Civilized -OR- Factioned Out,: Show Your Work

What separates the U.S. from other third world cesspools? (note the clever inclusion of US as members of the 3rd world?)

We are civilized damnit! We've been civilized almost completely out of relevance. Whilst other backwaters practice a more overt perpetuation of the status quo by killing or imprisoning critics, cabals, dissenters, n'er-do-wells,... extending into the pools of potential via some bizarre Barney Fife "Nip it in the bud" cleansings, such places are also more prone to factious juntas, coups and societal disintegration enabled in part by meddling for America's "vital interests" and the backlash against such things.

Domestically, America has taken a more genteel approach to politics which has reserved costly space in our prisons for drug offenders and politicians sacrificed to the facade of good governance. Our best and brightest are monetized to eschew political involvement. Intellect, brains and smarts are considered negatives in the limelight of American Politics. By pervasively and deliberately limiting the potential field through pedigree, breeding and resume', while ridiculing and marginalizing actual thought, we have distilled the essence of our representation down to a well-groomed, compliant herd of spoon-fed narcissists; ready and willing to
say anything, do anything and BE anything useful to the cause of partisanship.

Today's parties have discovered the full advantage of being completely disagreeable without ever having to be responsible for anything. Neat, clean, sanitary. By purging
bi-partisanship as a requirement, our two-party system has distilled a power-sharing agreement that inoculates against upstarts, independents, reformers and rational thought. Everything is framed by party politics while party politics has become a wholly owned subsidiary of its big ticket donors. Conflict of interest no longer applies, since the interests have consolidated into focused, inculcating wielders of proxies. Attaining dominance through wealth, or the projected illusion of wealth and power via proxy aggregation, is in no way, shape or form, a level playing field.

Few Americans harbor illusions about the relationship as thriving or healthy. Most are resigned to continuing the lesser of two evils non-choices that occupy our election cycles. They are "hope and poke" voters not blithering idiots. Meeting their fate with a collective shrug and a "Whachoogonnadoabodit?"

Here in Illinois, we're in the thick of quite possibly the most factious, least informative election cycle ever. Mark Kirk and Alexi Gianoulias for Senate. Pat Quinn and Bill Brady for Governor. To see the ads, it's quite possible that the race is to determine who will preside over the ultimate destruction of the state.

Of these four, although you'd never glean it from the campaigns, ONLY Pat Quinn has a record that is remotely tied to the concerns of the average voter. The ONLY reason he is the current Illinois governor is that his party tried to bury him; consigned to the pointless obscurity of the Lt. Governor slot. Madigan. Foiled by Blago.

Looming just beyond the November farce, the local races will begin for the vote in April (after the tune-up February primaries). The race for Chicago mayor has consequence for a full two-thirds of Illini residents since that's how many live in Daleyville. Two out of ten voters will turn out to determine the swan-singers. Two more of each ten will still be trying to keep their powder dry. Another 3 will be checking their escape routes and the final 3 will be overcoming their limitations to complete their enrollment form for the tea party.

The preponderance of voters everywhere are contemplating the ultimate cost of being civilized.