Someone just has to step up!

What we are witnessing almost universally in USA politics is a complete lack of will, an inability to demonstrate honesty and integrity, to say what has to be said to get things turned around instead of just to be re-elected. Almost no one seems to want to step up.

Instead, almost all politicians turn to pandering in order to be re-elected as their primary goal as office-holders, regardless of the shallowness and transparency (the bad kind) of the pandering remarks and positions they offer and take.

At some point people will have to step up and step into these offices at all levels, speak the truth, and take the consequences, which will mean term limits virtually by default, as recently happened with Alan Grayson in Florida. Sure, Grayson was a bomb-thrower and a loose cannon, and behaved somewhat callously toward his opponent during their campaign, but while in office he told the truth. Anyone who does as Grayson did will almost assuredly be as hated as Grayson was and be voted out of office after one term, as Grayson was, but they will have behaved honorably by speaking truthfully and acting honestly about what needs to be said and done. This is true for the US Presidency on down to City Comptroller.

John McCain, as one example, has made a career out of being a senator simply by blowing in whatever direction the wind points him in order to be re-elected and to continue and further his career. That he contradicts himself constantly, and there is abundant video tape to prove this, seems not to matter, to anyone, let alone to him.

Moreover, "the American people," who candidates and politicians are so fond of saying they understand so thoroughly, will at some point just have to stop acting like self-interested, wishy-washy wind-blown goofballs who on the one hand readily accept and use the obviously Socialistic medical and retirement payments they receive from the Socialistic government they lambaste, and on the other claim for all to hear that they hate Socialism and just want their government back, their country back, and their freedoms back.

Huh?

Even as these "American people" screeched and squealed, they voted Bush 43 back in for a second term while he and his cronies weakened the Bill of Rights, the economy, national security, and pretty much everything they touched and simultaneously strengthened the stupidly wealthy to be wealthier still. Who's more stupid?

Yikes.

And now these same "American people" are about to have these same folks back in power who are actively claiming they want to return to doing the same things they did before (QED), and, in so doing, they again ensure their careers as politicians, again ensure they can pander to a willing throng, and again ensure that these same goofballs who keep electing them will go back to gratefully accepting the public handouts and to keeping silent about the government, the country, and the liberty they now think they have back.

But we can't go back to that!

In at least one aspect, the Tea Parties are right (and I am as surprised as you to hear me say this), but I'll take it a few steps further: we will have to fix social security, and Medicare, and Medicaid, and it will take tough decisions and choices. We will have to draw down our military from around the world and use the money elsewhere as we find jobs for the returning soldiers. We will have to draw down our debt and stop wasting money, even as we spend money to help people who need help. We will have to learn to see that this "American dream" is a shared experience and not some oddly Darwinian every-man-for-himself. We will have to stop enabling corporations to ship jobs overseas and instead enable them to put people back to work here. We will have to vote career politicians out of office and continue to seek out and support people who will behave honorably and speak truthfully and accept the possibly term-limiting consequences of both behaviors.

And we will have to do all this very soon, otherwise, we will run out of time.

Someone just has to step up.