Here's the thing, I don't really want to go off on a political rant. It seems kind of pointless and has been done before. I'm not sure what I hope to gain except to use this as a sounding board. I have a lot of thoughts regarding the American political and economic systems, but because of the adage not to discuss religion and politics, having intelligent conversations about them is next to impossible. So, in the absence of that, you get this: my thoughts.
Our political system doesn't give the everyman much of a voice in choosing their leaders. First of all, money wins elections. It's a fact no matter what level of politics. So, whoever raises the most money wins, which means whoever gives the most money has the best chance at electing their pet candidate. I think this carries through to once they are elected. Special interest groups have a much louder voice than the average American, especially if that interest group has money. Hand-in-hand with this goes a lack of accountability by the candidates
towards their constituents. They want to keep their seat, and since money and power can all but guarantee that, whom do you think they will serve?
Secondly, the primaries in most states are determined by delegates rather than popular vote. At our caucus, only 2 people volunteered for the 2 slots for our district...not very democratic. They had already decided where to cast their vote, so the voice of those in their district didn't matter at all. Add to that the unpledged delegates, and by the time you get to the national convention, the popular vote counts for very little in choosing a candidate. The fact that our electoral college is set up so that a candidate can lose the popular vote and win the election must make those states that "don't matter" want to just throw in the towel. Similarly, in a red state, why would Democrats vote or vice versa if the state is already guaranteed to go the other way? Yes, we all need to be involved in the process, but when it seems to make so little difference, it's not any wonder so few are engaged. (I don't have a fix for this, by the way.)
The other major concern I have is that right now in America things are so far polarized that any conversation regarding politics has more of a chance of ending in name-calling than progress. Promises of change are valued more than actual policy because everyone is unhappy. I think a large part of this is that people have forgotten what the role of government is. Catholic social teaching stands on a few basic pillars centered around the dignity and rights of every human (not the "right" to a free education or to birth control, but the right to life, the right to work, to build a family and community, and to worship), as well as the responsibility of every human to care for the poor, the environment, and to give back to society. America has become a nation split between those that want to keep everything for themselves because I earned it, darnit, and those who want free handouts because life is hard and it's just not fair. Neither of these is realistic, but those are the platforms I see emerging, and it's scary.
The lack of a voice, the lack of candidate accountability, the inability to find middle ground, the deeply selfish attitudes of both parties--all of this makes me a little bit hopeless. But, as Fr. Riley said today, God will win. Even when it seems like darkness is everywhere, He can win. I need to believe that. We all need to believe that.
Our world needs God more than ever, but post-modernism has a disdain for and fear of anything that will challenge its comfort. We need to made a little bit uncomfortable. We need to seek common ground, to take our responsibilities seriously. If Catholic social teaching doesn't make you a bit uncomfortable, doesn't challenge you, then you should probably start your cause for sainthood. I know it challenges me. If Christians across the country took seriously those rights and responsibilities, I'd like to think we could actually right the ship.
