The Big Picture

In following the melodrama over at the state capitol more than I really like to (in all honesty), one comes away with the impression that the major objective of everything they do -- is to make a mountain out of a molehill, and that the chief themes emerging, is to figure out a way in which the governor, who is the singular competent person, can also do nothing.

The senate confirmation process was never intended to be another battle by each senator hoping eventually to become the governor, to get their chance to show how they can block the governor from getting people they think can best do the job in helping them, into positions of prominence. Instead, they now feel that the proper people to have in such positions, will be those who will obstruct the executive at every issue and directive -- as their job.

So the confirmation of nominations is turned into endless crisis and campaign -- when the people have clearly indicated by their failure to show up at elections, that they’d rather not be bothered -- and would like somebody in charge, to take charge. Otherwise, those who remain interested and highly-motivated to dominate the proceedings, are the self-serving special interests.

That’s why we have representative government -- so everybody doesn’t have to stay involved, micromanaging every detail. In obstructing the executive's nominations and advancing proposals to make more positions contentious in this way, these legislators never get around to doing their own jobs -- because they are too busy passing resolutions “weighing in” on all the subjects that the media can get people interested enough to pay attention to what they think is so important.

So we have government by sensationalism, demagoguery, obstructionism, a constant struggle to see who is Boss -- as the only work of their jobs, while the bigger picture objective of making society run better, is entirely lost. Those who have nothing better to do in their jobs, then proceed to prevent anybody else from doing theirs -- so they don’t make everybody else look bad in not doing anything.

That is social organization and government at its most primitive form of development -- entirely consumed with issues of dominance and who is the Boss. Larger objectives are just lost entirely to these petty struggles for dominance -- by usually petty people, made smaller at everything they say and do. These are disproportionately lawyers; in fact, it is the ONLY thing lawyers seem to do -- obstruct justice and getting anything useful and productive done.

That model of dysfunction pervades all the public discussions and forums -- so that most citizens are turned off and driven away -- but the few motivated disproportionately because of their self-interest. So the process becomes that of wearing down the opposition by pointless and petty concerns until the competent, willing and able, get frustrated and walk away. What we have remaining is Hawaii (country) state government and its minions.

Increasingly, the rise of alternatives to these “venerable” institutions emerrge to supplant them and make them totally obsolete and irrelevant -- as they already are for the younger generations despite the pleas from the older, that they have to get interested and involved -- as the only option badly-aging Baby Boomers still think are the times we live in.