You say it every time you pledge allegiance to the United States flag. Do you really mean it?
Not since the Civil War has this country been more divided. Not since those horrible days and nights of spilling blood by the barrels-full and wreaking destruction beyond civilized belief, has it been so seriously contemplated that this nation may not be worthy of its great place in history.
Oh, the ideals are lofty and pure, just as they often are in mythology. Once in a while, the masses have even come reasonably close to embracing a common good. There have been occasions, rare to be sure, when it seemed that most Americans marched under the same banner. Rare, to be sure, and perhaps the drumbeats for each corps might have sounded different, but they marched together as one nation, under God, indivisible.
Civilization has always been held together by a fraying thread, anyway. Wars and rumors of wars are the norm. Good has, at times, been overmatched by evil. Occasionally it has escaped by its wits or, perhaps, the bumbling behavior of its adversary.
For every grand Roman Empire, there has always been a Persia (followed, it must be said, by another attempt at something like a Roman Empire.)
Monarchies, dynasties, empires, etc. have all attempted absolute rule, but learned that “The People” will be heard from sooner or later. The result has often been that “The People” have been led to overthrow their rulers, and many have been happy to do so.
In a unique attempt to end this destructive cycle, the founders of The United States attempted to bypass totalitarian rule altogether and place power directly in the hands of “The People.”
People need leaders, though. The alternative is anarchy. And so, we have leaders of “The People.”
The best leaders in The U.S. have always been pragmatic realists, no matter what their fiery rhetoric might have indicated. They recognized that there is always a gap between reality and wishful-ness, and that compromise is the way forward. Sometimes the fiddler plays your tune, sometimes mine. If we both stay at the dance long enough, both of us get our way.
A leader’s job is to educate his or her followers to the truth and attempt to gain their support for recommended proposals. He or she must also recognize that compromise is absolutely necessary. If one side’s goal is to simply destroy the other, then the system gets quickly out of whack.
A look at America today reveals muted leadership at best on all sides. Just now, when strong and reliable leadership is desperately needed, there appears to be nothing but confusion and contention. The word “compromise” is being used by at least one side as a pejorative, almost a cowardly slur.
Included within the group of disappointing leaders, one cannot exempt the President. There is no doubt that he is negotiating behind the scenes as hard as he can, but he is seldom seen addressing “The People” with the big picture. He is good at press conferences and town halls, but a much wider audience is needed. Past Presidents have come directly to the people with grave problems. They have laid them out in some detail and asked for understanding and support. Why this President has not done so is perplexing. If the leadership of the opposite party demands equal time – no problem. As it stands now, though, the American people are mostly being misled and are without real facts upon which to act.
Accusations are not facts.
One group is telling the people that The President wants to raise taxes. In a press conference, I distinctly heard him say that he had no plan to increase taxes. The only tax change he proposes is to restore a tax, which was in place during the previous administration, but cut as a supposed economy boost. It will expire soon, anyway.
The people are saying that a large cut in spending must take place. The President agrees with this and has proposed a $4 trillion cut, beginning in 2013. The reason for the 2013 date is because the country is already obligated for many expenditures including paying for two wars. (By the way, where was the outrage about spending when these wars were approved?) The President has pledged no NEW spending.
Both sides are playing “keep away” with a lighted stick of dynamite. They toss it back and forth like a game. They are playing with nothing less than history’s decision on whether this unique nation was a grand idea, or one which simply couldn’t work because its people were too divided.
The immediate decision triggering this observation is whether the United States of America will pay its credit card bill. The decision being argued in Washington regards payment on debt owed – not new debt. Where are the needed leaders to properly explain this?
Here is a conversation I overheard by a TV reporter and Senator John McCain. I believe it is completely accurate, but it is paraphrased.
TV Reporter: What do you think of (name unknown)’s statement that President Obama is impossible to work with and nothing good will ever be done until he leaves?”
McCain I agree completely.
TV Reporter: The President has said that unless the congress lifts the debt ceiling right away, Social Security checks, military payments, etc. will have to be cut immediately.
McCain: This is purely scare tactics, and it is irresponsible. He is trying to scare older Americans.
TV Reporter: What might happen if the debt ceiling is not raised.?
McCain: It must be raised, If not, then interest rates on the debt we owe will go up, and the economy will go into a deeper depression than ever. People’s life savings will be wiped out. That will affect everything including Social Security.
Huh? Didn’t he just say that kind of talk is irresponsible?
John McCain has done nothing to solve this problem. His only words throughout have been charges against The President and false charges echoed from The Tea Party. He might have made some effort to explain the real problems involved and identify the true options, but has chosen to scrunch down in his million-dollar house and play pure politics.
He is simply one of a majority of “leaders” who are presiding over the very possible downfall of The United States. A true leader would try to bring us together with some form of compromise. He signed a pledge to not compromise and allow new taxes. Well, there are no new taxes proposed. He can characterize the return of the Bush tax cuts to their previous rate as “tax increases” if he likes, but that is playing to the crowd for his own benefit.
If the country crashes, that won’t mean much, Senator.
In the book of Mark in the Bible, there is a verse, which was later used by Abraham Lincoln with some notoriety. It goes: “A house divided against itself cannot stand."
Soon, we will know whether that verse can be applied to a later-day United States of America.
“One nation, indivisible.” Or not.
No comments:
Post a Comment