To get U.S. back on track, start at home
I can’t think of anything that would arouse my interest in the 2008 presidential campaign. The contenders have already raised millions of dollars, so that lets me know that business-as-usual is already taking place. The lobbyists are already getting in position to run the show.
I don’t think I could be chairwoman of either of the two national political committees without either getting some changes made or stepping down. I would have to tell those running for office that the American people have had enough. They don’t seem to understand that. As many doubts as I have about the national character of future generations, I hate to imagine what life in this country will be like for them.
When I watch television, it’s hard for me to believe that the news pundits hear the same news that I do. They seem to think that the spectacle being carried out in Washington, D.C., is going away.
And frankly, I don’t believe it’s possible for anyone to get this country moving in the right direction. For example, in spite of the opposition of Americans, members of the administration and Congress continue to believe that adding millions of illegal immigrants to our population will make things better. How this will create more jobs, reduce the cost of health care, end the war in Iraq, put a stop to outsourcing and help to protect our food supply, I can’t imagine. In fact, we are rarely able to get these problems on the politician’s agenda.
We have had 43 presidencies in the history of this country and checks and balances have always worked under separation of powers. I hope I never see another period when one political party dominates all three branches of government. The difference has been that before now, we have been able to trust the politicians of either party to act in the best interest of the country. Hopefully, we have learned our lesson.
However, there is this flaw in our culture that allows us to believe that nothing terminal can happen to America. We truly believe that we exist on another plane where cause and effect does not apply.
We think we can fix everything. Most of us don’t have any idea what has been going on behind the closed doors of the Oval Office.
As bad as I hate to think of government-by-committee, it may have to come down to that. And with so many members of Congress still linked to the old school of “my party right or wrong,” I can’t see much hope for positive change. Things most Americans have always taken for granted like food and product safety have gone by the wayside. And this whole North American Union stuff is getting scarier everyday. Can you imagine one North American government (Canadian, American and Mexican)? If most of us wanted to live in Canada or Mexico, wouldn’t we just move there? And there would have to be a person in charge of this union, right? Well, let’s face it, being president of the United States has proved too heady for some people, so can you contemplate one person being president of three countries?
So many incidents have taken place in secret in the last decade that we really don’t know where we are as a nation. And with a dysfunctional Department of Justice, there really is no way for us to get to the bottom of anything. I never thought I’d become suspicious of even the U.S. Supreme Court.
I know that I am not alone, that there are others who feel that the country is sliding downhill. It would be wonderful, though, if we could use this as a learning experience and begin trying to straighten things out in our own communities.
Maybe if we could improve the quality of our everyday lives, it would help us overcome the sense of dread that we feel when we look at the state of the country. Perhaps we might find just one project, like starting an oral history class at a local nursing home or creating a neighborhood mini-park, that would spiritually restore us.
In the end, we can only take responsibility for our own behavior and that of those who have been placed in our care. So, as individuals we have to do the best we can with what we have to work with. Those who assumed the responsibility to taking care of the country have gone to sleep at the wheel.
You can join the conversation with Rose M. Nolen by calling her at 882-5734 or e-mailing her at nolen@iland.net.