Immune to Mediocrity

Our Government is Failing Us
Robert Schneider

This country claims to be a government of the people and for the people and yet we seldom act like it. We allow other people to vote for us by our not voting. Of course, then we complain when we see the results.

Often we assume that our Congress will take care of the problem for us but don’t forget, not everyone wants the same thing. Make certain that it is your voice that is heard; election time may be too late.  Many of us believe that our senators and house members are over worked so we take it easy on them. Many do work hard but many work polishing their image which may not help you but may be a reflection on them (in their eyes).

They have the skill of avoiding an inquiry simply by not answering it and to avoid follow-up letters by ignoring them. If a constituent is being assisted by an organization, the government sometimes asks the organization to back off because it will not benefit them. When this happens…

the tone of correspondence to you changes and follow-up letters simply go unanswered. In situations like this, one might make a case that First Amendment Rights have been infringed. Consider how difficult it is to be heard when (a) Congress , (b) the President, (c) the President of the Senate and (d) members of the President’s Cabinet, who should be interested in hearing your complaint or suggestion, ignore your letter and then your follow-up communication.

By now you’ve probably annoyed your senator so you have lost a voice on getting a bill introduced into Congress. If you write and don’t receive a reply, you know for certain who is ignoring you.

Some time you may want to pass along information that might be of interest to the government. But how do you do it when the government answers by a no answer? Sometime the FBI or CIA will tell you that your computer is not compatible with theirs even though yours is a popular, standard model in use around the country. Now, what do you do? Most people just say thank you,”  click off and end the matter.

A reliable way to tell when someone thinks he is too busy” is when he reports on his web site that Org. X agrees that it needs one zillion dollars and thanks you for your consideration.  My question is: Was he thanking you for a substantial contribution or for simply realizing that he needs money?”  Words, words , and words tell you something about image, images.

In March of 2005, Japan was informed (in Tokyo) that the United States supports them to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.  Even though they have never apologized, accordingly, now it appears that we have tied our own hands and will be unable to ask congress to try and get an apology for us. Better ways could have been found but now we cannot use the apology to honor our veterans and citizens of WW II. I suspect that perhaps the problem/solution described above was never seen. And that one or more of our Bill of Rights was violated.

I was a PT Boat Officer in WW II (Pacific Theater / Philippines). I am not angry at Japan but disappointed. I am unhappy that my government couldn’t solve the problem of getting an apology in 60 years and avoid stumbling in to where we are today. Of course, we are partly to blame for allowing the situation to happen.

Have we become political amateurs or timid or indifferent; is there no limit to what we will do to turn a foreign government into a friendly government? In any case, we have become accustomed to accepting mediocrity? And we are paying for it.  From replies to E-mails do nothing for me; give me a scribbled note anytime from a live person.