Reader’s Forum–Natesha Oliver

Ratf**ked by David Daley is a “in Your face” hard reality about a major aspect of our political process. Drawing district lines seems to be just as important as voting itself or should I say the understanding of and the careful watching of how district lines are drawn should be just as important as the discussion of how we vote.

When I first heard the term “redistricting” I was in Mississippi and naturally assumed the issue stemmed from stopping the African American vote. I don’t doubt there was a time when that was probably the case but now it looks pretty damn clear that it’s not about stopping a race of people, although it is still about maintaining political control for a small group of people.

Just because Republicans got more brazen in their “unethical, dont understand how its not criminal” strategizing doesn’t negate the fact that both parties play this type of “game”.

Reading this book is infuriating!!! And I’m not talking about the need to vent type of thing, I’m talking about how can our Government continue to operate with impunity when it come to holding these Parties/Elected officials fully accountable?

It’s a dead democracy when those entrusted to uphold the moral sanctity, if You will, of politics are the very ones breaking the freaking laws of democracy. The parties keep “isms” afloat just enough to keep Americans targeting one another instead of them, the parties.

To hear it from people participating in the ratfucking process like it’s just business, blows My mind. What parties do and the money they spend to ensure they keep an upper hand is ridiculous, it’s like witnessing a bunch of undisciplined children with no regard of how their actions actually affect life and considering we live in a “better You then Me” type of culture, Americans have to take some responsibility in the decaying of our electoral process and our democracy.

Money may be a factor yet if there was no one to “buy off” then would money be an issue?

Parties are the demise of good government, maybe it hasn’t always been the case but there can be no argument that that is the case now, and Party supporters at some point have to reevaluate the role they play in this demise when they continue to allow their Party to operate without being checked.

America has got to be more than it’s Parties and Americans have got to be more than party pawns.

Natesha Oliver is the founder of MIST, Missouri Independents Stand Together. She lives in Kansas City.