DC Has Truly Gone Insane

If Congress is really representative of the American people, we are in huge trouble. Of course, if they aren't we are also in trouble because that means we are being railroaded by an oligarchy. I tend to believe the latter is the case, although the majority of people may be OK with it. I've thought it was a sham government for most of my life; a view which has placed me as odd man out in certain school and college classes, and among those who feel comfortable, even smart, painting my opposition as oppositional disorder.

The thing that bothers me most lately is the blatant lack of debate on legislation and the arrogance that has gone with it. The term "gridlock" has again arisen as if those who don't go along with whatever is put in front of them are doing the wrong thing. I like gridlock. It causes delays in the destruction of rights and of the country as we know or imagine it.

Glimpses at what is being done with tax money, in the name of promoting prosperity among the citizens who have already been robbed, is beyond anything I thought possible. The obvious pandering to special groups and interests at the expense of those who work and mind their own business is nothing short of criminal.

I may have been born too late. Righteous revolutions and a general passion to be free, may be things of the past, never to be experienced in this century. This system of adding irrelevant payoffs to bills and such, and lack of restraint of authority should have been overthrown long ago.

One encouraging thing about the masses is that it takes very little for them to jump on a bandwagon going the opposite direction from the one they are on. Peer pressure and perceived short term self interest do the trick. They'll do what they are told makes them appear intelligent and accepted by their peers. Even smart people do that. Lack of real understanding and values has little to do with intelligence.

Con men don't look for the dumb marks, just the vulnerable. A touch of greed and a fragile but prominent ego, and enough intelligence to follow convoluted logic make for easy pickings.

Cursed Deductibles and Mind Clutter

It makes long term financial sense, but when it comes time to pay the piper, one is often disturbed at having any deductible at all, insurancely speaking. I'll deal with it later and hope my windshield doesn't fall apart in the interim.

A year ago, my only concern was whether I could get myself together enough to pack up and hit the road. Given that my life was pretty much a worthless vacuum, it seemed the best option, and a possible path toward finding meaning and satisfaction. I had no idea where I'd be or what I'd be doing by now. One thing that I discovered is that I could probably be satisfied to travel indefinitely, even if it meant sleeping in tents.

I also discovered that, if tents are involved, I need an air mattress to help make the discomfort bearable. What a drag that is. I guess, if I had to, I could get over it. Enjoying sleep on rocks, concrete or dirt is a skill that puts one ahead of the game, if you ask me.

The big problem of the perpetually disjointed life, partly the fault of poor judgement, too much, or not enough, drugs and alcohol, and partly due to principles held at the cost of outward gain, as well as other blatant stupidity, is that there is nothing to show for it. At some point, you expect to have a bit of continuous passion for something, or some one.

On the other hand, we'd all be better off if some people, who lived consistent, relatively balanced lives, and multiplied like crazy, would have never made it to that point. So, my "what might have been" may have been a real nightmare by comparison to the present reality. It actually feels like a never ending nightmare, but not the dark scary kind. More colorful and surreal, even pleasant. It just doesn't go anywhere, and that is the nightmare portion of it.

The lesson is that it is tougher to start over now than it would have been long ago. Making something special happen has still got to be the goal. Demanding as little as possible is probably a good idea. Life gives and takes, so no use expecting anything one way or the other. It doesn't owe me.

Certain qualities are probably enhanced by time, experience and pain. Empathy in some respects may have been enhanced. I'm also more suspicious of food prepared by disgruntled groups who usually dislike my disgruntled group.

I write these things because they interest me. They are true enough, but often just follow a thought more than a fact. It doesn't matter.

The cracked windshield is just a metaphor. An expensive one due to the deductible, but a metaphor just the same.