Why An Ideal Society Would be Based on Consent.

We find ourselves warring against each other ... red states and blue; 'them against us'; ‘Left’ vs. ‘Right’; Republicans vs. Democrats. These forces are just about equal. Each seeks to take, keep and expand the power to impose laws on the other. Campaign finance laws not withstanding, both sides spent as if in combat.  Win at all cost! Tons of money, advertising campaigns, phone banks, promises, defections, “Get out the vote” battalions, voter registration shenanigans, vote fraud, hoards of pollsters, and armies of lawyers have become our new political reality. All of that is to get the power to make laws others must obey.

Prohibitions, limitations and mandates now rule us all. Red voters hope to impose their values on the blue and visa versa. No matter the outcome, half of the electorate will have gained more power to impose its values at the expense of the other half. Isn’t that expense becoming unbearable and unsustainable for all? Doesn't such adversarial politics cause cracks in the social contract?

• If government is “of, by and for the people”, why do so many people complain about government?
• If government is accountable to “We, the People”, why are so many dissatisfied with the results?
• How can it be both - accountable and in need of reform?
• Government does *not* work as intended.
• Why is government 'dysfunctional'? It isn't. It works as interpreted to favor some at the expense of others. Yet they call it The Common Good.
• It works badly - which explains the general discontent. That's Politics As Usual.