Sunday, February 10, 2008

Back From Washington

We went to Washington, D.C. last week, my dh and I, with his union, to lobby members of congress for help for a little more attention to the plight of the middle class.
We had fun, and I learned alot. Like, how well-spoken my dh can be when he's passionate about something. And how the other members of his union care about what happens to you. But mostly, I learned that certain political parties, who shall remain nameless here, just don't really give a crap about the middle class. And some from the other party do care.
But aside from that, we really did have fun. We went to the National Archives, and got to see the Declaration of Independance and the Bill of Rights. The Constitution was behind a large screen while it's case was being repaired. My dh asked the guard if the prez was back there erasing the parts he didn't like, but the guard only laughed in response, so we still don't know. I was a little sad to see how much the Declaration and Bill of Rights have faded since I last saw them, in the eighth grade. They can hardly be seen now, just a few words are still visible. Fortunately, with a nod to Ben Franklin, the truths set down in writing there are "written upon every man's heart". If you have a heart, of course.
Democracy , even a limping old decrepit democracy in need of a triple-shot of double-caffeine espresso, is a wonderful thing. We listened to Congressmen speak, visited with their aides, saw the great documents of our nation, and just generally got to participate in the running of said Democracy. Of course, everyone can do this. Vote, call or email your reps in congress, run for local office-just do something to make your voice heard.
And on a side note, bring walking shoes. And bandages. Or lots of cab fare. But if you opt for cab fare, don't go during a cab strike.

2 comments:

kevbayer said...

Sounds like a really neat trip!

I'd like to see some of that stuff some day. Not the politicians, though. I'm too cynical - I think all the decisions, including elections, are already decided and we the common folk of our country don't really matter at all to those in charge.
The government, IMO, is just a bunch of power-hungry old-boys being led by the carrot being dangled by an un-elected few.

But there's my conspiracy-theorist hanging out again. I should put that away :-)

Val said...

Kev, old pal of mine, we hate politicians too. The trick, I think, is to use the ones who believe the way you do about the things you think you can really change, and ignore the rest.
And as far as your conspiracy-theorist is concerned,when we got to the airport to check in, the nice lady behind the desk told us that my dh is on the 'tsa watchlist'. Hmmmm... Could that be because he's a union rep? (And by the way, anyone who books with a tsa watchlist member is also subject to the "Special Security Screening", which basically means you get felt up by a person in uniform, of your own sex, and get your baggage sniffed by a special bomb-sniffing machine.) I feel a blog coming on about this...
P.S. Gooooooo, ellipses!