Civics Question: What influence do I have as a US citizen?

[LarryW]

Originally Posted by craigepo

Get involved. Volunteer. Run for office. Publish a blog. Write intelligent letters to the editor. Financially support good causes and good people. Help educate the next generation.

Get out of the mindset that the only important thing that's happening is what you see on the news. Important stuff is going on all around you-good stuff as well. Unfortunately, this isn't what is broadcast, because it isn't sexy enough to sell.

Sometimes you have to succeed in spite of authority.

Agree with all your points, Judge. I promise to try harder & at least try to feel good about all this stuff. Probably the biggest short-straw in hand is that I watch too much news which does affect the mindset. I try to maintain eclectic news tastes (FOX, CNN, NBC, PBS, AJAM, and USA Today). On the other side, I am involved (church, vet organizations, RAO, etc) Re: the other points you made, I volunteer at the local sheriff's office (writing grant requests), have been on the local Town Council for the past 15 years, and write letters to all who claim to know how to read. I don't blog or Twitter (and I don't go with the girls that do). Authority really doesn't impress me much, and as such doesn't really scare me much. I don't resent it, but just not overly impressed with it.

Ah, shit...I promise to try better. I'm just not optimistic. The current Executive Branch has stifled every hope that the people have any influence at all no matter what they do. Just my opinion.

[MR2]

We are coming. Are we coming for you? Who do you represent? What do you represent? Listen. Because we are coming. We the people are coming.

[Ret10Echo]

Primary results are in…

Obviously people don’t want change or reform. I mean seriously?

Congress has taken up residence in the basement of approval ratings. Unable or incapable of assembling coherent thought…only rhetoric accompanied by impassioned spittle-flying exploits.

Change? Here is an example of how poorly Kongressional reprehensibles… I mean… representatives and state legislators are viewed in the People’s Republic of Maryland:

- House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer was unopposed in the primary for the 5th District, which includes southern Maryland. Hoyer, 75, has represented the district since 1981.

1981! 33 years this guy has been there…..

- Rep. Elijah Cummings, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, was nominated to serve a 10th term representing the Baltimore-area 7th District.

10th…10th term… Boy are they “showing” them how displeased they are…

- Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, was nominated to seek a seventh term in the Baltimore-area 2nd District.

Democrat and Intelligence used in the same sentence… laughable. 7th term.

- Rep. Chris Van Hollen won the Democratic primary and will seek an eighth term representing the 8th District in suburban Washington.

“Seek” an 8th term? In PDRM, the primary IS the election….

- Rep. John Sarbanes was nominated for a fifth term representing the sprawling 3rd District in central Maryland.

Sprawling due to the gerrymandering necessary to achieve the proper Dimocratic result in elections.

Donna Edwards…nominated for a fourth term (the junior amongst this dream-team of incompetence)…states

“The voters in Maryland appreciate and understand that. You have across-the-board support for our congressional delegation. It speaks well about us as Marylanders."

Maryland voters are too stupid to learn what letter comes after “D” in the alphabet.

47 % of Marylanders polled stated that they would leave this little oasis of taxation and socialism if they could…

Yup, people are upset… I’m just not sure at what.

[sinjefe]

All senators and congressman are corrupt.....except mine.

That is why the system is broke.

[miclo18d]

Originally Posted by sinjefe

All senators and congressman are corrupt.....except mine.

That is why the system is broke.

That's the quote my dad taught me! "Everyone's representative is horrible, except mine!

My thoughts go back and forth on term limits. It would get rid of the cronies but I think it could usher in the extremists. If you know you only get one or two terms you may just vote for the crazy stuff because you have nothing to lose. Sort of "The Devil you know" vs "The Devil you don't"

[Paslode]

Originally Posted by miclo18d

That's the quote my dad taught me! "Everyone's representative is horrible, except mine!

My thoughts go back and forth on term limits. It would get rid of the cronies but I think it could usher in the extremists. If you know you only get one or two terms you may just vote for the crazy stuff because you have nothing to lose. Sort of "The Devil you know" vs "The Devil you don't"

From my perspective it would appear the 'Left' as it is known is a long ways down the road when it comes to electing extremists with extreme views and extreme agendas. The 'Right' on the other hand is full Good Ole Boy ass kissers like John Boner who don't want to upset their gravy train, and in many cases the Repubs have allowed themselves to be co-oped.

Thus the Dems have been running through the Repubs like ISIS is running through Iraq..........virtually unimpeded.

To counter that you need people that are willing to use extreme means to counter the radical left.

It a no win situation, damned if you do, damned if you don't.

[SigmaAaron]

It's the teeter totter effect, people have short attention spans. We're starting to see it not in D.C. but at the state level i.e. Tx, Sc, Governors are fighting back there's a large spike in state militia numbers. People over step their boundries and we head towards successions.