Aside from a ridiculously small number of people, politicians everywhere receive my steadfast ire. The goal of politics as it is today seems vastly different than it was in Aristotle’s day, when the term was created. In my view, modern-day politics is a race to see who can attain the most power. Look at the two major political parties in the United States as a perfect example. Both the Donkey Clan and the Elephant Group will make promises that will positively effect a majority of the populace in order to get elected. Yet when it comes to fulfilling those promises once in office, both groups renege; instead, the policy decisions that are made line the pockets of the politicians or the lobbying groups who control them. Regardless of which of the two main political parties wins the presidency, the common people in this country are the ones who will be worse off because of it. Democrats and Republicans are part of the same corrupt over-arching organization.
One person who seems to fit into the ridiculously small number of politicians who is making a positive affect on the common U.S. citizen is Senator Elizabeth Warren. She is in her first term, yet she has shown more of a backbone in sticking up for what is just than some members of Congress have shown in decades of “service.” Senator Warren has already challenged the Senate Banking Committee to prosecute the big banks that took bailout money and yet are repeating the same mistakes; she questioned the practices of the Food and Drug Administration in allowing tainted pharmaceuticals to hit the market; now she has brought up the potential doubling of interest rates on student loans, saying that students should be given the same interest rate that big banks get when they borrow money from the Fed (0.75%). There is a sincerity in her actions right now that is exceedingly admirable.
The cynic in me says that Senator Warren will succumb to outside pressure. Every member of Congress has done the same thing. However, my hope is that this is a politician who is smart enough to play the game and then come in like a wrecking ball and destroy the current power structure once in the Oval Office. I know that this is quite a lot to expect, but I can definitely see her attaining that post. As a middle class citizen who is paying off a large sum in student loans, I cannot help but support Senator Elizabeth Warren for her gumption. This is a politician who actually seems to be making good on her promises. Fancy that.
Human Beings and Fish 