A constituent looks at the powerful, rich, and media

My e-mail shows CNN stories of the day, and I noticed one teaser said "Jimmy Kimmel, no less, addressed the (national press and dignitaries) at their annual banquet in Washington Saturday night."

I have a problem with that, you see. Because I don't watch entertainment news. I don't, in fact, watch much television, and I don't stay up late.

I had never heard of Jimmy Kimmel, so I google'd him before watching the YouTube speech, which made me wince in a coupla places ("I see your cleavage" made me want to throw something), but overall, it was good. Biting. Funny.

I know it was biting humor, because you see, I know who the politicians are, and even who a great many of the news folks are. And what they've done. I follow news. I don't follow gossip and entertainment publicity. It's not news.

I don't get this slavish attention to the entertainment people and conspicuously rich and vacuous. I had to google the Kardashions, too, a while back, after I kept hearing the name with no connection to anything they did. When I google'd, I discovered the reason--they don't do much except be rich, dysfunctional and pose for publicity.

I say slavish attention, because I frequently hear a reporter mention an entertainment figure with no tag about who they are, even if they are fairly obscure. And when they do this, I flash to high school history.We were required to subscribe to a news magazine every week and were quizzed every Friday. We were expected to know all the major politicians, Supreme Court Justices, our Congressional representatives at least for our state. We were never quizzed about movie stars, musicians, or comedians. National news magazines, of course, no longer regularly carry this information, although they will have a fair bit of entertainment news.

Sometimes I wonder if the reporters who gush about models, movie people, television entertainers and talk show hosts could pass such a test today.

Sigh. Probably not. And maybe it doesn't matter. Congress isn't passing bills or even a budget. I have no expectation that any newly eclected ones will do better.Party seems to matter more than country.

Why vote? Out of habit, I will. I have ever since I was 21. I have frequently had to vote not for whom I liked but the one I disliked least. I always had the hope, though, that the people I voted for would serve our country. They would get things moving. They would have some care or awareness of the constituents.

I will vote, but for the first time it seems an empty gesture signifying nothing. I blame the Democrats. I blame the Republicans. If they will not work together, we end with anarchy.

Maybe they all need to read an inspirational book called "Profiles in Courage." Written (or ghostwritten for) this guy named John Kennedy. A long time ago. Talking about legislation even longer ago.

Hopefully, you remember who he is. If not, just google him.