Much is made of the fact that the U.S. is a country divided, with red states that are conservative, rural, and Republican-leaning, and blue states that are liberal, urban, and Democrat-leaning. Our politicians and pundits love to say that we must come together as one people and one country, and then their conversation degenerates into partisan bickering, name-calling, and blaming.
We need to realize and accept that our politicians and pundits are often motivated by money and power and ego, and that their words of wisdom are simply expressions of their personal bias and self-interest. They are quick to see this in others and point it out ad nauseum, but have no interest in acknowledging their own similar failings. Unfortunately, many of us have taken to acting the same way.
This basic failure in communication is why we have not had a unified direction or purpose for the past 25 years. We have accomplished nothing substantive in this time, nor have we paid much attention to how the world has changed around us, so now we are poorly prepared to address the demands that the future is bringing, both domestically as well as globally.
While our politicians and pundits bicker and posture away, we continue to be in the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic that shows no signs of being under control. Wishful thinking cannot take the place of a vaccine. Right now we have nearly 115,000 deaths due to Covid-19, with a projection of hundreds of additional deaths every day with no end in site. Now that the focus is to reinvigorate the economy without regard to minimizing the spread of the Corona virus, it is not unreasonable to consider the possibility that we could have 330,000 deaths by the end of 2020. This would mean that 1 out of every 1,000 Americans will die from Covid-19 in a year’s time.
No matter if you live in rural America or urban America, a red state or a blue state, this should be a horrifying prospect. This is not a sign of a healthy and vibrant country, this is a sign of a dysfunctional society.
We need a combination of ideas, both red and blue, if we are to regain our balance and direction. We should all embrace our past, which began as a struggle for independence and self-determination. We should all consider ourselves to be independent-minded. We should all question and reject our politicians and pundits when they speak to us in a partisan and manipulative manner. We should insist that the most important issues of our time be addressed with fact-based debate and reasoning.
The major issues facing this country are pretty clear:
- Control Covid-19 until a vaccine is developed and administered;
- Address the inequities and methods involved with the application of police force;
- Envision a new economic model that provides a living wage and basic affordable health care for every worker;
- Expand our manufacturing base and infrastructure projects so that the unemployed will have jobs;
- Create a new leadership role for the U.S. as the world addresses Chinese imperialism, climate change, unfair trade practices, and prepares for future viruses.
A discussion of these issues during the presidential campaign would be a welcome change from the partisan talk and insult politics that is more than likely what we will end up with. Hopefully, at least some of the time, Trump and Biden will take the high road and speak to us in an inspirational and inclusive manner.
Talk about wishful thinking.