Real "Change"

Today, after the Mid-Term Election version of "Super Tuesday", the words coming out of the talking heads are "anti incumbent" and "change". In 2008 similar words were thrown around with equal frequency. Long-time Republican/Democrat Senator Arlen Specter (PA) was defeated by the "change" candidate Joe Sestak. Incumbent Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln (D) is now in a run-off with the "anti establishment" candidate Bill Halter. Rand Paul (son of former Presidential Candidate Rep. Ron Paul (R - TX)) defeated the Republican establishment candidate Trey Grayson.

All across the country, a wave of "change" swept primaries from Connecticut to Louisiana. Still, I have one question: "Change" what? Most people who hold elected office were brought to office, because they at the time of their initial election, they represented change of some sort, whether it be fiscal responsibility, increasing jobs, improving education, being a "person of the people" or some other reform rhetoric. However, all of these once "agents of change" eventually become the establishment and then, of course, it's time for that "establishment" person to go, because establishment = corruption.

Over the decades, the voters have changed their elected representatives many times over, the country has changed political parties of preferences just as many times, but there is one thing that hasn't changed, the voters. Voters for a very long time have fallen into one of three categories: angry, subdued or negligent. Angry voters want anything other than what currently exists in their respective government. Subdued voters are the ones benefitting from the current system of their respective government. Negligent voters have completely checked out of the process and only get involved once they become angry voters.

There needs to be another category: Engaged. Engaged voters may become angry, but they are never negligent or subdued, because there is too much going on in the communities, cities, counties, states and nation around them to be content or decide to fall out of the process. Engaged voters both go to their representatives and make their representatives come to them because they are informed about the issues, how they as voters can effect the issues and what their representatives are doing about the issues.

Because of the fact that our country is founded on the democratic republic form of government, the government is a direct mirror of the people. The people lack awareness, engagement and vigilance, and this results in a government that doesn't listen or represent its people. Until there is a shift in that dynamic, the faces may change, but the real problem remains the same.