Am I The Only One?

February 12th, 2016

I don't discuss politics. I don't rant on Facebook. What I think is what I think and I keep it home, inside my family. How I am going to vote and the candidate I choose is no one's business. I watch the debates. I watch the news. I read the stories and opinion pages in the newspaper. I respect the opinions of others both in person, and on social media. But…and it's a really big BUT – am I the only one who sees this?

All I see is a plethora of candidates with laundry lists of what THEY are going to do. They repeat their mantras over and over, but has even one of them addressed the key word – HOW? To date, not a one of them has followed their lofty promises by a detailed plan stating this is what I am going to do and this is how I am going to do it.

Would it be too much to ask, that instead of these incessant debates where they all rant the same laundry list over and over, how about we put each one on stage for 30 minutes with a white board and a marker and have them present their detailed plans for accomplishing those things they are tauting to “make America great?” Then I might be able to make an informed decision, having the facts laid out in front of me. Right now it's just a big game of “who do I believe?” with no credibility to back it up.

I want to change things and get things done in this country right along with the rest of you, but I have some questions. Hillary – HOW are you going to get free college for everyone and HOW are you going to get equal pay for women? Bernie – HOW are you going to get the money from the 1% and redistribute it among the rest of us? Donald – HOW are you going to “crush” Isis? HOW – are you going to stop the flow of drugs and illegal immigrants? (And please don't say the word wall one more time.) And the rest of the Republican candidates – HOW are you going to hang in here against the Donald?

Am I the only one that sees a bunch of people up there inciting anger and emotion with no substance behind any of it? I worry that what we are going to end up with is a huge celebration of a winner where we can all raise our voices and our fists in victory – and the next day? Nothing. We will stand there among the dead confetti and broken pieces of red, white and blue balloons and realize we just elected a person that is a great actor, a charismatic leader, but never really had anything that they could put on paper in front of the American people that laid out their plan for the big change they promised. Did they even realize that the way our forefathers laid out our governement, they made it impossible for one person to even have that kind of influence? We are not electing a king here. Do these candidates even have a clue that they just can't march in there and demand their demands be met? And do they really think so little of us Americans that they think we will continue to rise up and follow them based on the anger and emotion they are elicting alone? I hate to break it to them, but we are not a stupid society. Sooner or later all their hoopla isn't going to hold up and they are going to be called on the carpet to explain to us “fans” just how they are going to keep these promises.

And so, as another day goes by, I once again sit in front of my TV set and wonder if I am the only one who sees this, and…I have written.