More on Political Polarization

This message is written just prior to knowing the results of the 2018 mid-term election and will be posted a few months afterward. My hope was that we could vote for the individual and not along party lines. The two party-system along with the encouragement to vote a straight “party” ticket lies at the base of many of our problems.

The emphasis on the extremes in both parties by the media tends to exacerbate this issue. The fact is that the majority of representatives in both parties have views much closer to the political center. If you are a registered Democrat and your party has voted an extremist as their candidate please considerate the more moderate Republican candidate. The reverse goes for a registered Republican (in my opinion). If both candidates are extremists or support extreme agendas then consider voting Libertarian.

If we would elect candidates that have more moderate views and express an interest in working with all of their counterparts (regardless of party affiliation) for effective legislation then there is a chance we can make progress on the most important issues facing our country.

The really important issues that will determine if America has a chance to “Be Great Again” have been the subject of numerous prior postings to my blog. These are tough issues, but ones which moderate representatives should be able to enact effective legislation. The budget deficit, our massive unfunded liabilities, our broken healthcare system and funding for Social Security should top that list. What we do not need is more special interest legislation or legislation that support a particular political agenda. While topics like immigration are important, they pale in comparison to the financial ruin we are facing if we do not face up to the big money issues.

There are massive amounts of “fake” news items out there. Unfortunately, when we encounter a message which tends to support our established political view we tend to accept it blindly and even pass it along to friends without checking out the validity of the claimed “news” item. There are several facts check sites which are valuable is checking the veracity of an alarming news claim. Among then is Snopes. While using this source solely is not always the best method it is generally reliable. It is a valid starting point for researching “truth”. Conversely, if you see news that appears fake to you because it is averse to your current viewpoint consider using the same sources to determine its invalidity.

Perception tends to rule the day, regardless of the truth or the facts. What we “believe” to be true is merely perception and often not fact.