I
expected the acrimonious rhetoric to abate somewhat in the weeks after the
election. I thought a little distance from the competitive arena would dampen
the fires that so enflamed the debates and campaign. Days have slipped away,
Christmas has come and gone, and my various social media platforms still fill
with all manner of hate-mail and abusive postings. We must turn away from a
political culture which elevates winning by any means and securing power,
personal and party, as the primary goal, and instead embrace a healthier ethos
of examining ideas based on truth and reality and making decisions based on
candid polite discussion. Our infatuation with power as the end result of
political debate does not serve us well. Power should be the tool of the
republic, the means by which we serve the greater good, enabling the citizenry
to best fulfill the ideals of our Declaration, pursuing “certain unalienable
Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” In
our thirst for winning, our overweening belief that our viewpoint either ought
to, or must prevail, we damage the fabric of our society and strength of the
Republic. If we expect to survive as a strong and prosperous nation we must
discard the practices of the past and look to address the serious and
pernicious problems which seem so deep-rooted and intractable.
No
culture will long survive which easily discards individuals, heaping scorn on
certain classes and groups, denying them opportunity based solely on happenstance
of birth. Our greatest capital, most abundant resource, most viable path to
success is our human capital. The men and women we rub shoulders with daily
hold the keys to success. We must pursue policies that seek to lift and ennoble
all citizens, no matter the race, religion, or bank-account. We must truly and
fully embrace the noble sounding phrase, “sanctity of life.” Life is not only
sacred in the womb. It deserves protection and nurturing after the first nine
months. We must seek out ways to ensure that all children attend good schools
and enjoy the benefits of a high quality education. We must develop policies that
secure education for all children within our borders. Failure to build an
excellent education system will condemn certain groups, racial and socioeconomic,
to second-class citizenship. In a nation as blessed as ours, that is not right.
We have the means; we must not lack the moral courage to act. We must foster a broad
vision that leads to success for all citizens, not just the well-heeled or
those from the “good side of the tracks.” This ought to include our university
system as well. Not everyone will choose to advance their learning beyond
high-school. But, everyone who shows the diligence, desire, and capability
should find a seat at the appropriate university. A country which encourages
the individual to reach as high as possible, one that removes needless barriers,
and understands the investment nature of education, will serve its people well.
We must truly understand that our population is our greatest asset and take
appropriate actions to strengthen, not alienate, to lift up, not push down, to
salve festering wounds, not decry the injury.
Those
who occupy the lessor, meaner positions of our age need our help and
assistance, not our condemnation. We must discard those baser instincts which
encourage us to look down upon others of unfortunate circumstances, no matter
the cause. Yes, some arrive at these states through poor decisions; however,
the solution lies in providing help, not in demeaning them or somehow elevating
the bar, all the while forgetting our own good fortune in avoiding such dire straits.
We need to teach our children respect for all those we meet since in truth we
did precious little to deserve our own comfortable existence. Life is sacred
through and through, from the cradle to the grave. Even in old age we must do
our best to secure an acceptable outcome. Those who have for so long
contributed to the advancement of our nation ought not to fear the twilight
years. We enjoy abundance in our nation. Yet we seem to be engrossed with
amassing it for ourselves instead of investing in our society. We need
structures, pay, healthcare, education, housing, and others that broaden the
blessing instead of narrowing it. These sorts of structures take vision. This
sort of growth comes through hard work and risk. Not all plans work well, but
we cannot refuse to take action any longer. To proceed further down the path of
self-centeredness will only insure the demise of the Republic and our way of
life.
