Our Country Biggest Problem: Conformity in Politics

“…that our governments are too unstable, that the public good is disregarded in the conflicts of rival parties, and that measures are too often decided, not according to the rules of justice and the rights of the minor party, but by the superior force of an interested and overbearing majority.”

Over the length of this course, we have discussed several aspects of politics. We have studied citizenship and obligations to society as a citizen, justice and what it means to us as individuals, and how to go about enacting change within a community and around the world. Some of the most important topics from this class included the characteristics, duties, and obligations of rulers of government. In addition to the concept of rulers, we also studied the notion of authority and the moral and metaphysical implications of authority to individuals ' autonomy. Within each concept of study, we read works from many authors with conflicting ontologies, constructed from their differing views on human nature.

Since the inception of the United States of America 250 years ago, our government has enacted a practice of lies and deceit that keep its citizens in the dark. Matters such as false allegations that result in long standing wars, financial misuse and abuse, secret alliances that serve the government agenda's, and the altering of history affect not only the US citizens, it affects the global population as a whole. This deception has resulted in mistrust of the US Government as people question what our government is up to and what they are seeking to gain. In order to earn the public's trust, the United States Government needs to be transparent with its citizens, giving us the information whether it's positive or negative instead of allowing

The government of the United States controls countless affairs in the world. They control everything from the currency to the court systems. Individuals are suppose to be able to trusting your government system, which has not been the case in many different circumstances. From Richard Nixon to the Whitewater scandal, the government has been everything but honest.

Stephen Medvic, In Defense of Politicians, discusses why Americans feel that politicians are dishonest. In 2007, a Gallup poll about honesty and ethical standards for occupations, showed that only 12 and 9 percent of people felt that Congressmen and State office holders held high standards, (Medvic p. 2). In addition, Americans tend to like their representatives more than the members of Congress because they view them as actual people. Americans view Congress as a group of politicians who are greedy and not representing their interests, (Medvic p. 4).

Our government lying in these past years have been a major problem for the citizens of the United States. When the government lies sometimes its for the publics own good or when the government does not think that we can handle something. Sometimes them lying is a good thing, but sometimes it can be bad. Whether it’s the government spying on citizens without the proper authorization and without warrants, then the public finds out that they are being watched when documents surface the web and is all over the news (quigly). Then the government lies and tries to cover it up and refuse to acknowledge any involvement in what happened.

Within the past few years, the United States has become increasingly divided. Not only is this divide becoming more and more prevalent, but both legislators and civilians are also becoming more intractable. Many leaders in the Congress, in the Senate, and even in the White House are unwilling to work with leaders of different political parties simply because they do not want to seem as if they are faltering in their beliefs of their party’s ideals. Legislators choose to represent the interests of those who funded their campaign instead of lobbying for the best interest of their constituents. When lawmakers represent billionaires instead of average people, they become out of touch and the government becomes less “for the people by the people” and more “for the one percent by the one percent.”

The overwhelming lack of trust in the government and uninformed voters is covered in Ch1 of WTP. Harold Lasswell said, "Politics is the struggle over who gets what and how". A direct effect is an uneducated voter and even worse a higher number of people that just will not vote to show that they do not approve nor care. The results of this misguided thinking are often more and more people left behind when the pie is sliced… who gets what and how. The trust in the Government continues to decline because people feel helpless to what laws are passed and who is elected. This brings self-justification to the ideas of' "we are losing out rights and becoming blind sheep." Yet, in this information age, the lack of responsibility of research and footwork for information will cost "them/us" to continue to be absent when it's time to be heard. At the speed of the free internet, we have access to just about anything, yet it is difficult to find reliable and natural information for politics and the news without a little effort, yet many can find their favorite song before it comes out. Personally, I feel this strain as well, but I understand that "I" can make a small difference but "US or WE" can make change by investing a little

Are we truly worthy and capable of ruling ourselves without the constant overwatch of the government over our backs? This question was very much a central issue that plagued American colonists both before and after independence from the British Empire. Thomas Hobbs, a foremost philosopher, warned how people were “nasty, brutish, and short” and that in order to control man’s habitual actions of sin, you need a powerful government that can watch out for these types of people. Much of what Hobbs advocated aligns with the ideas and thinking of Alexander Hamilton, but on the other hand, there are modern libertarians who would argue that without government, people interact with each other in ways that produce harmony and civility, major ideals that were held by the late Thomas Jefferson. Despite both Hamilton and Jefferson’s ideals playing a major factor in the development of political parties in the newfound United States, it is the Hobbesian view that makes a stronger case for the role of government in the affairs of the country.

One aspect of American society to which people should not conform is the platform of the Republican party. The unwavering conformity of the Republican party prohibits its own members from making progress. If a certain politician’s view does not live up to the GOP’s standards then they are blacklisted. Each political party is entitled to their own ideas, but when any deviation from those ideas spoils a candidate's chances, then you know the party has gone too far. As a disclaimer, this is not to shun any republican opinions, it is merely to highlight the fact that the party’s ideals have become extremely restrictive, even amongst its own members. It is essential to recognize that democracy is designed to function for a society that represents a diversity of opinion.

Problems can arise with politicians that put their personal beliefs over the needs of the community first. Some political figures have used their power in society for bad instead of the greater good.

The public lacks in knowledge about the complexity of our government and most of the time they do not care enough to research about government. This ignorance from the public causes the democratic government to become flawed because the people are voting without having the needed knowledge. The people plead what they personally think is best without taking in account everyone in the country. With that being said, politicians are stuck between a rock and a hard place. The politicians can do two things: address what the public wants to increase their chances of getting elected or address what is best for the country although it is not what the public thinks is

When I think about a political community, I usually associate it with elections, politicians, and advertisements that bad mouth candidates from the different political parties. Politicians try to persuade citizens to vote for them by making promises that they may never fulfill. But a political community is more than that. A comparison of Aristotle and John Locke’s nature and purpose of a political community has given me a new insight. I learned that, even though the political community is responsible to provide security, its main purpose is aimed for the highest good of all its citizens, which is virtue and happiness.

“Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely.” This quote by Franklin D. Roosevelt supports the idea that citizenship is not based on the judgment of the government, but on the education of the citizens. The government that exists today took a lot of compromises and hard work. Some compromises include the Great Compromise, Native American Reservations, the Bill of Rights, and the Civil rights amendments. Conflict and compromise define what it means to be a citizen by bettering your community , using your rights responsibly, and participating in the local and state government. Some evidence includes Civic Duty, Gun violence, and the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election.

The society in which Americans live in today, is in certain aspects far more complex than it ever was for our ancestors. This new complexity is seen on both a micro and macro level and everything that falls in between. Perhaps American society is inherently more complex due to the fact that most if not every societal problem that is encountered, tends to gear towards a political nature in the method of solving. It seems that Americans no longer abide by the do it yourself mentality, and as times goes by we as a people look to the government leaders to solve our problems when they are beyond our capabilities, not realizing that in doing so we also bestow the power upon them to make decisions for society as a whole. When you have an issue