I’m Not Political

Member Group : From the Kitchen Table

I’m Not Political.

It’s the phrase of the season. Those who use it often utter the words with pride, as if they are somehow above the "dirtiness" of politics and focusing only on the better things in life.

To quote Shakespeare, "Would that it were true."

It’s not.

A person can no more live in a world without politics than he can vacation in a place without a climate. It’s just easier to pretend with politics.
The actions taken by those elected in the American political process this year will determine our social and economic direction for years to come.

Recently, a Congressional incumbent running for re-election told an interviewer that it didn’t matter who got elected to what office, taxes were going to go up. As if the level of taxation was somehow not only independent of the actions of any elected official, but out of his control as well. It was a blatant piece of political propaganda disguised as a statement of fact.
Those who refuse to learn about and participate in the political process hear that political statement, shrug their shoulders, and excuse their non-participation by agreeing that they can’t change anything anyway. And the politician who made that statement got exactly what he wanted – passive acceptance of that Congressman’s political philosophy. A philosophy that is based on the premise that no one can control the growth of government, so it is pointless to even try.

But in reality, no tax can be raised in America unless a majority of elected officials vote for it. Taxes do not raise themselves – Congressmen raise them. If the citizens elected individuals committed to holding taxes steady or lowering them, the taxes would not go up.

The same holds true for every issue.

The availability, cost, and conditions of our health care are decided by political actions. The location, duration, content and evaluation of our children’s education are all decided by political actions. The conditions under which we work, including how and when we are paid, are decided by political actions. What we may and may not do with our own property is decided by political actions.

It is not a higher position to be "not political". It is a cop out.
Around this world, right now, people are literally dying to get out from under oppression. And in America, where exercising our freedom requires nothing more than a few hours of research and a trip to the polls on November 4, there are citizens basically asking to be oppressed by their lack of action.
And the politicians who are seeking to expand the scope and reach of government are counting on that inaction. They are counting on the people who are "not political" to stand by silently and watch as those who ARE political restructure the very fabric of American society.

Unfortunately for our uninvolved friends, they will be just as trapped as the rest of us. And by the time they decide that they should get involved in that dirty political process, it will be too late.