Why are we the way we are?

Last night was the President’s first State of the Union Address. Unfortunately I was only able to watch the second half of it due to being in class. But what I heard was fantastic. I enjoy hearing President Obama speak. He is awfully mesmerizing, but eloquent and very brilliant. One quality a President/Prime Minister/leader should have is being a good orator, and Obama is a great one. I also enjoy watching the members of Congress in the crowd. Last night, to quote my wife, “The Republicans are ridiculous and Democrats get up and clap and interrupt too much.” That’s how it is every State of the Union; the party in power gets up and claps at every other thing the President says while the other party sits and sulks, brooding over every word trying to show that they don’t like anything he says. I don’t get that. Why do we insist on being poor losers? Why can’t we get over ourselves and work together? Congress, you’re in Washington because We the People sent you there to represent We the People.
In what I did hear from President Obama, he addressed that mentality. He didn’t call the Republicans sore losers. That’s just my opinion. Obama addressed the need for cooperation between parties. He wasn’t ignorant about what divides them, but called for a common sense approach to working together. He argued that every one in the House Chamber that night loved the US. They loved their freedom, but acknowledged that they all have a responsibility to the People. Saying “No” just because you can and with the aim of preventing any program/idea devised by the opposite party is not how government should be. Give a better reason than “Because”. Do more than just sling mud. Rise above and be the bigger man/woman. The GOP relies heavily on the Religious Right, they should take note of the scripture that they “live by” and turn the other cheek. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Let he who is willing to work for the greater good, challenge others to do the same and then back that up.
President Obama was correct in his assertion that people are becoming disenchanted with our government. No one really trusts it. Congress has the lowest approval rates out of any branch and their rates have been decreasing for years. They need to redeem themselves. The Supreme Court made a bone-headed decision recently to rival the Dred Scott case and Korematsu. Constitutionally, it isn’t fair to keep people from speaking and spending their money supporting candidates. Corporations and labor unions represent the people that make them up, that work for them or that they fight to protect. But for a corporation to assume that every one of its workers supports a candidate is reckless. For them to pour money into advertising for a candidate amounts to mere coercion. The candidate isn’t forced to but is obliged to protect that corporations interests. The corporation has basically become a sponsor for the candidate, like a major league sports team. I contributed to a facebook thread about just that, it got carried away, but that’s what could happen. President Obama challenged the Supreme Court on the issue, and Justice Alito refused to believe him. Obama argued that corporations are going to drown out the regular voter, but Alito adamantly shook his head in protest and mouthed “No they won’t. No they won’t.” I wouldn’t expect anything less from someone that George W. Bush nominated to the Supreme Court. But we as the electorate can counter-balance the Supreme Court’s decision. If we educate ourselves about the issues, not just take someone’s word on it. Particularly someone who is paid to spout out “facts” about the issues. My former professor, who can’t stand Thomas Jefferson, Dr. Stooksbury would support Thomas Jefferson’s belief that an educated electorate is the best. That educated electorate must not be a mass of sheep. They need to think for themselves and decide for themselves—that’s democracy. We The People need to assert ourselves. Congress, the President and the rest of the government are responsible to We the People.