Scorn noun “open dislike and disrespect or mockery often mixed with indignation”

It’s shocking to me that this even needs to be said. We’re a nation of mindless sheep, who somewhere along the way lost the narrative. We lost the point of this whole experiment. We’d be on a path of healing if you could just remember one thing:

“You do not owe any allegiance to a politician.”

In fact, it’s quite the opposite… they work for you. You elected them to represent you. They’re not better than you. They’re not more important than you. They shouldn’t be treated like celebrities or rock stars. They should be proving to you every day that they are worthy of keeping the job. And after a term or two, they should be exhausted and ready to return back to a regular job. Be suspicious of anyone who isn’t.

We forgot the basic litmus test for a politician:

• Are my streets safe?
• Have my taxes gone down?
• Is the basic infrastructure in my city/state getting better?
• Is my cost of living improving?
• Am I more free today than I was yesterday?
• Are we safer and stronger than our foreign adversaries?
  
  
• And perhaps most importantly… is the size of the government shrinking?

Not much else really matters. Until the answer to all those questions is yes, whatever daily outrage you have on social media about trivial crap makes no difference. And if the answer to one of those questions is no, the proper question of your local/state/federal politician should be, “WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING ABOUT IT?”

Not words. Not speeches on the floor that nobody will see. Not ads on TV. Not pithy statements on Twitter. Actions. What action Mr./Mrs. politician are you taking to solve the problem? Not “we’re introducing legislation next year”. Right now – what are you doing about it? And if you’re not happy with the actions, fire them. Get someone new in there who might do something. Rinse, repeat.

Politicians don’t think they work for you anymore. Whatever office they hold, it’s a steppingstone to the next higher office and more lobbyist money. Every single action they take is geared towards fundraising and staged optics to drive a narrative. All of them. Without exception. It’s a career. They’re carnival grifters looking to fleece as much money and power as possible. All of them. Period.

Oh sure, at the small-town local level there’s some folks who legitimately ran for office because they wanted a new crosswalk in front of the school or to stop a big corporation from polluting the local stream. But it doesn’t take long for power to corrupt. The pandemic quickly exposed how quickly little local bureaucrats became dictators and wielded their power with a heavy hand. How many politicians in your town were fighting for small businesses and questioning the idea of shutting down the economy or forcing vaccines to enter public spaces?

People forget that government, at all levels, is a semi-autonomous borg that mostly runs itself. Left to its own devices, it will continue to grow. People naturally want to protect and expand their jobs. Their departments will always need more money, more staff, and more power. It’s human nature. The private sector is no different. But the private sector is accountable to shareholders and payroll. Don’t meet expectations or can’t pay the rent and people eventually get fired, laid off, or the business goes under. The equation balances itself. The same is not true of government. There is no natural check on growth in the public sector.

We elect representatives to be that accountability monitor. They’re seizing our money (taxes) by force. Via printing and spending they control the value of our dollar. We have a right to expect them to be good stewards of that money and our economy. And if they’re not… we have a right, a duty, to be angry. And we’ve forgotten that. We’ve been taught a Pavlovian response – always blame the other party. It’s always the other guys fault. No! It’s your representatives fault. Hold them accountable. Stop the stupid party vs. party nonsense. That game is rigged to deflect blame and create more fundraising. If your elected official is failing the basic litmus test, then fire them.

I don’t care what side of the aisle you’re on. Stop the stupid party allegiance. I don’t care what the pundit on whatever clickbait news channel you watch says. You have a responsibility to be extremely critical of all politicians. Don’t ignore the flaws of your politician simply because you hate the other guy more. Don’t settle.

It’s your money. It’s your freedom. You are giving someone the responsibility to represent your voice in this republic. Be angry, be demanding, and be critical. The status quo is not your friend. Like fish and guests who stay too long… ALL politicians quickly begin to stink. Throw ’em out before that happens.