Question Time for America

I can't say I'm an expert when it comes to politics, I often find that I know too little to take a stance on important issues. However, I don know that politicians are pro's when it comes to dancing around questions, insulting and exposing flaws in their opponents, avoiding their weaknesses, and overplaying their strengths. It seems only once in a blue moon that we the people get concise, truthful answers from our elected officials. This npr article offers an appealing solution. In England, it's known as "Question Time". It is a time designated for Parliament to argue openly, and it can get a little messy. The idea gained serious support after Obama's question/answer session (1.5 hours, skip around a bit) at the House Republican retreat in Baltimore last weekend. I personally think the idea is great. People get a real look at their elected officials when they see them in open debate. These days politicians rarely even contribute in writing the artificial speeches the deliver. "Question Time" would give people instant, direct answers in "real people" dialect. Whenever I hear a politician speak I get really annoyed. I would much rather have a politician talk like he/she normally would than dress up their message with exclamations, false compassion, and unnecessarily fancy adjectives. When I listened to Obama's State of the Union Address and heard him say, "So we face big and difficult challenges. And what the American people hope -- what they deserve -- is for all of us, Democrats and Republicans, to work through our differences" I thought to myself, "Really? You really said 'And what the American people hope' contemplated what you had just said and decided 'hope' wasn't moving enough and added 'what they deserve' " I just feel like we're not getting a fair deal. If we elect someone to be President, they should give us real answers like real people. What do you think? Would "Question Time" be a good thing for American? Incidentally, Obama's not up for it. Would it make our political system too casual? When does casual become too casual? Or anything else you want to say.

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