By Billy “Kneecap” Braddock

“Bottoms up” is an expression which literally means to tilt the bottom of one’s glass upward until it is empty. There is also the expression, “Is the glass half-full or half-empty”? To me it doesn’t matter if it’s half-full or half-empty, there is still room for more whiskey. In our country we have politicians that are full of S#!+, and voters who are empty of personal responsibility.

It’s time for our country to go bottoms up. By this I mean we have been ruled (and I mean ruled not governed) from the top down. The Democrats think of themselves as the party of the cultural elite. The Republicans are looked upon as the party of the business elite. Both have become like the aristocratic parties of the 18th century. The Democrats supporting base is from the urban working class, but get their marching orders from those professionals who make their money off the working class. They throw money at programs that are supposed to help the working class but most of it stays in the pockets of the professionals. The Republicans base consists of moralists, small business, and property owners but they still are dominated by big business.

We need to start from the bottom (local politicians) and work our way up (federal politicians) like our founding fathers intended for our government. They wanted their politicians to represent the community and their neighbors. When they had accomplished what they had promised in their election bid, they would go back to their private lives. We now have professional politicians who feed at the public trough. They promise almost everything and anything to get reelected. Does term limits come to mind?

I realized how important it is to pay attention to our local elections after talking to a good friend of mine, Eddie Colosimo, who is running for mayor of the small town of Holly Hill, Fl. He is the type of politician that we need more of. He has devoted his life to his country and his community. In the past he has taken on issues with local government on behalf of the citizens and actually won.

Small-town politicians, Mayors, Commissioners, and School Board Members are very important to a community and its citizens. The reason we have what we have in government, is because our voters are uninformed and uneducated. 32 million adults in the U.S. can’t read. That’s 14% of the population. 21% of adults in the United States read below a fifth grade level and 19% of high school graduates can’t read. 85% of all juveniles who interface with the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate and over 70% of the inmates in America’s prisons cannot read above a fourth-grade level. It’s time to take our country back and start educating its citizens before we destroy the greatest country in the world.

Jesus loves you is great to hear in church but not in a Mexican prison.

Read more of my blogs on my website nobodiesopinion.com

See you on the shiny side of tomorrow…