The energy being generated among the uninformed and/or fearful seems, once again, to be influencing the way the country might go in the fall election. This is reminiscent of the 2004 campaign when the terrorist-on-every-doorstep ploy seemed to work, and every other word was 9/11. But lies and distortion are in play again. How much more of a mess does our country need to be in before someone is held accountable?
An underlying thread in one camp is a selfish indifference to the plight of the “other” and the common good. Many of those yelling a thoughtless “drill baby drill” are immersed in a myopia that is on the verge of being frightening.
These are the folks who fought social security, Medicare, women’s rights and the rights of others … whatever their socio-economic difference may be. There is no end to the benefits worth keeping for oneself, and to heck with everyone else.
I prefer the following for an administration to lead our country:
- One where there is a philosophy and thoughtfulness involved in answering questions and addressing issues rather than an unwavering ideological certitude.
- One where others are listened to. For example, listening to those who have invaded and have been invaded, have occupied and have been occupied, have imposed their ways upon other cultures in paternalistic colonial fashion … and remember how well that was received.
- One who would ask the people in Coventry, Dresden, Hiroshima, Tokyo for guidance when someone knocks down a couple of building full of people. What would be a proportional response? How many hundreds of thousands of innocents must be killed in return?
- One where an energy policy would be one of “How can we use less?” rather than “How can we get more?”
- One that thinks beyond the next closing bell, the next quarterly earnings report, the next congressional election, the next presidential election.
- One that understands long term to mean the length of one’s formal education, or one’s retirement years, or one’s work life, or one’s child-bearing years.
- One that understands that the United States of America is a global partner, not a global bully. Or to, at the very least, understand what a “world leader” is called to do on behalf of the common good.
- One that understands that unprovoked aggression is criminal, that torture is a violation of everything America has stood for, that maintaining our security at the expense of our liberties is inexcusable.
- One that understands that tax credits , no matter how large, to buy health care coverage don’t do much for those who are barely getting by and pay little to no taxes.
- One that sees trickle-down economics to be as foolish as the old saw, “If the birds are starving, feed more oats to the horses.” The imagery, by the way, becomes more apt the longer one reflects.
In a dim light... 