Mailbag: Politics Remains Local

The Czar loves his intelligent and thoughtful readers because they often write him intelligent and thoughtful letters. And this is good because the Czar can copy and paste them and do no additional work. In fact, the Czar can pretty much screw off the rest of the day now.

For a perfect example of an intelligent and thoughtful letter from an intelligent and thoughtful reader, including the requisite slacking off by the Czar, look no further than Merlin (yes, that Merlin, who also tweets by the hiphop handle of @NKYAggie because baby, that’s just how he rolls; you can’t tame a wild horse, or push against the wind—you can’t land on a fraction...and so on).

Great and Mighty Czar,

In your writing, you mention that "Americans have stopped caring about politics except for a few reliable groups."

I beg to differ, at least slightly. As Tip O'Neill said, all politics is local. At one time, Americans used to exhibit a care for more than themselves. They looked to the bigger picture. Local charities and philanthropic organizations were actually important. But not so much today.

THAT is what Mr. Dominick has rightly glommed onto. Politics has moved beyond the merely local, to the personal. We have become a "what have you done for me lately" society, whether it's our coaches, our pastors or our politicians. We have an entitlement spending problem because we have an entitlement mentality problem.

And with the full-court press being applied to normative morality in today's society, I don't see much hope for a change.

Much respect,

Merlin

No need to beg to differ; all you have done was refined the point further. Yes, you are exactly right. Further question: have Americans stopped caring, or have they been manipulated into acceptance?