Let me start by saying this: I roll my eyes and mutter obscenities under my breath at most things the Republican party says and does. In fact, given the choice between Sarah Palin and a band of Sandpeople from Star Wars for President- I'd go with the Sandpeople. However, I can appreciate the Republicans in Congress for several things.
1) They show up for work
2) They are doing what they think is right for the US
3) They are not overly slanderous
4) They're (on the whole) no more corrupt than any other group of politicians
5) They are not actually Sandpeople
Like the United States, Bangladesh has two major parties. These two parties, the BNP and the Arwami League, have switched power at every election since independence in 1971. The leaders of the current parties are both women (yay) who HATE each other (ehhh, ok) and will do everything in their power to stop development/advancement/progress if it's the other party who's implementing the change (boo). These two women loathe each other so much that it's infected the rest of their respective parties, the Members of Parliament, and by association the entire country. There is no such thing as an "independent" here. In order to vote you must belong to a party. If you are a member of one party, you are automatically an enemy of the other. News is badly slanted depending on which paper you read or channel you watch (with very few noble exceptions). To show that they will not work with the sitting government, the MPs who are members of the opposition party do not actually show up for Parliamentary debate. Instead, they organize "hartel" (strikes) throughout the country to "take politics to the people" and show the opposition party how unpopular and corrupt it is. The sad thing is, they have a point. The sadder thing is, they're the pot calling the kettle black. Not surprisingly, not much gets done. ever.
Sound familiar? In short, it's where I think America will end up if we don't get our act together.
We had our first taste of hartel today. For us, it tastes great. Most of the shops and offices are closed, so I didn't have to go into work, and there is no traffic since everyone is busy either protesting or protesting the protesters. But it's depressing to see such a viciously independent country be brought to this. Bangladesh deserves a government that gives a damn; one that looks out for the people- not just a handful of party cronies. This dispute between these two women has halted so much progress that it's disgusting. Of course, there are many more factors contributing to the gross ineptness of the government- corruption being #1. However, I can't help but think that the country will be a lot better off when both the party leaders decide to kick the bucket.
So even though I think John Boehner looks like a withered carrot with a golf bag surgically attached, he's still the Speaker of the House. He still comes to work every day and does what he thinks is right for our country. That's more than can be said for this place. However, Bangladesh is a textbook example of what can happen when politicians-and by extension the people- refuse to cooperate with each other.
So I'll be the first to stop rolling my eyes.
1) They show up for work
2) They are doing what they think is right for the US
3) They are not overly slanderous
4) They're (on the whole) no more corrupt than any other group of politicians
5) They are not actually Sandpeople
Like the United States, Bangladesh has two major parties. These two parties, the BNP and the Arwami League, have switched power at every election since independence in 1971. The leaders of the current parties are both women (yay) who HATE each other (ehhh, ok) and will do everything in their power to stop development/advancement/progress if it's the other party who's implementing the change (boo). These two women loathe each other so much that it's infected the rest of their respective parties, the Members of Parliament, and by association the entire country. There is no such thing as an "independent" here. In order to vote you must belong to a party. If you are a member of one party, you are automatically an enemy of the other. News is badly slanted depending on which paper you read or channel you watch (with very few noble exceptions). To show that they will not work with the sitting government, the MPs who are members of the opposition party do not actually show up for Parliamentary debate. Instead, they organize "hartel" (strikes) throughout the country to "take politics to the people" and show the opposition party how unpopular and corrupt it is. The sad thing is, they have a point. The sadder thing is, they're the pot calling the kettle black. Not surprisingly, not much gets done. ever.
Sound familiar? In short, it's where I think America will end up if we don't get our act together.
We had our first taste of hartel today. For us, it tastes great. Most of the shops and offices are closed, so I didn't have to go into work, and there is no traffic since everyone is busy either protesting or protesting the protesters. But it's depressing to see such a viciously independent country be brought to this. Bangladesh deserves a government that gives a damn; one that looks out for the people- not just a handful of party cronies. This dispute between these two women has halted so much progress that it's disgusting. Of course, there are many more factors contributing to the gross ineptness of the government- corruption being #1. However, I can't help but think that the country will be a lot better off when both the party leaders decide to kick the bucket.
So even though I think John Boehner looks like a withered carrot with a golf bag surgically attached, he's still the Speaker of the House. He still comes to work every day and does what he thinks is right for our country. That's more than can be said for this place. However, Bangladesh is a textbook example of what can happen when politicians-and by extension the people- refuse to cooperate with each other.
So I'll be the first to stop rolling my eyes.
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