TRUTH IS HARD TO FIND THESE DAYS

Stephen Colbert's coining of the word 'truthiness' has made it plain that it is very hard to find on the media, in writings, and, especially, in politics. Even more amazing is that people say things on camera and then either forget or think that the denial they could use for years will work for them in this technological era.  All politicians should have a course in electronic databases and searches through video..

Recently, State Senator Leland Yee, (D) Sacramento was stripped of his position as assistant to the president
pro tempore of the State Senate.  He refused to vote for a budget that was against his conscience because of the too severe cuts in severe cuts to education, social services and health care.  Read in full here.

 

We elect people to go to Washington to vote as our representatives.  States do the same within their legislatures.  What has happened to democracy when the leaders become despots who demand lock-step obedience.  We should not have to revert to secret ballots.  The leaders should understand that their dictatorships will not persist in the US.  Only the voters can vote them out of office. 

For eight years we watched the House and the Senate under Bush never deviate from the demands to vote as directed.  Few in office had the strength to vote their conscience and risk not getting elected again.  How else they may have been blackmailed has never become public, but my guess is that a lot of pressure was brought to bear.  Let's face it, those who say our system is broken are quite correct.  It is.  Some want to go back to the days of the founding fathers when our total population was four million.  Ridiculous.  We cannot function going back 260 years any more than we could live as they did in the Bible 2000 years ago.  It just doesn't work..

Our country can ill afford to be dumbed down to meet the level of those who cannot accept change.  Change is happening faster than it ever has and those who cannot adjust to it cannot be allowed to wield the power given the Teapartiers, or the far, religious Right.  We need to work towards truth and transparency.  We need a Supreme Court that will not make a mockery of that part of our system that has worked for so many years while resisting the changes that are necessary..