“America is not the greatest country in the world anymore. We sure used to be. We stood up for what was right. We fought for moral reasons, we passed and struck down laws for moral reasons. We waged war on poverty, not poor people. We sacrificed, we cared about our neighbors, we put our money where our mouths were and we never beat our chest. We built great big things, made ungodly technological advances, explored the universe, cured diseases and we cultivated the world's greatest artists and the world's greatest economy. We reached for the stars and we acted like men. We aspired to intelligence; we didn't belittle it; it didn't make us feel inferior. We didn't identify ourselves by who we voted for in the last election and we didn't scare so easy. We were able to be all of these things and do all of these things because we were informed by great men, men who were revered. The first step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one." - Jeff Daniels as Will McAvoy (The Newsroom)
In a time today where everything is red or blue, the political parties have morphed into “if you're not for me, then you're against me.”
In 1796, George Washington warned the citizens of the newly formed United States that it is natural for people to organize and operate within groups such as political parties. But, he argued that every government had recognized political parties as the enemy, knowing it is only human nature to seek power over any party who opposes one's views and seek revenge on those who have previous victories against one side or the other.
Now, we fast forward to 2021, where money and power rule the day. The citizens of the United States have lost all trust in the political process. Politicians associate themselves with the most significant amount of money that can back them. They do not associate themselves with the results for their constituents. Politics have become a job instead of a service as initially intended to be. If they don't have the effects they know their constituents want, they will lie, slander and tear down their opponent. They will make lofty promises based on revenge or spite. While this may not be the characteristics of all politicians, the distrust runs so deep it's easier to believe everyone is out for their own agenda.
During these political campaigns of false promises and slander against one another, the citizens ultimately pay the price. Politicians pass laws and cut funding to spite the other party, never acknowledging that the citizens will have to deliver on those lofty promises. After all, they will not have to sacrifice their service and leave their families behind.
The world is in the middle of a pandemic, both COVID and the battle of the open southern border. As a result, the politicians have decided that it was not necessary to guard our borders. Although there are government guidelines to protect us from foreigners entering the country illegally, due to the uncertainty of the Coronavirus, we shut down the National Guard that was deployed to guard our open southern border.
The argument is that there is no documentation that the rise of the Coronavirus is due to the influx of illegal immigrants. That may be true, but that's also the other side's argument; there is no documentation to say anything.
Turn to Afghanistan; we once fought hard and sacrificed so much, only to have our politicians plot against the other side of the aisle and end up losing everything so much of us have given. For what? To give Afghanistan back to the Taliban so that history can repeat itself. “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice and shame on me.”
America is tearing itself apart from the inside out and making itself vulnerable to the outside world. Our Pledge of Allegiance to our flag is not a particular party, but we have gotten away from that idea. “Justice for all”, is now “justice for those who are offended this week.” In a world where we must please everyone, no one is protected. Our government gives us motionless issues to debate to sell us that they are working on our behalf, but what is being done on our behalf? The red party has one plan, disrupt the other side of the aisle; the blue party has the same plan. All the while, the world becomes more unstable and the American people's safety has never more scarce.
As our borders are understaffed and overrun and by giving Afghanistan back to the Taliban, we are not asking for world invasion, but instead almost begging for it. The best way to tear down a pyramid is by blowing it up from the inside. That is precisely what happened on Sept. 11, 2001. They infiltrated our borders and attacked us from the inside. Don't look now, but we have no way to block a repeat of history.