"I've lost faith in our Government" - Comments

Good question and one that has frequently been the subject of debate. Actually you don't sound stupid. I may not agree with everything you say but your judgement seems sound. And if you can encourage more people to vote, you'll make a mark. There are far fewer people voting than there should be. A lot of people like to bitch and moan but not take the time to attempt a change and that is why I posted this. You sound as if you would not fall under this category. You are telling me what you feel is wrong and what you would like to see different. I hope that when you are 18 you will do what you can What I'm tired of hearing is all the complaining from the people who do very little but complain.
Or the ones that are complaining because the election didn't go the way they wanted it to. At least they had the opportunity, are they forgetting that?

My father didn't supply me with anything. I watched the news and did my own research. I came to that conclusion on my own, even though I happen to agree with my father.

Let's ignore the fact of the being voted out for a minute, and let me ask this: why don't Congress(wo)men have term limits? The President has a term limit, which that came after FDR. If the President has to have a term limit, why not Congress(wo)men? They're both being voted for. These politicians don't want to vote for term limits for them because then when they're out of office, they lose the backing of some important people, which means they lose money. You may think I sound stupid for that, but if the rich weren't concerned with their money, why would they object to paying a little more in taxes?

People don't vote because in reality, it doesn't matter. If the Electoral College ultimately elects the president, the population's votes aren't worth a dime. In this last election, if majority of the people had voted for Obama, but majority of the Electoral College had voted for Romney, the votes from the people didn't do anything. That's why people don't believe their vote will do anything.

I challenge people's political views now. I try to, anyways. But when I'm 18, I plan on voting, which I'm glad my first election is one for Congress(wo)men because that's my point in this discussion. I plan on trying to get people to vote, even if they don't agree with my decision. I want to try and convince people that they're the ones who need to make the changes, and I plan on trying to influence change.

They have been there for years because very few challenge them. Care to carry that mantle? You're almost of age, what would you do differently?

Your assumption is that I think the two are linked but I could say the same about you. You assume the two aren't linked. If you feel that those in power are more concerned with their own bottom line, what goes into their pockets, then they could be voted out, but why are they not? Someone had faith in them, I would assume a lot of someones in order for them to hold the posts they now hold. If you have no faith in any people where are we to go? You're 17, what experience are you applying to your views and what exactly did your 52 yr father supply you with? Ask him about the need people felt to vote when he was your age as opposed to now. To many people feel now that their vote won't make a difference so they fail to vote. But there was a time when people fought for the right to vote, to allow their voice to count. We seem to take for granted what others fought so hard for.

I understand it, but that doesn't mean I have to trust it or like it. I think you automatically assume that the two are automatically linked, and they aren't. People in the government seem to be more concerned about the money going into their pockets than doing what the people want or what it best for the people. Where is the democracy in that? I don't trust our government. It's as simple as that. I'm not looking to be anarchist because I believe democracy can work, if it doesn't end up like how it is. Our government is corrupt. I'm 17 and I can see it, just as my 52 year old father can see it.

They can be voted out, but as we both can see, there's people that have been in there for 20+ years. Clearly, they end up in there for a reason, but that doesn't mean I have to like them or agree with their policies. And yeah, I see it coming to that because I am not the only one who isn't happy. There are millions of people in this country that aren't happy, whether it be with Congress or President Obama or certain policies. People aren't happy. So yeah, I see it coming to another revolution. Any alternatives? I don't want an alternative to a democracy. I want our democracy to not be abused by greedy politicians. I want to see our democracy utilized in the proper way a democracy is supposed to be. I want to see the Electoral College eliminated because, to me, that isn't democratic. Originally, it was set up for the purpose that the founding fathers believed the people were too ignorant to properly know what they wanted in politics. Now, people have the media. They have newspapers, TV, radio, etc. While some may not be properly informed, they know what they want, and there is no purpose for the Electoral College. That's my alternative; to see our democracy utilized how it was meant to be, not abused by the greedy politicians.

Nobody expects you to have BLIND faith. You are, however, expected to understand the government you live under. What's it doing for you? It's allowing you to get paid for the that job that you do. Capitalism, free enterprise. If you work harder than the person next to you your paycheck will show that. Rather than a set pay from a socialist government.

"the only way it'll surely every change is when my generation comes in as the older Congressmen and women die off or retire" What, like they have tenure, after a set number of years they cannot be voted out? You see our country coming to another revolution because of all the things you are not happy with. You are so quick to condemn but I don't see any alternatives offered.

I agree with everything Airi. said in her first comment. While I haven't completely lost faith in the US government, why should I blindly have faith in it? What is it doing for me? Our country is so deeply rooted in capitalism that it becomes intertwined in our democracy to where it seems like it isn't a democracy anymore. We can vote, but what's the point? In presidential elections, the electoral college makes the decision, and they can simply ignore the people's wishes.

Our government has become so corrupt that the only way it'll surely ever change is when my generation comes in as the older Congressmen and women die off or retire. That's only when I think thing's will change. If that doesn't happen, I see this country going through another revolution to overthrow our government because the citizens are simply getting fed up. Why is everything, especially gas, so expensive? Why don't we use our own oil? Why don't we create alternatives to oil? In order to make it anywhere in this country, you either must come from money, or put yourself in massive debt in college to even have a chance. Our country could do so much better, but it's not. Democrats and Republicans could start change, but they're so busy arguing over trivial things just because they're different parties. They refuse to reach across party lines even though it would benefit the people.

The alternative I truly want is something I know will never be achieved because of human nature. I largely believe in anarchism. I believe in striving for a world where everyone is provided the basic necessities of life and that is what would keep crime levels low. It's a pipe dream that'll never happen, I know. I am fully aware of the greedy nature of human beings, which makes anarchism impossible. Political styles like anarchism and communism are perfect, but human greed makes them evil which makes them impossible. A more realistic alternative I have in mind would be to simply change our government. Restore America to the democratic Republic it once was. Restore it to a country where everyone has a say and not only the rich. Majority rules is what happens in a democracy but in America, that is not what is happening. What is happening is whatever the rich wants, not what the majority want.

But it's not a perfect idea. None is. It's a process, you know? A process about finding something that does work for us and how we can restore this country to its former glory.

I do try to change things. I'm an activist myself as well as a registered voter. But with a corrupt government, voting is pointless, is it not? If the government does not listen to its people, voting will not do anything. Republican or Democrat, it doesn't matter. Deep down, both parties stand for the same thing. I went third party in the last election, but with so many Americans buying into the two-party sham of a system we have now, a third party will never win. To change what is happening is not yet within our hands, because a majority of Americans are still blind to what is really happening here. But I still vote, maybe because I do still have a little hope that we can somehow turn our government around. But deep down, I do feel like we need to break our government down and start over. The majority of our politicians care more about how much money they're getting than their people. I believe that a majority of our politicians need to be ousted from office and barred from ever holding office again.

I am activist who does actively try to make changes. I know a lot of people say protests are useless, but the first step to change is raising awareness, is it not? The more awareness we raise, the more support we get. The more support we get, the better chance we have at real change. I go to protests, I sign petitions, I've called my Representatives before, I've written my Representatives before. I am an active citizen of this country when it comes to politics. I may have lost faith in my government, but it doesn't mean I've lost faith in the citizens. I've seen changes happen in the citizens, I see them occurring more and more often. Change can be done through the citizens. But through the government.... That's something I'm not so sure can happen anymore.

Airi, what do you propose as an alternative to the way things are now?

Thank you for response. I like to hear from others who see things from a different perspective. I do have to ask why you see these things as such a problem when the ability to change them is within your hands? Yes, mistakes have been made in the past. I would hope that we would learn from them in order to not repeat them rather that dwell on them as reason for losing faith.

To assume that everyone who makes a statement like that is "childish" is a pretty broad generalization to make. I am someone who openly opposes my government, I am someone who has lost faith in the government for good reason. I don't see why I should have faith in a government like ours. I see the evil in our government. I see our government for what it is.

Why should I have faith in a government who values the rich over the poor?
Why should I have faith in a government who values the will of corporations over the will of its people?
Why should I have faith in a government who doesn't believe all their citizens are equal?
Why should I have faith in a government who continuously murders Middle Eastern people for their oil and power?
Why should I have faith in a government who believes they have a right to unjustly spy on their citizens?
Why should I have faith in a government who believes that protesters deserve to be beaten and tear gassed?
Why should I have faith in a government who is bloodthirsty and power hungry?
Why should I have faith in a government who cares more about money than their own citizens?

Our government is not what it once was. It has become corrupt. It cares only about power and money. Our politicians care only about money. They will gladly take a bribe to pass a law even if that law hurts their people. Citizens United made it legal for corporations to bribe politicians to get their way. They are not carrying out the will of the people, they are carrying out the will of the rich. That's just one example. Take the war in Afghanistan. Our government lied to us about why we're over there. We're not over there because of 9/11, we're over there for power. The Iraq war was not for 9/11 either, it was for power and oil. If we go to war with Iran, it will not be because of their nuclear weapons but it will be about power. It will be about attempting to "conquer" the Middle East. Our government is still sending money to the Egyptian military, a military that is slaughtering Egyptian citizens. We're supporting a military who is unjustly harming people and slaughtering innocents.

Given all of this, why should I have faith in my country?