Overwhelming isn’t it?
August 4th, 2009 . by john
It’s easy to be overwhelmed by what’s happening in our culture and our government. So much information, so much activity – who can follow it all? Never mind that we have several levels of government to deal with and that government at all levels is inserting itself into our lives more every day.
How many times have you paused thinking “How will this affect me, I need to find out and speak up” – but then you start to do a little research and quickly get discouraged. A good example is the House Bill on health care reform recently passed out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Let’s say that amidst a week of taking care of family and earning a living you tried to read the original bill. Over 1,000 pages of legalese that made Congress John Conyers make a stunning admission that he believed it was pointless to read the bill because he didn’t have two days and two lawyers to help him figure out what it says! You managed to scan enough of the bill to determine that it will require more than a week’s worth of evenings to digest and decipher but suddenly it’s the end of the week and the Energy and Commerce Committee have passed out the bill and have changed it! Oh no – how will I find out what the changes are?
See what I mean? Despite the open government initiatives and the so-called transparency President Obama touted during his candidacy it’s virtually impossible to find out many things in time to permit you to contact and comment to your representatives. Sure, there are many organizations that are helpful (some I’ve begun to add to my links in the sidebar) but unfortunately most of them are focused on narrow aspects of many of the pieces of legislation and you won’t get the whole picture from any one of them. Any of you who may be reading this and can point me and others to a single source of legislative updates please do so in the comments! I’m aware of organizations that will provide near-realtime information (for example Gallery Watch)but it comes at a price far too hefty more most of us working class types.
It’s overwhelming isn’t it? Sometimes I believe that’s precisely the effect that’s desired. Too much to absorb so we shave lowly but surely leave everything in the hands of the government and bureaucrats. But only if we allow it and we must not give up government by the people, for the people for government by the few, for the few.
“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. What I can do, I should do and, with the help of God, I will do.” – Edward Hale
