Anyone Can Be President... Maybe Not.

I know this news is a bit old and I know Melissa will probably kill me for saying such things but I'm sick and tired of the propaganda bullshit the government feeds us. Sitting in school, learning about U.S. history and our government, the teachers fed us the lines of how anyone can be President of the United States. You have to be at least 35 years old, an American citizen and though they don't come right out and say this, you also have to be freaking rich to run a campaign. Right there, you just cut out about more than 3/4 of the population who do not have the money or the resources. So already, you have a lot of people that cannot be president. When your teacher tells you that you can be President when you grow up, just remember that it is their job to not squash your dreams directly.

Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report fame on Comedy Central was recently denied to run in the South Carolina primary for 2008's presidential election. Although Colbert has come out and said that he didn't want to be President and just wanted to run in his home state, this whole incident has seriously pissed me off. Colbert is 43 years old, an American citizen, has the resources since he paid the $2500 filing fee, and despite his comedic approach to all things political, he is not a complete idiot. From his show, he knows the government and how it works. But that didn't matter to the people who are considered to be the important ones.

The party's executive council voted 13-3 against allowing Colbert on the ballot for the January 26 primary contest while the eight other major Democratic candidates were accepted. The council's reason was simply that they did not think that Colbert was going to take it seriously. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't - most likely he wasn't, but that cannot be reason to deny a man his given right to run for his country's office - an office that is supposedly open to anyone. There are so many jokes out there about politicians. Most people don't trust them or find them very likable. So why, when so many people find Colbert enjoyable, would a council vote against him joining in a race that, at times like these, needs to be a little light-hearted?

I didn't register to vote - something that really ticked both of my parents off - but I had my reasons not to, reasons which I explained to them. And when something like this happens, I'm glad I didn't. How important is my say when I'm not the one who really gets to make the decisions? The government is supposed to be speaking FOR the people, not to the people and making our minds up for us. I don't want to vote for President in next year's election because of things like this that happen. Next time you hear someone, probably a politician, say that anyone can run for president, just remember what a big crock of shit it truly is.