This book by Neal Boortz is changing my life. I always used to say, “I’m not interested in politics.” Well, he has a chapter on that. Let me just quote:
How can any aware person interested in one’s family and one’s future not be interested in politics?…Look at what we average Americans go through as we work our way through our daily existence. We’re looking for jobs, working, planning for the future, education children, making house payments, buying groceries, fueling up cars, planning family vacations, worrying about our health, paying down our debt, and watching Desperate Housewives. (or The Bachelor)
If you think politics doesn’t influence each and every one of these pursuits, you’re tragically mistaken. No matter what you do, from tying your shoes, to tying the knot, to tying one on, politics is lurking in there somewhere making things better or worse.
I never really thought about it in those terms, and I confess, even though I aced my government and economics classes, I didn’t really learn anything. That’s government education for you–I was always an honor roll/Dean’s List kind of a gal, but didn’t really walk away with much of an education. It’s only been recently (as in, since I read this book) that I really have been interested in “political matters”. In general, I think this guy really opened my eyes to what is really happening in Washington, and alerted me to what’s going on in my own backyard–not to mention how ignorant I was allowing myself to be.
It is abso-bloomin’-lutely amazing all the things that are happening in the background, “so to speak” and the general person-on-the-street has no idea. I think I’m smarter than the average bear, seriously, but I can answer like 7% of the questions of Boortz’s 65 question citizenship quiz (and those were mostly opinion questions).
‘”I’m not interested in politics” is an affirmation that you’re not interested in the actions of people who control your bank account, your personal freedom, and your life.’
Okay, okay–I’m interested!
And I hope you are too!