The Writing on the Wall
May 20th, 2010 by terry
Photo: Stock Exchange/US Capital
Witnessing the revolution from the front row seat is fascinating, wrenching and requires more courage than I feel that I have. It is heart breaking to see our wonderful country rent by bitter politics and the hateful under current of racism.
“Moderate” is an adjective that does’t apply as well as it once did. The Republican party has yielded its moral and intellectual authority to none other than Rush Limbaugh, the self-described entertainer who hopes to see Obama fail. Sarah Palin’s biggest laugh line is that the Republican party isn’t just the party of no, it’s the party of hell no. This is tantamount to arguing over the deck chair arrangement on the Titanic while millions continue to lose homes, jobs, businesses, loved ones and the BP wells spew oil with no end in sight. Apparently the Party of Hell No thinks that “no” is working because the polls tell them so. Will we come to our senses when the oil reaches the Florida Keys?
Sixty-seven percent of mad-as-hell Americans believe that term limits will clean up Congress, which bodes for a throw-the-bums-out reaction to the mid-term elections. The root problem is corruption, not tenure. Is eliminating corruption even possible? It never seems to go out of style.
A lot of great people probably do not consider a political career, preferring to sit on the sidelines, given the intrusive nature the job. What normal person would subject their families and themselves to the scrutiny of public office? Many talented people couldn’t meet the attractiveness bar that we set for public officials.
We face problems so daunting that even if we all pulled in the same direction it would take years and miracles to get back on track. The current crop of politicians lack the courage to do the right thing, which includes raising taxes so that families live in homes and have enough to eat. What would it be like to have realistic budgets, bills paid on time, functioning schools, and adequate energy to heat and cool homes and businesses and keep commerce moving? Wouldn’t it be great to have regulations that protect ordinary citizens from being fleeced by the powerful and well connected? The oil and banking industries are horrifying examples of industries that are permitted to regulate themselves.
The writing on the wall is stark: we are in this on our own. The solution will come from communities that learn to support each other tangibly, creatively, and healthfully.
For more info: New Community Vision is eager to work with groups to spawn a movement to think about our social and housing paradigms in a new context. Community gatherings to address our universal challenges are the fertile soil in which durable solutions take root. Please subscribe to this blog and contact us for more information.
