Consider the problems and the constant bickering that have plagued our country and its citizens.
It has been prevalent in a large majority of states; it has reached a crescendo in Washington and the worldwide monetary crisis, along with major conflicts in Afghanistan and civil unrest in many of the Middle East countries, have managed to cause the general public to become disenchanted and turn their attention away.
For relief, they have turned to sports, especially football, as a diversion and a panacea from the corruption and the inept management of our nation’s affairs.
People who seldom before gave football a second look suddenly are discussing the ability of one team to win over another.
It certainly has helped the attendance at stadiums, and TVs are constantly tuned to football on Sunday afternoons.
Sports are a flourishing business, and the public is swept up in its success.
Competition between the major networks to host the games has given the stations an enormous financial boost with endless commercials throughout the games.
Simultaneously, it has managed to take the nation’s citizens’ minds off the lawmakers’ blunders and given taxpayers a pacifier, very much like the one mothers give a fussing baby.
We all like to blame the lawmakers at the state and national level, but guess who did not do a good job of selecting the right candidate for the job?
The answer is us, the citizens who cannot remember the names of our representatives or senators, but can rattle off the names of players, their positions and performance in dozens of games.
We the people have been inattentive and uninformed.
With a mid-term election coming up next year, it is time for all to learn the voting record of our elected officials.
Thus, we can learn which candidate is truly working for the people and which candidate is representing special interests.
It is time for non-achievers, obstructionists and extremists from either party to be dismissed.
We can still enjoy football and other sports, but remember the old axiom when voting for a candidate, “Actions speak louder than words.”