Governmental Mildew

Hello everyone. I am Evan Larson I’ll be working with Jonathan to help grow our new YDA High School Caucus. Jonathan and I will continue to contact new members for the Caucus and hopefully this movement will be able to better serve the young democrats of the nation as a whole. Feel free to contact me with any questions at evan.ubergeek@gmail.com. Here’s an article I recently wrote on the current and disastrous state of affairs in Washington:
These are dark days. But, as we all know, it is darkest just before - - it goes pitch black. Kidding aside, our government is weak and floundering. Leadership on both sides of the bench is not representing the needs of the country and is failing all Americans. I, being a democrat, believe that hope lies in our nations Democratic party whereas a young republican would see the conservative party as the country’s chance for improvement. However, there is one thing we must agree upon – there is a need for change. No longer can we allow ourselves to settle for mediocrity and flaccid government, the world and our country needs help now.
Corruption is rooted in the conservative behemoth and the democrats are unconscious. The plethora of scandals surrounding Tom Delay reeks of deeper rot within the GOP*, which has been falling from its standards of both responsible politics and reduced spending for years. On the flip side, Democratic leaders in congress face an appalling record with the public: a mere 28% of Americans feel they represent their views. Both sides now sling accusations at one another without responding to the other side’s suggestions and contentions. Democrats complain about the motives for the invasion of Iraq and republicans point fingers at some democrats for changing sides on the issue. When government cannot reach a consensus on issues and resorts to personal attacks, everybody loses. As Gandhi prophetically said, “An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind,” and nobody, it seems, wants to turn the other cheek or sit down and discuss the matters at hand.
And it is not as if the government has little work to do. We have invaded Iraq and now have to deal with the infamous “Pottery Barn Rule”: you break it, you bought it**. We must talk about an exit strategy from Iraq and plan steps to help develop a future for the poor youths of France and rebuild New Orleans. Now is not the time to allow our government to let go of the reins and relax into a political doldrums of the “Blame Game.” The great philosopher Anonymous put it best “He who slings mud only loses ground.”*** We cannot allow such poor politics to continue while the world is so troubled. No matter how overjoyed we as democrats may feel at the opportunities to attack republicans for wrongdoings, we cannot lose sight of a need to make progress. Sacrificing the betterment of the world through good politics for political vindication is the worst possible choice. Let us stop misdeeds within government. Speak out, and maybe we can make the world a little bit better. Alone in the dark a candle burns.

* See Jonathan’s article on the subject at Res Publica
** See Al Franken’s book The Truth
*** It might have been a Fat Albert line also . . .