This May Not End Well

I'm crying fire in a crowded theater because people need to get out of their seats and put out the fire.

Here’s what I see happening in America today and I’m genuinely worried. 

During the pandemic, we put many serious problems on the back burner.  They have not gone away.  And worse, the beneficiaries of the old status quo have used this break in the action to reaffirm all the old bromides: “morning in America,” “prosperity around the corner.”

We now face the full force of fundamental changes in climate, technology and the ways in which we exchange goods, services and ideas with each other. These are changes that create problems that seem at first too big to handle, but they are not beyond a serious united effort, all of us rising to the occasion, as we have done in the past.

Private corporations, governments at all levels and private individuals must pull together. We can only shape the future if we are united. Right now, however, we are playing political “paint ball,” celebrating when we “hit” each other. For God’s sake, let us aim at the problems and celebrate when we gain ground on their solutions. The crises we face are serious. Are we?

I know that many of you are critical of our present government.  That is how it should be. Citizenship requires that we be critical, but in a democratic society it should never mean mindless and unrelenting hostility. There is a clear line between destructive criticism and constructive criticism.

Patriots give the governing party and its policies “the benefit of the doubt.” Why? Because patriots criticize the government for the good of the country, not for the good of their party.

Citizenship is tough minded, not bitter minded.

I have lived a long life. I have studied government as a career. I am not being soft-headed when I say that American governments have always been staffed by many competent people who have tried to do the right thing.

For many reasons, our government leaders in times like these are capable of getting things wrong (a lot of fog on the road ahead, and misleading signposts). A few may be genuinely corrupt. Some are arrogant. Others are ill-informed. But, taking everything into account, almost all of them are working for us, and we should be helping them get it right.

The opposition doesn’t necessarily have better ideas and more intelligence and more experience. They may even have less, but that will have to be judged by history.  What we can agree on is the right of the people to choose their governments in democratic elections and the responsibility of all of us to hold such governments accountable, while supporting their successful programs.

Whether controlled by Democrats or Republicans our system of government is NOT corrupt.  It is human, subject to hubris and error.  When we give it measured support, the results, in all likelihood, will be good.  

Only some of us elected this present government, but now it serves us all and needs the support of all of us. Naturally, Democrats will criticize it less and Republicans more. That is democracy in action. But let us all support policies that seem right and seek to change or improve policies that seem to be failing.

For if we can’t make it work, then we neither deserve, nor will long have, a democracy.