If politics is becoming more and more corrupt, what does that mean for America's future?

Question

They say national poltics doesnt have much of an effect on a local level, but it must over time. Doesnt this increase in socioapths and hatemongers in our political system eventually lead to some serious consequences in our quality of life?

And if so, what would have to be done to reverse this trend? Surely apathy is not the long-term answer.

Answer 1

it's not that politics is getting more corrupt... we just are starting to hear the truth now, based on all the forms of technology we now possess.

My best solution is still to get rid of the electoral college. We should stop having a system vote for us... we should be able to place our votes and have each individual person's vote count. I don't buy into this bunk that the electoral college works. It is an outdated system.

Answer 2

I think that it means the eventual end to this great experiment in "freedom". The US won't go down without a fight, but the common ideals are petering out, and the "trickle down" theory seems to hold more water as an explanation for the crappy state and local governments we now see so often. Like Rome, this "great empire" will slide, and there WILL be hoards or "barbarians" waiting to pounce on this rich land. (We already see the major corporations making their needs and wishes the templates for contemporary legislation. The "common good" of the People is very rarely a consideration any longer.)

What can we do? Why don't we insist upon real, viable candidates for office? Not the "lesser of two evils", but honest, hardworking, altruistic people running for office would be a good start. Apathy is NOT the answer! While I am the first to say that we should no longer patronize businesses that have not provided customer service to our satisfaction, I am loathe to say that same thing about the voting booth. We must encourage people to vote, to get "involved", to research candidates.

I feel the ship is sinking, slowly, but that does not mean we can't bail out the filthy water, and patch hole. It takes hard work, but it's worth it!

Answer 3

Politics aren't any more or less corrupt than ever before. We're certainly not at Guilded Age levels. This isn't the first era that a Congressman has had inappropriate relations with a page, had extramarital affairs, taken bribes, gotten involved in controversial foreign conflicts, etc.

If anything, the people are simply more fickle these days. We overreact to everything. Any time something happens in politics we always try to call it the "worst" something ever. The war is the worst ever. The economy is the worst since the Depression. Corruption is the worst ever. The president and congress are the worst ever, etc.

It's just that people today are fickle and have high expectations.

Answer 4

Politics is like a pendulum--where we focus on more control/less control--back and forth. Most kids are not immersed in the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights, or what their writers' concerns and views actually were, so they don't really understand the logic of a democratic republic, representative democracy, or whatever you wish to call it. They are wide open to brainwashing through emotional appeal.

The separation of powers was specifically put in place to avoid the tyranny of the majority, but occasionally one party has controlled all 3 branches of government (the Republicans in the Eisenhower and Bush II administrations most recently, for example). When that happens, it knocks things off balance as it results in violent snaps to the opposite "pole."

We've always had sociopaths among us--but whenever we have prohibition, such as alcohol or drugs, they always create a lucrative black market--the law of supply and demand will never abate--it's the law. Whether it's abortion, guns, or anything else, prohibition always leads to society's sociopaths moving in to provide the service, and sometimes, as is currently happening with drugs, they get a windfall.

Answer 5

We need a "National Referendum" for term limits. One term in the Senate two in the House. No big Government retirements. Social Security just like the rest of us poor working slobs out here. No voting yourselves a $5000 dollar a year pay raise every year. Fly commercial, not a Government plane that cost $ 50,000 each way to Calif. and back to D.C. Criminal charges if you funnel billions of dollars in Government contracts to your husbands companies like Feinstein did. The intent of the Framers was the citizen statesmen. We have people that have been in Congress for almost 50 years. Kennedy, claims we need to tax the wealthy into poverty, but has his family fortune in Fiji to avoid U.S. taxes. We need to clean house and the American people are the ones that need to do it. The old saying " Washington D.C. The only City where bribery and corruption are legal"

Answer 6

No it seems to be going backward. Hoover, Poppa Joe Kennedy, you name them. Atleast Nixon had the honor to resign with some dignity left.
Divide and conquer is a foundational Communist trait. It's not surprising given the candidates we have running for President. It's good ole boy politics at it's ugliest.

To change the tide we need new management. Not another Clinton. Try Obama, Edwards, I like McCain.
Just vote. Research the whole page. Don't be fooled by propaganda, lie and subjective polls.
Long term solutions: evaluate term limits, remove dual
party system and continue with campaign finance reform
including Pork Barrel spending once in office. + much more.

Answer 7

She hit the nail on the pinnacle--Lincoln warned us we'd fall, no longer from forces devoid of yet problems interior of. people enable our "media" to be a gaggle of BS artists with their time table rather of info. We enable our regulations to be violated mechanically as a results of fact we are advised we are too "fortunate" and others have "much less" and we OWE it to them to enable them to be uncivilized with impunity. we are consistently criticized for issues that are no longer our concern. Imaginary wrongs are consistently whined approximately. previous, previous proceedings are in no way given a relax even whilst so previous no person alive can endure in recommendations whilst it grew to become right into a valid criticism. Why we sense we'd desire to "ask for forgiveness" to each person for each little thing as quickly as we did no longer do something to them is a sturdy question. it is led to decreasing ourselves to the backside elementary denominator rather of elevating others to our point. How stupid is that?

Answer 8

I think the swing to Reagan-style extreme conservatism damaged bi-partisan government in America, and the recent revival of that extremism through people like Karl Rove, the right wing Christians, etc. has put the nail in the American coffin.

Without bi-partisan cooperation, our democracy will continue to falter, yes. Political parties are becoming less and less able to adopt compromises and reasonable solutions and American citizens are polarized, hateful, angry and confused.

It's a mess.

Answer 9

Politics is not getting more and more corrupt. It is just as corrupt as it has always been, we just have more ways to read/watch, and hear about it now.

Answer 10

to reverse the trend people have to stop keeping the the corrupt in.