No, no, no. This is not "Let's rant about the government". I actually like the government, generally. Sure, I have plenty of complaints and changes I'd like to see. But, as an old dead dude once said (Nope, not that one. Or him. Or that guy. Pretty sure this is the one.):
"In a democracy people get the leaders they deserve"
In the title of this series, it's not the government I'm calling lazy. The "lazy" is coming from inside the house. My fellow Americans, what I'm saying is, we need to talk.
To be clear, it's actually unfair for me to call any person lazy. I just needed a clever title.
I often look at the insanity of current events, some of the terrible acts being committed in the name of our nation, the corruption and power grabs of those who work only to serve their own ends and I scream, exasperated:
"Why aren't more people angry?! Why aren't we doing something about this?!"
My wife explained it, rather succinctly:
"Justin, you're a nerd."
Now, after my personal offense had subsided, I began to understand what she meant:
Government is boring.
Politics are frustrating and disheartening.
A lot of this shit is confusing.
Paying attention and being involved takes time and energy.
And folks still have a lot of Netflix to catch up on, you know, once they've made sure their kids can eat and they get a little sleep themselves.
I get it. Not everyone finds the ongoings of government to be interesting the way I do. Not everyone chooses it as a hobby.
The trouble is, as seen especially in recent years, there are a lot of interested folks who are involved for the wrong reasons. We need the people with no time or no interest to help take the wheel before this bus we call "American Democracy" is driven over the cliff.
So that's what this is. I'm going to take things that are happening in our government and, using humor and a lot of bullet points, attempt to create brief explanations. Consume quickly. Get in the know. Vote or act accordingly. And still have time for Stranger Things.
Stay tuned for Lazy Government. I follow the news so you don't have to.
Let's get some shit done. You know, quickly. I've gotta get this dog to the groomer.