March 25, 2013

The Bad Guys Are Right Here

John Boehner,
U.S. Speaker of the House
and Leader of Evil
Steven and I recently watched the remake of Red Dawn. I'm not giving anything away by telling you the country that invades the United States this time is North Korea. One of the movies on our "Movies To See" list is Olympus Has Fallen. I've read reviews and surprise, North Korea is once again the villain invading us. Are they our new foreign "go to" baddie? If so, it doesn't work for me. I have news for Hollywood. I'm not as afraid of North Korea, or any country with evil intent, as I am of our own leaders. You read that correctly.

From my perspective as a middle class American, the people I had no choice but to vote into office (both Republicans and Democrats) are more of a threat to my way of life at the moment than any leader in another country. They seem bent on dismantling my world, piece-by-piece, starting with my job. The recent sequestration cuts have hit me directly. I'm facing the loss of a paycheck, which will affect how I budget my money and live my life. I'll feel fortunate if I come out of this in a few years with my job still in place. I wouldn't be surprised to see the program at which I work go away altogether, even though it successfully serves thousands of children and families across the United States, and makes a positive difference in their lives.

The bad guys aren't nameless people from a foreign land who don't speak English well. The bad guys were born and raised in America, and they were elected by us. The bad guys are men and women who are so far removed from every day American life that they have no idea what it's like to live paycheck-to-paycheck or have only enough savings to get them by for one or two months. They are people are have no financial stake in the outcome of the decisions they're making. They are people who no longer care about serving the middle and lower class citizens who elected them, but only care about furthering their own agendas based on beliefs that no longer fit a 2013 society.

The sick and sad thing is that we have built a political system in which we have no real choices. We can't elect individuals who would truly represent us anymore. The system is twisted so that only the wealthy or connected can run for office. Sure, a "middle class" person slips through now and then, but look closely and you'll see the strings attached to his or her arms and legs as wealthy backers manipulate them into doing their bidding.

It's hard to take Hollywood movies seriously when they have North Korea invade Washington D.C. and have a super cool good guy come to the rescue. No, I don't want North Korea to win, but at the same time, I'd like to see all the John Boehners and others be pushed out a few windows. I'm tired of them making my life miserable. I'm ready to see them pay, even if it's only a fictionalized version of them. I don't give a rip about seeing North Korea pay. That's what makes blow-em-up action movies fun. We want to see the bad guys that threaten our daily lives pay. So come on Hollywood. Make me a movie about the Senate and House taking a major hit and the U.S. having to start completely over with new rules. Maybe a nice political uprising with the working poor and middle class taking over for a change. We're smart. We know what needs to happen. I'd like to see that movie. Heck, I'd like to live that life.