Notre Gouvernement

Our government never ceases to confuse me.  I was required to take government in high school, but I didn't take AP Gov so I got 100% in the class by doodling every day.  While in class today I was trying to wrap my brain around it, and I think I have a solid model going now.

Our government is like a group project.

I know what you're thinking, "OH GOD NO SARA I HATE GROUP PROJECTS THEY MAKE ME WANT TO MURDER EVERYONE AND PULL OUT ALL MY HAIR AND THEN MAKE IT INTO A PILLOW SO I CAN SUFFOCATE EVERYONE I FORGOT TO MURDER THE FIRST TIME"

This is a valid response.

But now think, how do you feel about our government right now?  About the same?

Let's get to the root of the problem:  Why do we hate group projects?  Because everyone is stupider than us and never does their work.  Not only that, but they refuse to go along with your ideas which you know are better than theirs.  Then it's the night before the project is due and you have to re-do the entire assignment because the other people didn't do it right, and you can't turn something that bad with your name on it.

What did the government do?  They thought everyone else's ideas sucked so they stuck to their own and as soon as one person finally did something, the next round of people changed it and no one agrees on anything again.  Therein lies the problem.  But what's the solution?  Obviously we can't solve it the way we do in Bio lab and go behind everyone's backs and re-do it and turn it in before anyone else sees.

Now what if we change the situation a smidge.  It isn't a group project for the final, it's the very first draft of your project--where you doodle down a poster set-up and maybe include an outline for the information.

I think this is how we should treat our government.  It will never be finished, it will always be a draft.  So instead of staying up all night and plotting how to kill your group members, or emailing your teacher to get them out of your group, we could just give in a little to their stupid ideas and work really hard to change it for the next draft.

Come on people, lighten up.  It's not the end.  Get something done already.