As I have been saying for a number of years now, in my view, the political system in the U.S.A. is in a virtual state of paralysis, and to be quite honest, it is a farce.

Why?

Because quite simply, the American people are forced to choose between two parties -- and only two parties -- which never really change. After
carefully watching and studying American politics for a while, one can
easily guess how each party is going to react to a particular issue with
their eyes closed, and they will probably be right. That is how stale the situation has become.

Sadly, without at least one other major political party involved in the American political process, I seriously doubt that the situation will ever change, at least not by very much. The Republicans and the Democrats will
just keep on doing what they have always done, because there is no
motivation to change. There is no real threat from a third political party
to stir them up. And please don't tell me the Tea Party. We all know that
they are just an offshoot of the Republican Party.

Furthermore, it is my view that American elections, especially presidential elections, aren't really about the issues, or about who is most qualified to run for office, but rather about who can raise the most money. Unless an individual can achieve a particular financial threshold, he or she can
forget about running for office. There might be some very talented people
who could do a great job as president, but they will never be given a
chance, because their financial resources just don't make the grade. What
would America's forefathers think of this current situation? Would they
approve of it?

That is why I view democracy in America as a game, and as an illusion.
American voters are made to think that they have a choice in the matter, and that their votes count for something, but do they really? I don't think so.
I suspect that the endgame is already predetermined by Big Business and
other hidden interests. But, in order to maintain the illusion of freedom, democracy and choice, every four years the powers-that-be go through the motions and pretend that the common people have a choice in the matter.

If you have been an observer of American politics for a long time, and more specifically, if you have been an American voter for a long time, no doubt
you will know exactly what I am talking about. Regardless of which party
wins an election, do things really change all that much? After voting for so many years, has your personal situation improved all that much? Can you honestly say that elected politicians are performing the will of the people;
or do they simply do as they please once they are elected, or perhaps better said, they do as they are ordered to do by the hidden powers who actually
put them in office -- the Big Money boys?

With good reason political apathy is so rampant across the United States. Sadly, it is also that very apathy which makes it easier for a candidate to
win a term in office. I can't help but wonder if people are intentionally discouraged from voting, so that the playing field becomes easier for those
who are intended to win.

I think President Obama perfectly illustrates what I am talking about here. Many of you will no doubt remember all of the rhetoric that was used during
his presidential campaign. "Yes we can!" and "Change you can believe in".
You probably got sick and tired of hearing it so often. Change? Oh really?
So where is it?

Clearly, there are some significant differences between former president
George W. Bush and current president Barack Hussein Obama, such as their
views regarding gay and lesbian rights, abortion, embryonic stem cell
research, etc. However, my problem is that there are some things which are
very much the same. Furthermore, the longer that he is in office, the more
we see how President Obama isn't really all that different from Bush.

A case in point is the fact that the United States is STILL involved in two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, even if those wars are supposedly winding
down. But what about Libya? That certainly wasn't George W. Bush's doing.
Obama got the United States involved in Libya all on his own. And how is
Obama eventually going to deal with Syria and Iran? Economic sanctions and embargos are not going to dissuade either one of them.

But what really motivated me to write this current commentary is the news
that a week ago, President Obama extended the controversial provisions of
the American Patriot Act for another four years. Amazingly, Obama didn't
even approve the four-year extension in person. According to online news reports, he used a so-called "autopen machine" while he was attending the G8 meeting in France. In approving the extension, Obama commented "I think it
is an important tool for us to continue dealing with an ongoing terrorist threat."

We all know how much George W. Bush abused the American Patriot Act by
outright spying on regular Americans, even without court approval. Without
more stringent oversight, how do we know that Obama won't do -- or hasn't already done -- the very same thing? And please notice that, just like
George W. Bush, President Obama used the terrorism card as his justification for extending the American Patriot Act.

So again I ask, where is the difference? Where is the change that we can believe in? When will the United States stop engaging in its foreign wars
and live in peace with its neighbors? When will American presidents stop favoring the rich and the elite while the poor are forced to foot the bill? When will the Democrats and the Republicans face a serious challenger?

It's time for a serious shakeup in American politics. This stagnation needs
to end.



Jeff Snyder, SysOp - Armageddon BBS Visit us at endtimeprophecy.org port 23 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your Download Center 4 Mac BBS Software & Christian Files. We Use Hermes II


--- Hermes Web Tosser 1.1
* Origin: Armageddon BBS -- Guam, Mariana Islands (1:345/3777.0)