Our fellow Americans, we are awesome people, but we have been asleep at the wheel for way too long – and this started way before Donald J. Trump. In truth, the dysfunction and challenges confronting our country have been building for decades, under the leadership of both major political parties.
It’s become abundantly clear that finding solutions to our problems is not the goal of most of our politicians and it hasn’t been for a long time. Instead of constructing an arsenal of intelligent and thoughtful ideas, most of them lob Molotov cocktails of anger, frustration, blame, and fear.
They distract with hateful attacks on one another; government shutdowns; whataboutism and false equivalencies; scapegoating; and – in the case of the Trump/Vance administration – made-up crime sprees; fake national emergencies; “threats” from peaceful protesters; plastic straws; windmills; the flushing power of toilets; pronouns; the “evilness” of DEI; and who is and is not “woke” (whatever that means).
Political theater has replaced governing. Outrage is rewarded. Division is manufactured and exploited. And the people who benefit from keeping Americans angry at one another aren't the people who pay the price.
Meanwhile, our total public debt is over $40 trillion, our federal budget deficit is $1.8 trillion, and all three major credit rating agencies have downgraded the U.S. debt rating. Our checks and balances are way out of whack; our First Amendment rights are being trampled on and our civil liberties are at risk; government waste is colossal; and lobbyists almost exclusively write our public policy. Over 36 million Americans are trapped in poverty; our inequality gaps in practically every category are massive; and our Medicare and Social Security funds are insolvent. We still have broken health care, education, and criminal justice systems, and our immigration policy is in total chaos.
Our closest allies are confused, deeply concerned, and making alternative plans; Russia and China have exploited our internal division and even made it far worse by interfering in our sacred elections; our exit from Afghanistan was a disaster; we are invading and/or bombing countries on a seemingly monthly basis; and Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un are essentially shooting us the bird.
This snake oil, smoke and mirrors, side show approach to governing is absurd. THIS IS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. We should be way past this by now.
It’s time to honestly question our commitment to the future of this nation.
Deep down, do we really want to make the necessary changes or are we satisfied
with accepting our political circus as some kind of perverse entertainment?
Will our legacy be something we are proud of, or will we forever be known as
the former superpower that recklessly relinquished our prominence
because we lacked the will to protect it?
It sometimes feels that We the People allow our politics to become a reality television show that we are disengaged from; like we’re watching an unavoidable train wreck from the side of the tracks.
We sometimes forget that challenging authority is our right, our responsibility, our legacy. If our country is not going in the direction we want, all we have to do is step in and fix the madness ourselves. It’s really that simple. Our superpower as Americans is that we have the freedom and power to create a better future for ourselves without waiting for some piece of elusive legislation to pass.
That we take that right for granted is a colossal understatement. It feels like we anticipate someone more qualified or smarter or less busy than ourselves to do something about all of this. Many people are certainly eager to express their disapproval and complain about the problems, but often the person criticizing chooses to blame someone else or suggest someone else take action. Imagine the difference if we all reject finger pointing and the blame game and instead look inward, feel a compulsion to act, and introduce potential solutions into the political conversation.
A time will eventually come when Americans will demand better governance, and true transformation will begin. We say that time is now. Even though at times it feels like things have completely unraveled in our country, to us it’s a huge relief we are finally in this exact place – because now we can finally start turning this thing around.
We don’t really have a choice because, we hate to break it to you, there is no one else to do it. No one is sequestered in a secret room somewhere trying to figure this mess out. At times we seem to have this fantasy that somebody – anybody – is working on groundbreaking solutions for us, but they are not. It’s just all of us, my fellow Americans. That’s it.
The exciting news is that once we take matters into our own hands, our future will be brighter than ever! The American spirit is unmatched, and we can achieve anything we put our minds to.
As fabulous as America is – and it really is an extraordinary country – it’s no wonder we are not operating at maximum capacity. Instead of recognizing the wisdom of The Butterfly Effect and approaching our policies comprehensively, our politicians act like they exist in total isolation from one another.
Their actions (and inactions) suggest they think our long-term economic health is separate and apart from our unstable entitlement programs, ridiculously convoluted tax code, schizophrenic immigration policy, non-evolving energy practices, the cost and quality of our health care, how effectively we run our government, suffocating debt, and severe inequality of both income and opportunity.
Evidently, they think our ability to preserve supremacy within the international power structure is separate and apart from the level of respect we have from the rest of the world, the status of our global alliances, the way we educate our children, our ability to harness exceptional talent, the way we treat the planet, our level of investment in research and development, and the condition of our infrastructure.
Worse, politicians from both major parties seem to think we don’t even notice this is going on. They constantly underestimate the American people. They act as if we aren’t smart, capable adults – like we can’t comprehend the magnitude of our problems or handle the hard choices we must make to solve them. This is not only false…it’s downright insulting.
Regardless of our political affiliation – if we still have any at all – We the People know it is impossible to safeguard our long-term economic health without a sensible plan to stabilize our entitlement programs; an uncomplicated tax code; a smart immigration policy; an evolving, self-reliant energy policy; affordable, high-quality health care; a government that runs like a well-oiled machine; manageable debt; and fair and equitable opportunities for every American.
We the People know it is impossible to retain our status as a superpower without conducting ourselves in a manner that deserves respect; unassailable relationships with our allies; properly educated children; next-level talent; a healthy planet; a strong commitment to innovative research and development; and modern, cutting-edge infrastructure.
We the People fully recognize that it’s impossible to sustain freedom and liberty without sacrifice and that, thanks to decades of political incompetence and irresponsibility, the time has finally come to buckle down and get serious about protecting our future.
For politicians to view our challenges compartmentally – as opposed to comprehensively – is a lazy, irresponsible approach and does nothing more than waste precious time, as we are now so painfully aware. Because there are so many problems to solve, the only plausible answer is to be boldly strategic in our attack. We can no longer expect half-measures and incremental ideas to work in systems that have all but collapsed. Instead, we need to embrace a full and fundamental restructuring.
As we begin to make revolutionary changes, it’s essential that we always make today’s decisions with tomorrow seared in our minds. Our best bet is to always keep our eyes firmly on the horizon and visualize the future we want for our shining city upon the hill, not only in the 21st century, but far beyond.
