politics as unusual

does anyone remember when schools taught something called "civics"? that's where we learned how deh government was supposed to work. you know- 3 separate discrete divisions as a safe-guard for the over reaching of the others? we were taught that most decisions were made by negotiation & debate; that congress was elected to represent the needs of the people & to advocate for the "Folks back home". Compromise was not a dirty word, rather it was what happened when 2 opposing views heard each other with dignity & came to some sort of accommodation.

WHAT HAPPENED?

compromise is not a synonym for appeasement. there is room for middle ground. isn't there?

in the words of Mick Jagger: "you can't always get what you want. But if you try sometimes..."

you know the rest.