Who is more to blame for the sad state America is in today, BushCo and the Republicans or the American people themselves?

Before you automatically think "It's Bush and the Republicans, Stupid", consider my opinion, for what its worth:

I think the American people are more responsible for our current state than BushCo and the Republicans because the people allow the Republicans to do what they do. They have allowed it and they will allow it. They are not victims of the Republican spin machine. They are the willfully ignorant who have chosen to abdicate any responsibilty to be informed and make responsible political decisions for the convenience of "letting someone else worry about it". Is the Bush administration doing injustice inside and outside of the country? These people don't care as long as it doesn't affect them personally. These are not pro-Republican people I speak of here. These are the majority of Americans that the Republicans can use and manipulate to vote for them so they stay in power. These people are responsible, and we all have to live in the country they have made for us. Is that negative? Yes. Is it true? Yes.

Though the American people are culpable through the inaction of their apathy,
those in charge are still responsible for their actions!

The actions of those we trust is not dependant on on apathy.
They made the decision, be good, or be bad.

The apathetic people simply didn't do anything!



Which is worse?
The act of murder,
or the act of allowing it to happen?

The act of murder is by far worse. Because YOU directly took another's life.

I personally get very emotional about apathy of most sorts, but that is because I CARE.

But, it's a personal choice. Certainly government will go on whether or not I personally care about it, but I feel like its important that I take part. My boyfriend, whom I think the world of and sincerely respect, hasn't the slightest urge to take an interest in things other than what happen in our home and our local community. He would know nothing of US affairs or world affairs if I didn't take it upon myself to constantly inform him. But he has no desire to seek this information out on his own. Does this make me crazy? YES!! But it doesn't make him a bad person? NO!!! And it's not even that he doesn't care about things. I guess its like a friend of mine once told me when I was talking to her about how overwhelming it is when I find myself empathising/sympathising with every problem in the world...she reminded me that if I really want to do anything, I have to CHOSE which things to care the most about and which things to monitor from a distance without becoming involved. At first I was really surprised to hear her say this, because she is a VERY politically involved person. So I asked how she could feel this way. She explained that while she would like to change EVERYTHING about the world that is wrong/unjust/etc...she is only one human being with one heart & mind, and that she would never be capable of knowing enough or doing enough for everything to change ANYTHING. But if she focuses her strengths on a few specific areas, her small contributions eventually do add up to make a difference. It took some thinking on my part, but I did come to realize that she is correct. While I may want to "clean" the whole world, its never going to happen with one sweep of my broom, so I have to focus on the things that I will/am capable of actually changing.

So I guess for those minions who are "apathetic" to all that is political, maybe politics just isn't the area of the world they chose to clean...maybe it's their child's school or their local park or even just their personal family life. But, aside from a few who actually chose to be MALICIOUSLY apathetic, perhaps what is perceived as apathy is merely someone taking care of what they can, the best they can, and leaving the larger mess for someone else, someone more capable, to clean up.

Geeze, I hope I didn't screw up my allegory/metaphor to the point where this is only comprehensible to myself!!!!

--Left

i voted Bush and the republicans only because they wanted to portray themselves as the "personal responsibility" party. It's time they owned up.

I say that the responsibility is split, but the people need to take more of the blame.

In the end, it was the people who elected a Repub. president, house and senate.

It was the people who chose not to learn about the PNAC and Bushco before electing him TWICE.

Indifference is the same as allowing something to happen.

While I'd like to blame Bush and his cronies, I can't. I have to blame the American people for standing back to allow this to happen. The people have reached a point where many of them do not take the responsibility to THINK about the consequences of their vote. Now that our rights are being stripped away, the people are complaining, but they do nothing.
"All that allows evil to roam free are good men who stand by and do nothing"

~Mike: The Political Guy

My old politics prof used to say taht "people get the gov't that they deserve."

While sounding harsh, I think that it rings very true.

What do you guys think?

I do not agree with that statement. I was born into this style of governing, does that make me at fault? Just because I was born here and have no means to do otherwise but go along?

Okay, you were born into it, but that doesn't prevent you from changing it, does it?

People were born into Tsarist Russia, but they were not satisfied with it, and they changed it. Later, people were born into the USSR, and changed it as well.

So if Americans are too lazy to do more than just complain, perhaps they deserve a government that lies to them, invades other countries and spies on them.

Does this also mean that you couldn't blame Hitler, even though you'd like to?

While what Hitler did was horrible, the Germans in the early 1930s have to take the blame for putting him in power. He was elected, and his part was widely accepted throughout Germany, and his anti-semitic views were not a secret.

I find it quite interesting
that of those who responded to this poll
it's an even tie!

Cool, because in fact BOTH are equally responsible!

I am not the sharpest tool in the shed, and I knew bush was lying from the getgo. So I fault those who voted for him, but even more I fault those of us who let the little fucking pissant steal not one, but two elections and did nothing. Rcorporon, your teacher was right. We all sit around on our yanqui fucking asses and wait for somebody (else) to do something about it.

Zooks my man!
Both elections, I thought, the country thought Bush's opponent had the race in the bag!
Thought so right to the very end too!

Both times I was certain Bush had lost, only to have experienced that extreme let down next morning
when I heard the news and saw that Bush had stolen it.

What else would you have me do?

I am certain now Bush has stolen America and in away Scorp is right, if we do nothing, then we deserve it.

But if we try and fail, do we still get what we deserve?