Public Referendums and Cyclic Redundancy

OK America, I'm going to take you by the hand and explain, yet again, why your actions on election day were lacking...

We keep sending messages that are subject to interpretation. All day long for two days, talk radio has been buzzing with theories about what America was trying to convey. Was it just about the war? Was it about spending? Was it about unchecked power? Was it a liberal uprising? Did the conservatives give up?

My head hurts from it all.

People wanted things to change. That's all, that's it, no more. We have become like Pavlov's freaking dogs. If a republican pisses us off, we vote for a democrat. If the dems incur our wrath, we vote republican.

Had we voted out all the incumbents, as some idiot may have suggested, we wouldn't have sent a message that would take months to translate.

Most people don't want to be involved in the actual governance of America. They want to make their pick and drive on, knowing that they made a good choice with their vote. When a choice turns out to be bad, they replace a candidate with whatever choice is left. The republicans are obviously not doing so hot, so we have replaced them. Just like fifteen years ago we replaced the democrats FOR EXACTLY THE SAME REASON.

Any military man knows that no task can be completed without the clear and concise communication of expectations to every key position on a team. We, the people are not clearly communicating our expectations, and so the team is not reaching the goal.

Simplicity is the answer here. We must stop assuming that our differences need to be addressed on every side by all involved before decisions are made. No one is a true liberal or conservative in this country. Our differences are far less well defined than politically correct language would lead us to believe. For instance, parents (good ones, anyway) want their children to get a good education and to have choices when they come of age. Husbands want to be able to provide for families. Students seek opportunity. People in general are chasing one VERY important piece of the American Pie: the persuit of happiness.
All the other stuff is just detail that really won't make a difference in a hundred years. If we remain caught up in this redundant and pointless political game, the simple stuff that we all want will get chewed up by the big machine, and no one wins in the end.

Recommended Reading: 1984, by George Orwell, and This Perfect Day, by Ira Levin