I have always known that politicians treat everyone else like children. Some of them think they are helping those children who are too naive to know what’s in their best interest and others just think they need to control the naughty little children. They don’t believe Americans are capable of understanding the underlying motives for decisions or intuitive enough to understand the implications for the future. Our lack of participation in elections just convinces politicians that their beliefs are accurate.

This week I’ve found two types of politicians. There are a few, extremely rare politicians who actually take the time to listen and carefully weigh the consequences of their decisions before they make them. Most of the politicians in Knoxville completely shut themselves off from the people they are supposed to represent. They condescendingly “feel your pain” but make decisions based on connections, favors and back room deals. Sadly, these politicians don’t even realize how far they’ve shut themselves off from reality. Even sadder, they stay in office because of their political maneuvers and the complete failure of most Americans to simply show up at the polls and make informed decisions.

I’ve also found a large group of people who spend their time looking for ways to ridicule politicians. I have met some very kind, thoughtful people this week whose names I have heard maligned for years. Granted, some politicians (S.C.) are easy targets with their stupidity, but others are just going about their lives, undeserving of harassment for their body type, name or accent. The hecklers don’t offer any constructive input or attempt to remind politicians what people in the real world actually need, they just hee-haw and complain. They are a large part of the reason politicians shut themselves off from the rest of us and treat us like children.

I’ll probably change this post later when my mood improves.