Searching for balance
After every election there is always a plea for unity after all the ugliness of the campaign. However, one wonders about the sincerity of this admonition.
Having been around for almost three generations of Presidential administrations my view is that the losing party almost immediately encourages their constituents to start bashing the leader of the winner’s. While this seems to have been the case ever since I was old enough to pay attention, my experience is that it has escalated with almost every election. Republicans delighted in bashing Clinton, Democrats had their way with Bush, Republicans did their best to crucify Obama and the bloodletting is already starting with Trump.
I do wonder how this process relates to true patriotism. How does it serve our country? After any election (except in a true landslide) there will be a very large minority (45 – 50 %) that are disappointed. Does it serve the country to not accept the outcome? Are we better served by working with the winner with the objective of reaching compromises? One wonders why Republicans tend to view Democrats as less than intelligent and Democrats the reverse.
Personally I agree with George Washington regarding his view that the two party system will not (and does not) facilitate the best qualities in our country. Regardless, I see evidence in both parties where there is room for agreement and compromise, especially when it comes to some of the major issues. The issues I refer to were not addressed during the recent campaign.
Our biggest issue should be the budget and the related items of the national debt and the enormous level of unfunded liabilities. We have intentionally mortgaged the future to the detriment of our grandchildren and their prodigy. We reside in a false economy. Despite efforts to maintain unrealistically low interest rates the economy stagnates. One wonders what the impact of rising rates will have on our future.
Two significant items that relate to the budget imbalance are the out of control costs relative to healthcare and advanced education. I think that electorate of both parties could agree that these areas are worth working together for solutions. Why should costs in these areas be rapidly inflating while the remainder of the economy is stagnant or deflating? There actually are solutions to these important issues, but we will only find them by “finding balance” through mutual respect for differing views. Let’s strive to become true patriots.