A Funny Thing Happened on the way to this Forum

A funny thing happened on the way to this forum.

I introduced an Iron County Democrat to the contents
of the article immediately below, the one called
Energize!!! And it turns out that some Democratic
reformers aren't reformers at all when it includes any
threat at all to the power currently held by the
Democratic Party. It seems to me that unthinking and
unflinching religious loyalty of childhood is very easily
replaced by an identical unthinking and unflinching
loyalty to a political party as an adult. Religion
promises after death rewards, political parties
promise "power right now." I guess I can understand
a now instead of later mentality, even if the now
rewards are short and the later rewards are
permanent.

It's like this. Michigan Democrats (generally) lamely
work towards stamping out corruption in the county
so long as the party itself, and their individual power
and collective power isn't at risk.

So the underlying question is the most important one
of all. What will it take to get people to pull out all the
stops and root out corruption by any means, and in
the end let the chips fall where they may. Having a
strong political party of any persuasion is completely
worthless so long as that political party fails to serve
the needs of the people under all circumstances.

In the circumstances we presently have in Iron
County Michigan I'd like nothing better than to
abolish the Democrats, the Republicans, and the
Libertarians, and replace them with three brand
new parties and brand new hierarchies. We would
do far better with three new parties regardless of
their names, even if we call them rock, paper, and
scissors. At least there would be interplay and
something worthwhile could happen in Iron
County instead of the private interests that are
presently being served exclusively.

Realistically we know that can't happen in the present
political economic climate. So we need to work
together to have 3 strong parties competing with
one another, regardless of the fear this instills
in some Democrats.

Today I realized that I am living in a community filled
with characters resembling those well described in
Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. If you're not
familiar with that work I highly recommend it for
reading. Generally speaking, nothing is quite as it
would seem to be if you scratch just a bit below the
surface. Just like Iron County. Chaucer died more
than 500 years ago.

The more things change, they more they stay the
same.

Bill Vajk
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