{"id":6082,"date":"2016-04-05T06:42:50","date_gmt":"2016-04-05T10:42:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/intramuralist.com\/?p=6082"},"modified":"2016-04-05T06:42:50","modified_gmt":"2016-04-05T10:42:50","slug":"more-than-half-the-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/?p=6082","title":{"rendered":"more than half the people"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"photo-1458681708599-e0be9ce54707\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Ah, again today there\u2019s a vote \u2014 a vote before the vote as to whom will lead us next.<\/p>\n

Funny\u2026 ok, so maybe not… but I keep hearing all these slants and shared perspectives on the current election cycle. Typically, it primarily equates to criticism of one side only, simultaneously ignoring the glaring discrepancies and questions on the side of the sharer. In fact, I keep hearing comments about people being \u201cangry\u201d or \u201cthe year of the angry voter.\u201d I\u2019ve noticed that some talk only about anger on one side of the aisle, yet my common sense stab suggests the anger exists across multiple aisles; otherwise there would likely be no rise to either<\/em> a Sanders or Trump.<\/p>\n

I hear significant dissatisfaction \u2014 minimal enthusiasm. How many times have we each viewed a meme, articulating something along the lines of \u201ctell me\u2026 is there someone else<\/strong> I can vote for? … please<\/strong>??\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Again, the dissatisfaction is across all aisles.<\/p>\n

So I sit here pondering the cause and effect. The effect seems the aforementioned anger and dissatisfaction. The cause, it seems, lies in the behavior of those who\u2019ve gone before this current slate of candidates.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m wondering if there is a prevalent feeling that a majority of those who\u2019ve served via elected office in recent decades have mixed up public and self service; they\u2019re so entwined that people can\u2019t seem to discern the difference. We\u2019ve seen far too many seem to rhetorically suggest that they are somehow \u201cGod\u2019s gift\u201d to us. Sorry, but none who believe they are \u201cGod\u2019s gift\u201d would seem to comprehend the humility necessary in the position God has allowed them to hold.<\/p>\n

I wonder if we\u2019ve been worn down by the promises of those who\u2019ve gone before. The elect seem to often void their campaign promises as soon as sworn in\u2026 Did they not mean what they said? Did they say what they meant? Are they unable to do what they said? Or did they just make certain, pleasing promises in order to increase the likelihood of election?<\/em><\/p>\n

There also seems this unfortunate impression in too many of the elect that they don\u2019t truly care about their constituents. Wait. I\u2019ll re-phrase: the elect only care for about half<\/strong> of their constituents.<\/em><\/p>\n

Since when has it been considered wise policy making to enact sweeping decisions that only half of the people support? Are all the other people simply wrong? Shouldn\u2019t the fact that so many issues are so divided prompt us to find a solution that accounts for both opinions \u2014 instead of pushing solely one opinion through no matter the size of the opposition? I must admit, I have gotten a little tired of the rhetorical justification that it\u2019s \u201cthe right thing to do\u201d when a significant half exists that disagrees with such specific, sweeping policy. People can disagree; and their opinion matters.<\/p>\n

What that says to this semi-humble observer, is that such an elected office holder is only good at listening to half the people. Listening to half does not equate to listening well.<\/p>\n

When the elect do not listen well, many \u2014 on all sides of the aisles \u2014 become angry or dissatisfied. Such gives credence to the obvious lack of enthusiasm for the current, so-called \u201cestablishment\u201d candidates\u2026 and such gives rise to the atypical candidates, such as either Sanders or Trump.<\/p>\n

Funny, but some seem to only understand the popularity of Sanders but not Trump; others seem to only understand the popularity of Trump but not Sanders. I suggest their waves of popularity \u2014 however long they last \u2014 are born from the same circumstance. Too many who\u2019ve gone before have failed to lead us well.<\/p>\n

What does it mean to lead well? To be humble\u2026 to be solid morally and ethically\u2026 to be honest\u2026 and to consistently listen to far more than half the people.<\/p>\n

Respectfully\u2026
\nAR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ah, again today there\u2019s a vote \u2014 a vote before the vote as to whom will lead us next. Funny\u2026 ok, so maybe not… but I keep hearing all these slants and shared perspectives on the current election cycle. Typically, it primarily equates to criticism of one side only, simultaneously ignoring the glaring discrepancies and … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “more than half the people”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[554,535,527],"class_list":["post-6082","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-event","tag-2016-presidential-race","tag-bernie-sanders","tag-donald-trump"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6082","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6082"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6082\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6087,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6082\/revisions\/6087"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6082"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6082"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6082"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}