Obama to approve offshore drilling

[UnderseaLcpl]

I know I've been gone for a little while, mostly owing to my school obligations, but I wonder if I might not still be welcome to posit an opinion.

It seems to me that this particular stance is not so much a product of Obama's (or the Democratic party's) willingness to compromise their stance as it does their willingness to adjust their voter demographics. Historically, the major American political parties have adjusted their stances to fit whatever movements seemed to be popular at the time, and then the other party takes the opposite tack, by neccesity.

What I see happening now is the left moving to encompass a section of the conservative vote. That's it, and that is all. Their platform is gradually shifting to combat the backlash against state spending and government whilst preserving their original demographic as much as possible. The Republican party is gradually changing to oppose this, as evidenced by the strong "anti-socialist" platform that their constiuency has been developing, and which has begun to recieve media and congressional support. That's a simplification, but overall the trends appear fairly evident.

The thing that concerns me most is that many Americans, and voters in other democracies and republics do not seem to notice this. My classmates, for one, do not seem to realize that political parties and their platforms are not set in stone. They are political institutions, and like any other institution that wishes to continue existing, they pander to the those that give them power. I'm sure that sounds like common sense to most of you, but you'd be surprised by how many people seem to think that immutable battle lines have been drawn.

To put it simply: "It's the politics, stupid". I forget who said that, but it rings true to this day. The US of A is playing host to a parasitical government. They'll promise us whatever we want, so long as we let them make the rules. It would not surprise me one bit if a successful Democratic platform in 2010 and 2012 caused Republicans to shift to an anti-drilling platform. It won't likely happen that quickly, but the pattern is evident in the history of politics.

I, for one, don't even know why the government is allowed to place restrictions, price caps, and other legal restraints on domestic oil. Quite simply, it is none of their God damn business. I know how they did it, using the constitutional power of tariffs and the interstate commerce clause, but I don't understand where in the hell they got the idea that the power to raise tariffs gave them the right to sequester sectors of industry. Tariffs were supposed to be a means of raising revenue, not dictating trade policy. If the government were supposed to have the power to dictate trade and mercantile policy, the constitution would have included such a power.

What we see in this kind of action is politicians pandering to voters. That's the system we provided them with, that's the system by which they advance their careers, and this is what we are always going to get. Wise national policy in the US is a myth, and it has been for nearly 100 years, arguably more.

What we do in the future depends entirely upon what we believe as a nation. If we really believe that a pair of all-powerful and incredibly similar political parties can represent our collective interests adequately we will reap what we have sown. If we commit to the belief in individual liberty and responsibility, we will reap what we have sown. I have long been an advocate of the latter approach, but if America wishes to be lulled to sleep by the promises of a political industry, so be it. Perhaps our time to step down has come.

I, however, will not go down without a fight.