Pay attention, it’s your tax money

In my last column, I discussed the political apathy we have in the country and how it’s a shame that it’s at the level it is right now. I wanted to come back to the topic and focus even more on why we need to pay attention to the people we put in office and what they do.

For one thing, some of these guys are pretty entertaining. If people actually sat down and paid attention to the strange and crazy antics these politicians pull off on a day-to-day basis, they would have all the entertainment they need. If it’s not former-Rep. Eric Massa, D-N.Y., having odd tickle fights with his staffers, it’s an official in the Republican National Committee having a wild rendezvous at some lesbian bondage-themed nightclub. You just can’t make this stuff up.

The unfortunate part of it all is that while it is entertaining, these guys are playing around with real money from every one of us. The amount of money that they throw around is staggering. And both sides try to spin the numbers so much to make sure that the average person doesn’t understand what’s going on. Let’s take the bank bailouts. Everyone put so much focus and attention on the $700 billion TARP bill, but what was conveniently left out of the conversation was the fact that the Federal Reserve pumped almost $4 trillion into the financial sector just to keep it afloat.

So instead of discussing the substance of issues, the politicians try to keep our minds on the politics of it all. And I’ll admit, it’s easy to get caught up in the politics and the process. Just like everyone else, I’ll sometimes get pulled into the election-day-is-everyday-type atmosphere and lose focus on the substance of issues.

I know this sounds cliché, but your voice really does matter. Get involved, read about the issues and attempt to truly cut through the partisan spin cycles that Washington loves to dish out. Voting is one thing, but holding them accountable is another. It’s simply knowing what your government is doing and holding its feet to the fire. Because these elected officials are still going to use your tax dollars, whether you pay attention to them or not.

Have something to say? Send a letter to colonnadeletters@gcsu.edu or visit GCSUnade.com to have your opinion heard!

Posted by Ian Bridgeforth on Apr 30 2010. Filed under Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry