Don’t you love the campaign trail? The back stabbing, lies, exaggerations, untruths, deductions from someone’s statements that deliberately mislead, the sarcasm, the smirking, the coyness, all designed to make one’s self appear to be better, more presidential, more statesmen-like, more intelligent, more sophisticated, just an all-around much better person than that “other” political loud mouth lying SOB.

The, after the primaries candidates from the same party become best buddies (at least to the public) seemingly overnight. The losers declare that the winner would make the best president or senator or whatever office they are running for, obviously so much better than that lying, exaggerating, sarcastic, smirking, coy, candidate from the evil, despicable, incompetent, OTHER PARTY! (I don’t know about you, but if someone spoke badly about me I’d take exception and would not be all that ready to forgive and forget. Maybe in a week or 52, but not overnight.)

And it doesn’t seem to matter what level of government or what school board, or what office, or even what high school government position a person is running for, “the other guy sucks and here’s why.”

The media, of course doesn’t help either. They are only interested in ratings, not reporting unbiased news. They sensationalize the unsensational! They nitpick each and every syllable spoken, looking for the next big story. If the story just isn’t there they try to create one: “Did you hear what so and so said about that person?” or “I’ll bet that person did such and such.”

Oh and the interviews! Let’s see what dirt we can get this candidate to say about that candidate. What is your response to what he/she said about you? Don’t you think they are out of line? What is your opinion of that person or what they said, or did, or thought? Stir the pot; see if you can get it to boil! That will help the ratings, and therefore my career.

All the while, we as a nation, as a whole country, suffer from partisanship and division. We are not getting the governance necessary for the 21st century, to guide our country, to provide the best society for our people, both rich and poor. (Notice I didn’t mention the middle… it doesn’t exist as it did in the 50s and 60s.) As a result, the political back stabbing politicians create a divide that ensures their party’s win, which is not always in the best interest of even those who voted them into office let alone the millions of others who could see through the BS and knew all along.

As the country endures this divide, the wealthy obtain the benefits and the working poor pay for those benefits, including:

• Corporate welfare (far more costly than the food stamp program),

• Congress’ pay and retirement packages,

• Tax breaks that benefit only the extremely wealth,

• An unfair unrealistic tax system that favors the rich,

• A flawed corporate tax code that sees some of the most profitable companies paying “$0” in taxes (GE for one.)

While all this is happening, the wealthy keep the poor focused on ridiculous issues and non-consequential BS, not on the ultimate prize: a living wage, affordable health care (sure, we have great health care….if you are wealthy), a chance to improve your life, no more bank bail outs, a financial system that doesn’t punish the worker or the home owner, a safer society void of gun massacres, and a world less troubled.

By keeping us busy with the nonsense, the powers-that-be are planning our futures without our input, without our approval, without our interests at heart. They care only for themselves and their kind and to hell with the rest. Corporations care only for the bottom line (to hell with the environment or what is best for society). CEOs only care that their companies make enough to pay their huge salaries (to hell with the workers’ rights, wages, health care and lives of their families), Wall Street cares for its profits (to hell with right or wrong….PROFIT, that’s what counts), and politicians only care about party (to hell with what is best for society as long as WE are in power and have control).

It is a sad state that we find our Union. It can only improve if we put aside undeserved loyalties, vote for what is best for all, abandon thoughts of “how it was” and adopt thinking of “how it is to be,” put our faith in those that are honest, far-thinking, caring for the masses above their own interests, and show us what they think, what they see, who they are, what they stand for and not try to make themselves better in the public’s eyes by belittling the opponent.

Enough bickering and demonizing.

Enough negative ads.

Enough smug ugliness.

Tell me who YOU are. Tell me what YOU think. Tell me what YOU see in our future. Tell me how YOU will handle catastrophes. Tell me why YOU are the best candidate.

Have a headache, upset tummy from all this negative politics?

Take two aspirin and call me in the morning…