Clock Keeps Ticking
One of the folks I hold in high regard reached out a few days ago. Like many of us, he’s upset over the current political reality that is today’s country. He – in my humble – very much hopes that Trump can make things better, but also understands that it’s a matter of time before things go south.
Let’s be honest. Trump is not the greatest president in U.S. history – not even close. He loves to point out how this or that are the greatest or biggest ever . . . and he may indeed rank atop the list of 47 (or 45 individuals) if we’re ranking the biggest egos. However, he was FAR better than the alternative. (Disagree? That’s OK. This is my two cents; you can write your own and we’re happy to publish it.)
The problem is that the system itself is so, so, so broken that it’s hard – if not impossible – to see a path forward that fixes things.
No, check that. It’s easy to see a fix. (Install term limits for every elected office, outlaw lobbyists, make government MUCH more transparent, strengthen and add teeth to laws that regulate personal gain for those in office and make the hired hands subject to the laws they pass – no exceptions. Those things may not completely fix the problem, but they sure as hell get us closer.) Easy to see – hard as passing a camel through the proverbial eye of the needle.
So? Are we doomed? Should we start learning Chinese? Is the demise of the Republic drawing near?
No, or at least not yet.
I’ve never claimed to be the smartest guy in the room – and don’t intend to start now. But I can say that I’ve seen a lot in a journalism career that’s worn out more than a few pairs of Weejuns from one coast to the other. One thing I’ve learned is that We The People are a pretty damn resilient bunch. We put up with a lot, but we don’t do it forever. We have our limits. Push us far enough and we push back.
I think this last election was proof positive.
To be clear, there are Trump fanatics out there – just like there are for Biden or Obama or Bush . . . this missive isn’t for them. Again, just my two cents but I think the majority of people who voted for Trump were really voting against politics as usual.
They know the pain at the pump, the ridiculous prices at the grocery store, the flood of illegal immigrants . . . and they’re tired of explaining they have nothing against immigrants, they just don’t want illegal ones. They are more than a little frustrated with the explosion of insane policies regarding children – LITTLE CHILDREN – and sex. They saw that voting for Kamala Harris was at best a continuation of such. They voted for Trump in the hope that some of it might get fixed, or at least improved.
The answers are simple, and they start with you and me. We cannot sit back, nor can we show up at the polls every couple of years, and expect things to change. What’s that old definition of insanity? Just casting ballots isn’t working. Answers aren’t on the ballot yet.
In our case, at least when it comes to saving the Republic, the biggest danger is no longer the hired hands – it’s apathy.
We have to get involved if we’re going to get back on track. It’s been said in this space many times that the problem isn’t so much a local one as it is state . . . and to a much bigger degree, national. But it still starts here. Demand more locally. If something isn’t being done right, get it fixed, or elect someone who will. Find those folks and get them in office. Then get them to run for higher office. Support them. Work to get them elected. And. Keep. Holding. Them. Accountable.
Will it take a while? Of course. It took a while to break this great system our Founding Fathers handed us. It’ll take a while to fix it.
Get the right people. Let them start out as the minority and grow into the majority. Start there. Start now. We don’t have forever.