Not since the Civil War has America been so bitterly divided in so many ways. Strong feelings about abortion, states’ rights, federal health care, and taxation of the wealthy are but a few issues that this president has had to face while encountering a more consistently shortsighted and willfully ignorant opposition from both the left and right in the political realm.
Now that we are about to embark on a rather heated presidential campaign, political rhetoric stating innuendos and untruths will fill the airways and deafen our ears. Promises that are basically unattainable under the present world economic conditions will be the mantra of both parties.
Before we hear about how bad things are under the present administration, let us briefly review what Obama inherited upon the onset of his presidency: (1) the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression; (2) a health-care system that is experiencing spiraling upward costs; (3) an educational system that ranks twenty-seventh among other world nations; (4) two wars one of which was mishandled from the start and the other that was unnecessary and immoral; (5) a huge national debt inherited from previous White House administrations. Only Bill Clinton’s surplus at the end of his presidency in year 2000 reversed the trend of past administrations; (6) a Congress whose mandate was to create an impasse on any issue by just saying no! No president regardless of party affiliation could succeed under those conditions in just four years.
Speaking about the mentality of Congress when I was a kid, quite often the neighborhood boys would get together and play baseball at the nearest playground. Each day, two captains would be chosen by the group and they in turn would choose the teams to play against each other for that day. Many times you were chosen to be on a team on which you did not like either the captain or some of the players. Nevertheless, you rose to the occasion and supported your captain and each other in order to win the game.
Somehow our government has drifted away from the "little boys’ mentality of playing the game," especially when it comes to compromising on issues for the betterment of society. It seems as though most of the candidates’ energy is directed toward just getting elected or reelected. Huge amounts of money are raised at the expense of the citizenry. But once elected, that energy of working together with fellow legislators for the common good is lost in partisan politics. Until that prevailing attitude changes, our society is stuck in a quagmire of uncertainty for the future.
We are about to experience a media blitz from both the Republicans and Democrats regarding the presidential and congressional races. I implore you to carefully evaluate the promises that each party will thrust upon you. Right now it is the calm before the storm. It is a time to become informed about the facts, not just rely on party ideology. Remember, activism promotes freedom while complacency encourages fascism!