Because of the United States' establishment as a haven for individuals seeking a high degree of personal freedom, and the astoundingly stable upkeep of its status in said regard, this Realist recognizes it as being the most effective and equitable public sector social structure to have ever graced the face of the earth. Those of us born here can never truly recognize exactly how lucky we were to have been; the millions across the world who strive to become Americans through legal means each and every year are an enduring testament to this. While it is undeniable that our political situations are far less than ideal, we should remember that ideals are floating abstracts, and wholly subjective ones at that. One person's utopia is another's living hell, and thankfully, due to our federal government's labyrinth of checks-and-balances, we will never have to discover just how true this is.
Nonetheless, as politics is what defines a social structure's value system, we are faced with, you guessed it, another question; what do the values of our government say about us as citizens, taxpayers, and, hopefully, voters? Are you proud of the current state of affairs in Washington, DC, your state capitol, or your city hall? Yes? No? If so, why? If not, why? In any case, how are you going to either ensure that the status quo is upheld or make some positive changes?
"Life," an old friend once told me,"is what you make of it." If nothing else, politics is, too.
Article comments
1 - Arch Conservative
I think when one wishes to engage in a serious discussion about the dark art of politics one must first have an understanding of the psychology of individual behavior vs. group behavior. I'm not an expert in the field of psychology but there is a great wealth of study and research devoted to determining the differences in human behavior when one is acting as an individual as opposed to when one is acting as a member of a group. The evidence shows those differences are dramatic.
The nation of corruption of one's morals, ethics and yes their very soul when entering the political arena is not a uniquely American phenomena. This notion is in fact beholden to no geographic location, sociopolitical ideology or point in time along the human experience on this blue orb we call home.
Much better and smarter men than I have for centuries wondered how best to combat this ugly problem of group psychology in vain so I have no answers either but I do feel that it is important to understand what is going on.
2 - roger nowosielski
Was going to make an extensive comment in your comments space, but decided to write an article instead. You do see that our projects somewhat intersect, although I didn't quite get around to discussing your concept of the art of politics.