2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: Blaming Sanders: Why Democratic Party Unity is Officially Impossible [View all]Tal Vez
(660 posts)but I certainly knew some poverty when I was young. And, the only reason that I'm not poor now is because I found pragmatism to be a very useful concept. I can remember pretty much every small step of the way. There was never a morning when I woke up to some huge change of circumstances. It was just a lot of work. But, I liked what I did.
There are needs in this country. Everyone needs health care sooner or later. And, there is nothing more important than educating our young. Some people manage to handle these challenges themselves. Many need help and there is a need for the government to be involved in providing just that kind of help. If you want progress without government involvement, then there is no reason to vote. But, if you want the government to help, then you need to use your influence to get the government to help. The key to that kind of progress is in fact pragmatism. You take what victories you can get. Anyone who thinks that they can change the world overnight with government resources is going to change nothing. It's all about pragmatism and incrementalism and struggle. And, it doesn't end. It will never end. There will always be someone on the other side of the political football wanting to push you back.
This country needs more people voting, not less. If every eligible voter voted, we would have a better health care system. We would educate more of our young.