Political Despair...

So I think I've finally figured something out... and it is not good. I've determined that people (as in "we" as opposed to "them") are fundamentally flawed. Ready for my grand revelation? It's that we're fundamentally selfish. Don't get me wrong because I'm not trying to be negative, but am coming to accept the nature that evolution has given us.

We are by nature communal creatures. However our interest in community fundamentally conflicts with our strong instinct for preservation of self. I guess I would've liked to believe that we've evolved more than we have. I wish it was like it was Star Trek (original series) when mankind almost blew itself up at the end of the 20th century and then collectively realized that war works in our mutual dis-benefit. But we're not there yet and probably never will be.

So what led to this revelation?

• The completely asinine statements by Republicans against any kind of meaningful healthcare reform. The truth is that they're really against any healthcare reform that it is not completely either (a) remove lawsuits or (b) reduce taxes and public programs. What's even more disheartening is that even this is trumped by their real goal... to see the Democratic president fail at any cost.
• Real life is complex. I haven't met a single person that resembles the caricatures that we try to make them out to be sometimes. Real problems require hard thought with trade-offs and determined follow through. It would be nice if our national discourse were moving in a direction that realizes this and values thoughtfulness. However, I'm realizing that sound bites and one-liners trumps the complexity of truth and reason. Unfortunately with all the good associated with the advent of television and the subsequently the Internet, these new technologies have also enabled the stupid statements such as "death panels".