Cynical about Political Cynicism

I have grown weary of whiny journalists and pundits who have such a limited understanding of history and narrow appreciation for what it takes to lead this country. They think it’s so damn easy. And now… just about any nitwit with a camera and a YouTube account can be one! God, help me. Yah… okay… citizen journalism… blah blah. But hold the opinion. Get to the story.

Maybe my real problem is with the established types and the pundits who flame the airwaves (and social media) with their idiot ideas about wholesale political changeover. Well, sorry. Been done. Many times, actually. And each time it actually happens, we end up wasting valuable resources in terms of training new politicos to do a job that takes (by my own estimation) at least a year to acclimate into (and that’s if all you plan to do is be an ideological rubber stamp for the national party). Moreover, think about what abrupt changes in policy does to people who depend on services.

If you think that being an elected leader is so easy – then get going and be one. I spent one year as the elected president of our  school PTL; a school with only 150 kids. It was almost a full-time job holding meetings, balancing budgets, soothing feelings, negotiating policy and working out compromises. Doing a job like that at the Congressional level should be a million times more difficult. If it isn’t, something is wrong.

I’ve also grown weary of the cynicism of partisanship. The hell with that. People ask me, “Hey Ray, are you a Democrat or Republican.” My answer these days, “I’m an American. Thanks for asking.” But they don’t get it. They just think I’m being cynical.

This country has a 200+ year heritage of working out differences; people who are willing to come to a table for CIVIL debate and compromise. Statesmanship (screw the PC version of that label) means setting aside ideologies for the sake of the country. The fact that this country has stood for 200+ years with representative governance should be seen as something of a modern-day miracle. So when one partisan claims that the other partisan is turning the country to ruin, I’d like to remind them that unyielding partisanship has never produced good governance.

Final point, there isn’t a road made in this country that wasn’t paid by taxes. There isn’t a single inch of our distributed networks (telephone, electricity, water) that doesn’t owe its existence to taxes. All of our public infrastructure – first responders, schools, military services, et al – are paid for with taxes. Our society is wholly and completely supported by the will of the people to pay taxes.

Until somebody comes up with a better way to commoditize resources without money, then we’re stuck with taxes. True, some federal institutions are enormously inefficient, but that’s where the will of the people comes in. Elect professionals who can look beyond partisanship and ideologies – and we will solve problems.

And presto – cynicism gone.

About: Ray Wyman, Jr is a content creator, communications professional, and author with more than 30 years of experience. Visit LinkedIN or Raywyman.com for more information.