Editor’s note: Here’s something a little different for the blog, a limerick. Paul Fisk has prepared this post as a commentary on the state of politics in these United States today.

    By Paul Fisk

 

Many things today make me mad

The same things can too make me sad

The sorry state of debate

Bodes not well for our fate

When facts are treated as bad.

 

In policy talks or just chatter

Negotiations now tend to shatter

In heated debate

Two sides can’t relate

When one side says facts do not matter.

 

Some things that cause me great pain

Are those who show science disdain

They advocate acts

With no care for facts

Some humans are a fact-resistant strain

 

The House formed by our constitution

Once a respected institution

Now has men who’ve been bought

Hawks who never have fought

And issues all lack resolution.

 

Some congressmen show their intent

By what they support and dissent

Forsake all reform

And like puppets perform

To serve just the top one percent.

 

Some members for big contributions

Protect coal and its tragic pollutions

Or say “burn and slash”

So the rich have more cash

Or shill for financial institutions.

 

Some deny that the temperature’s rising

Saying people should find it surprising

That they’re largely to blame

Putting fossils to flame

And the facts they’re intent on disguising.

 

Burning carbon until we all choke

And CO2 our world does cloak

Politicians we fought

Still stay firmly bought

For which we can thank brothers Koch.

 

Universal health care is too big a chore

They proclaim from the legislative floor

For less fortunate voices

They blame “poor life choices”

And would slam shut the medical door.

 

When we needed campaign cash reform

The Supremes created a storm

When proclaimed from their steeple

Corporations are people

Thus missing their chance to transform.

 

And the mainstream media too

No longer seeks what is true

Treating both fact and fiction

With equal conviction

And claiming that’s “balance” to you.

 

It’s really a way to save cost

As their share to cable’s been lost

Investigative reporting

One place they’ve been shorting

Old standards have sadly been tossed.

 

Many cable show hosts show their vanity

Or lace their tirades with profanity

Some seem to be proud

Of just being loud

Ranting their bloviatious inanity.

 

Rachel Maddow of MSNBC

Has earned an Oxford degree

Rhodes Scholar as well

And not to overdwell

She’s also a Ph.D.

 

But Hannity, Glenn Beck and Rush

Don’t let facts make them blush

Is it elitist copouts

To point out they’re all dropouts?

Spewing things that are clearly just mush.

 

The vitriol and verbal dump

In speeches made out on the stump

Push pure fear and hate

In lieu of debate

From demagogues like Cruz and Trump

 

Folks stay in their own small news bubble

With standards that are really double

As long as we’re split

The stalemate won’t quit

We’ll continue to all be in trouble.

 

The public is partly to blame

Tho they think that’s a claim to inflame

But they need to take note

That when they don’t vote

They really cannot complain.

 

The GOP says it’s misquoting

To claim that their efforts devoting

To election law bending

Are really intending

To keep minorities from voting.

 

All this gives me reason to mope

We’ve been on a slippery slope

It’s one thing to vent

But we need bold intent

To give us new strength and hope.

 

It makes you wish for a revolution

Or seek another drastic solution

‘Cause it’s really no joke

When half of our folk

Still don’t believe in evolution.

 

Absent a philosopher king

Democracy’s hope to upswing

Lest it all come to naught

Lies with kids to be taught

Education is ultimately the thing.

 

In the meantime let’s not just lament

The depths of our politics descent

Let’s seek to reinvent

Ways to truly represent

Democratically the ninety-nine percent.