For the People?

On NPR this morning, I heard a bit more about the escalating presidential campaign efforts going on out there in the world.  I can’t give any details about it because I did my best to tune it out.  I refuse to think about it for another six months. 

Now, I realize that I’m just another blogger whining about something wrong with the system.  Feel free to tune me out, as well.  But I just wonder about the logistics of American government.  A president has four years to serve, and some of the latter part of that must be spent fighting to keep his position.  Meanwhile the American people elect a president with great fanfare, support him for the first year, become apathetic for the second, and then turn their attention to the new hopefuls beginning to spout their claims for the position.  This is one person’s perspective, but it’s what I see, and it seems like a waste of time.  I’d imagine there are more people than just me who are tired of the necessary jumping through hoops that politicians do every four years.

When I was in London in the spring, my political science professor expressed amazement at the large percentage of Americans who dislike and distrust their government.  Now why is that, in a nation professed to be governed by the people?  I can’t help but wonder if the system of government designed almost two hundred and fifty years ago might need a little bit of shaking up.  For instance: six year terms for the president instead of four.  The man (or the woman—let’s be optimistic) in the Oval Office might then have enough time to learn to navigate the infamous struggles in Congress and actually accomplish something.  We still have impeachment for the bad eggs, and if we’re not afraid to use it, politicians would actually pay attention to it.

Or here’s an idea—put the government online.  In the past it would have been impossible to poll the entire nation on small issues, but not now when every John and Jane Doe have internet and can use it.  What if, for the problems the politicians can’t solve alone, we were to bring in the people?  Polls on Google, or voting available online—with careful security measures, of course.  I have a feeling that with the continuing desire to do everything from the comfort of one’s own home, a lot more people would take interest if we wired the government.

Maybe they’re silly ideas.  I’m no politician, I admit that.  But the fact that a majority of Americans don’t even pay attention to what’s going on in their government is alarming to me.  Maybe if we make some changes to the way things are done, we can catch the attention of the people again.  The ones who are, after all, supposedly in charge of this nation.