B.C. - 03.29.2007

Making fun of political correctness is very easy to do, but I don’t think that’s the point of this particular strip. B.C. sometimes stumbles over their punchlines, so I’m not completely sure if Hart is trying to say that political correctness is stupid or that politicians are never “correct”. I’m going to assume it’s the latter.

I can certainly understand the sentiment. When politics are involved, being “correct” always takes a backseat to looking good. A good politician knows that to get reelected, he or she needs to convince the public that they are doing a good job. Creating and voting for just laws that will result in the most good for the constituents falls by the wayside, while the politician spends his energy on passing bad laws that make a good sound-byte (”I voted for a bill that helps the poor.”).

In my home state of Maryland, the state Congress is constantly avoiding votes on major issues, like legalizing slot machines. Here, Democrats rule both houses, and their position would certainly win in a vote. If it came to a vote, though, the opposition might have something to use against them in the next election (”My opponent voted against legalizing slot machines”), so they simply refuse to vote on the issue. That way, no one can bash them for casting the wrong vote. Amazingly, this is considered good political strategy!

Polls show that the majority of Maryland residents are in favor of legalizing slot machines in the state. The bill was introduced by a Republican governor years ago, and the Democrats have been stonewalling ever since then to make him look bad. Even though the governor is now gone, it’s hard for them to change their positions on the matter without looking like fools, so instead, they simply refuse to vote.

Does that make sense at all? How can avoiding a vote on a popular issue be anything but bad? You would think that voters would take notice of this stupidity and do something about it, but they never do, and the politicians are well aware of this. Thanks to public apathy, legislators have free reign to do basically whatever they like. They do a few radio interviews where they argue unimportant issues, they mug for the camera whenever it’s around, and they rest easy knowing that they can do whatever they want, and the voters will never take away their seat.

It’s a sad state of affairs, and this same situation happens all over the country; even on a federal level. Is this just politics as usual, or is their something that can be done about it? Will bad politicians ever be held responsible for their actions, or is everything just fine the way it is now? Your comments are always appreciated.