The Good Witch and I have been sitting quietly, reading. I steal a glance at the basketball game from time to time - will Villanova or Kentucky prevail? Then I arrive at this paragraph in Ben Bova's book "Titan" which I have modified only slightly.
The wise character says: "The real reason we have elections is to allow the people to vent some political steam. Elections are a safety valve, you see. They give people the illusion that they have some degree of control over their government. Without elections, who knows what kind of protests and outright rebellions we might get - even from these lazy, non-involved citizens. They're slackers and nonconformists, no doubt, but if they feel government is not sensitive to their needs, they will hunt for a way to change the government. Elections are better than revolts."
Watching our government in action - Republicans and Democrats alike - makes me wonder whether what goes on inside the beltway is simply a charade, political shadow-boxing, much ado about nothing purporting to be government. What exactly have our representatives accomplished in the two months since the new congress convened? What are their plans for this year? Kinda makes me wonder why they're there in the first place. Could Ben Bova be right?
What did that guy say about "hunting for a way to change the government"? Slackers and nonconformists, unite!
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Well, at the risk of sounding like an apologist for the politicians (a position I would not want), I wonder if elected officials don't come into power thinking that they'll be steering a ship and then discover, upon taking power, that it is more like driving a building.
Well, at the risk of sounding like an apologist for the politicians (a position I would not want), I wonder if elected officials don't come into power thinking that they'll be steering a ship and then discover, upon taking power, that it is more like driving a building.
Sorry, LH, I didn't mean to press the "print in duplicate" button.
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