quo regardless of what it's doing to people around the world.

In contrast, I'm talking about real education that encourages real questioning, real thinking, and real practical understanding of real problems. That is to say, if there are real 21st century answers to real 21st century environmental and economic problems, people must be able to understand them if they are going to implement them and if they are going to have any positive and practical effect on our world. The education that allows that kind of understanding is what I have in mind when I talk about E # 3.

In Summary: I'd like to meet the politician who will cut right to the chase and say "Look folks, there are only three real issues out there that we really need to address. First we must secure the environment for without it we're toast. Second we must discover how we can democratize the free market (the $64 trillion dollar question of our age), and pay for the things that we need to do as a nation and as a world. If we fail in this endeavor, everything we do is little more than idle chatter, designed to confuse and frustrate American voters who are already so totally confused and frustrated that over half don't even bother to vote.

And finally, the people must be able to understand what needs to be done in order to salvage the environment and to rectify the economy. If people fail to understand, there can be no mandate from the people, in which case there’s no legitimacy to what we like to call America’s democracy. On the other hand, if we get a handle on the three E's, then we can discuss the other issues, they’ll make sense, and we can vote intelligently. Amen