I say don't complain because we, from the Greatest Generation (my parents) on, have voted in the politicians at all levels, and then paid little attention to what they did. Oh, occasionally, a politician would really step in it and we'd raise our heads, talk about it for a time, then go back to our lives. It was as though the things that politicians did had no effect on our lives.
The next election rolls around and those who even bothered to vote would generally vote either Democrat or Republican because that is the way their family always voted. Or they would vote for name recognition. You can verify that by seeing what percentage of an advantage an incumbent has in an election.
People, for the most part, are too lazy to do the work of watching what a politician does. How does he vote? What special interest group seems to be funding him to whatever extent that is still allowed? Then, that politician, secure in his victory, goes back to enriching himself and legislating in more perks for the job.
Am I being way too cynical? I would be willing to bet that 99% of elected officials, from city counsels to members of the U.S. Congress, as soon as they are elected, spend at least half of their time padding their accounts or trying to ensure their next reelection.
But, surely the Constitution forbids these people from taking bribes for favors. Uhuh. There's more than one way around that. Ever hear the word Lobbyist? Washington D.C. runs on the oil of "You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours." But that isn't really where the big bucks are. Enough outraged citizens over the years have insisted on coming up with stop-gaps for those kinds of shenanigans.
Not to be denied the wealth that is their due, none of these rules and regulations apply to their families. In most cases, their spouses, children, and siblings are just regular citizens. If you scratch the surface of the finances of most politicians, you'll find a pay-to-play scenario somewhere in their family. Does their husband or wife sit on the board of a large corporation or agency that would benefit from just the right influence in D.C.? Does some powerful lobby pay for trips abroad for their family members? There are probably more ways around the laws, rules, and restrictions than I could even imagine.
I laugh every time I hear someone say, "I don't understand how someone could get elected to Congress, for example, get paid $174,000 a year and within a couple of years, be worth millions." To which I usually answer sarcastically, "I guess they are just good at investing."
This is all bad enough. Then, add to it all of the bought and paid for or compromised politicians in the CCP's hip pocket. For some, it is just the money. Others have been compromised through sexual misconduct of kinds I don't even want to discuss.
There are things that Americans have to understand about the Chinese. They are a very long-range-viewed and patient people. It has taken them decades to accomplish their stranglehold on American businesses, universities, and politics. Also, if I remember correctly, the majority of the Chinese in power are Hans. They believe to the last man and woman that they are vastly superior to any other race or culture. They believe it is their destiny to rule lesser people. That is how they can organ harvest and murder so many other Chinese. They consider them as expendable.
These CCP members have spent many years infiltrating colleges and universities with their socialist/communist propaganda. they know that the mind of a young person, often at odds with parents and other authority figures, is quite vulnerable to their 'vision' of a perfect society. At the same time, they have gone to work in key companies to steal intellectual property. The CCP practically wrote the manual for that. Tech companies beware!
Most alarming to me are the ones who go into government, covertly, as in the case of Mitch McConnell's Chinese wife. Is she really the sister of Xi Jeng Ping's wife? Or overtly by running for office. They might have to be an American citizen to run for office. But, were they born and raised here? Then they are American citizens of Chinese descent, Not Chinese Americans, as everyone calls them. But, they could still be turned through family pressure as anyone who has low moral standards could.
The scariest ones of all for me are the ones who are hired by what I would call sensitive agencies and departments. Where do the intelligence agencies get their interpreters for example? How about the State Department positions? A few years back, a close friend's son married a Chinese woman. I met her and she seemed like a nice person. And may well have been. But, she was born and raised in Beijing, China. Is anyone going to try to tell me that she wasn't filled with the Chinese Communist propaganda from the cradle on through school? Plus, she has relatives back in China who could be used as pawns.
My friend didn't understand why I had such a negative reaction to the Department of Defense hiring her. After all, by this time, she was an American citizen. I'm sure so many of the Chinese who have infiltrated so much of our society also obtained citizenship. Do not think that is a repudiation of the Chinese Communist Party or of the Han superiority for many if not most of them.
If she had been born and raised in America, with American values and experiences, I wouldn't have batted an eyelash. Raised here with all of the benefits of being a natural-born American? Then, if they turned, they are a traitor to their country. If this woman would sabotage anything at the Department of Defense, she would be considered a hero to her culture back home. Quite a different thing.
So, have we Americans, alarmed by this disastrous slide into socialism, awakened from our slumber? I hope so, but I also recognize that it is just human nature. This lack of attention, especially in good times, was always the case as Jefferson pointed out in his memoirs:
"Our first essay, in America, to establish a federative government had fallen, on trial, very short of its object, during the War of Independence, while the pressure of an external enemy hooped us together, and their enterprises kept us necessarily on the alert, the spirit of the people, excited by danger, was a supplement to the Confederation and urged them to zealous exertions. But, when peace and safety were restored, and every man became engaged in a useful and profitable occupation, less attention was paid to the call of Congress."
I have to agree with Jefferson.
"Whenever a man has cast his eye on offices, a rottenness begins in his conduct."
The reason we must wake up all across this nation and in every walk of life is that:
"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. It must be fought, protected, and handed on." Ronald Reagan.
Have we patriots awakened in time to save our nation? I hope so.
