Thanks to the dysfunctional state of the governing process in Washington, politics have become an all year, every day job. Due to the so-called "Fiscal Cliff," Americans could not have a politics-free holiday season.
Every decision our Congressional leaders need to make to ensure the well-being of America and its citizens has become politicized. What is best for the country and for most of its citizens seems to get bogged down in political and partisan bickering.
Whatever happened to reason? Whatever happened to rational thinking, and the art of compromising? They have all fallen victim to politics, and not politics at its best.
There is nothing inherently wrong with politics within itself. American politics and the political process has been, historically, very good even when messy. Great and important policy decisions have been implemented. It is just in the last few years that it has hit an all time low with the current Congress.
American citizens, and rightly so, have given this Congress one of the worst grades for lack of performance in Congressional history — not for the few decisions it has made, but for the many it could not muster the practical wisdom and civility to make.
This Congress has chosen, by its actions or lack thereof, to represent their own will and those of their largest contributors, rather than the will of the people who voted them in office.
If each concerned citizen did not learn anything else from watching this inept circus performance and this calculated charade, we had to learn that American politics is an every day, all year, interminable job that should be a wake-up call to us all.
Going to the polls and casting a vote every two years to elect your Congressional representative is simply not enough. Every citizen must hold each elected official accountable to do those things that best take care of the people's business.
As much as you do not want to manage an employee, that is exactly what “we the people” must do. And we cannot do it once every two years, it is an ongoing job.
Look at what we have had during the last two years in Congress, and possibly, the next two years, simply because “we the people” continued to pay our employed elected officials a great salary, while leaving them to get away with not performing.
What other employer do you know who would have put up with that?
Just like any other position, governing, and American politics is an all year, every day job.