The great election of 2008 in the USA is a start

America has changed, and our votes will show it, locally, state, and federal. It will take time, as all long term course changes take. Most Americans still want to form a more perfect union in this large land, but the methods of achieving all this is the big change. Instead of elected politicians bragging about how much of our taxpayer money they can spend in pursuit of some vision of “a more perfect union”, perhaps we can expect results, even affordable results. In politics it might be called performance based budgeting; in the American military it might be called accomplishing the mission. Either way, the taxpayer money dedicated towards social change in some vision is changing for two reasons. One is expecting results, and the second is running out of taxpayer and borrowed money.

Most of us expect a return on a government investment. For our present politicians, investment is too often a code word for a new tax. Find and dandy as it is getting harder to pull the wool over the voter’s eyes. Most want change, but how we go about it is a votable issue.

Making change is a votable issue. Our elected politicians also have their hired staffs and even unions that have much to do with our being ruled and our futures. This report extends to all levels, local, state, and federal. At the expense of over generalizing, too many of these staff fellow Americans use their educational advantages as to get hired. That makes sense, until one senses how things are and which way the big arrow is pointed. Perhaps education has superceded basic intelligence, or more importantly, experience. Of course in a perfect American world, we should expect and demand fellow Americans who balance all three. That alas, does not seem to be the state of affairs today. After all, the future is our children... even if it competes with adult jobs programs.

Let me devolve for a minute. My water source is all “hippie style” local spring water powered by an 1879 designed hydraulic RAM, and we have been living up here with it just fine…until a city boy from Palm Beach and another city boy form Durham got involved and broke the system. Being a Marine, I don’t mind having to poop into a 5 gallon bucket, but most of my relatives do mind. Bottom line, we had to do a jury rig to keep the running water and flush toilets going, and I was “mad”, as in using some USMC bad language. All this is a lead in to experience counts, too. Like big time.

So as we choose our votes for 2008, think locally, state, and federal. If you think you are about change, then perhaps you are even part of the vanguard. For example the debate about “school choice” may fade into the background of “curriculum”. Just what do we want our kids to be taught. And I suggest we teach locking up our criminals while trying to make things better. Now this is a reasonable smart way to go forward. Back to the vote.