Saturday, August 26, 2006

my get-up-and-go...

got up and went. i have also been looking into what it takes to get onto the ballot in our 50 states. yes- each state is different and some states are way easy and others you have to jump through more hoops than a circus tiger. so- now i have to find out signature requirements. most states don't have fees so that is a plus. my friend, who was just here last weekend, commented that our country is 'too big'- by that she meant that it is amazing that we have stayed together and been governed as well as we have. especially- with our different cultures and customs in different regions. my own personal take on it is this- up until recently- oh the last 20-30 years or so- americans were united by being americans. we celebrated our heritages and ways of life- but we all had a pride in being american. now- not so much. not just because of the current debacle that is our government- but because we have all become too much alike. when you live in the same house and have to share the same toys- you start biting your sister. don't ask- you get the point :) anyhoo- we are so homogenized anymore. go to any state in the union and you will see strip malls and applebees. wal-mart around every corner. when you see places on the tv- you haven't got a clue where you are because everyone dresses the same and looks the same. people are complaining about non english speakers and foreigners- not just illegal aliens- and i want to know why? many of the most recent ancestors came in through ellis island and didn't speak english- never did. their kids learned and translated. welcome to white whole milk america.

disclaimer: i am completely overgeneralizing the regional thing. i realize that there are differences that remain. it is my bigger point that we are becoming more uniform than unique.

9 comments:

Mary said...

Corporations are taking over. Less and less businesses owned by the locals that bring the flavor of the region.

Peacechick Mary said...

So, are you looking into running for office? If it's national, you've got my vote!

billie said...

husband wants to run an online- as much as possible- campaign for president for 2012. he'll be old enough then :) as soon as he gets the website up and running- i'll put it on. i am the campaign manager due to my superior organizational skills- and free time :)

Unknown said...

How do we change the thinking of the American people?

It is the people who have made Wal-Mart the largest retailer in the country. It is the people who have made George Bush President, twice. It is the people who have setteled for the federal political situation we now have.

We bow so low to the things we praise (capitalisum, indiviuality, democracy, military strength, ect..) that we forget how dangerous these can be when taken to the extreme.

Profit trumps common sense, greed over the common good, and we bully the rest of the world with our military strength instead of working together to solve problems.

Ben Franklin noted that he was happy at what the Constitutional convention had achieved, but that ANY form of government would become corrupted once it became to powerfull.

Just when we need true leadership to guide us away from our excesses, the people have chosen crack boy twice to lead us, and we wonder why things are so messed up.

Donnie McDaniel said...

I find it funny that our local parish even charges a fee for local elections. What is even more bizare, is that for someting like a council member, being non-affiliated costs less than it does for claiming a party. SO if you claim a party, then the fee is more!

But of course our politics are driven at the community level here. If someone expects to carry Louisiana, they have to do more than just stop at the larger cities. They have to meet with the people on a local level. The one to meet and greet the people in outer areas, stand to gain big from this state that is often misunderstood.

Capturing the hearts of local communities around here, spreads and if someone gets the attention of the local communities, then it spreads and works its way up. Not like in other places, where a stop in the big city ebbs down to the lowest common denominator. Which is why this state is often called hard to understand.

But if you look back, you see that our local areas were taking care of our own, while Bush and his crime family sat still during Katrina. We take care of our own, and that is the key to the state. Communities are the driving force.

Anonymous said...

so..you bit your sister as a child...tell me more..

I know of someone else who bit his mother on the shoulder...

Anonymous said...

My son bit me on the shoulder today...and how was your day?

billie said...

nah- my sister used to bite the crap out of me. she was mean when she was little. did he bite you out of anger? my day is the same as usual thanks for asking. :)

Anonymous said...

It was a just a nasty, nasty day...