As I read the news this morning, which has been my
habit for many years, I find myself again disgusted and discouraged by the
partisan bickering and petty feuds which have taken over not only Washington,
but also the minds and words of my fellow citizens.
There is no lack of serious work to be done by our
elected government, which by design is responsible, at least in theory, to the
general public. Our infrastructure is crumbling beneath our tires; the
integrity of our entire educational system is under attack from political,
religious, and social revisionists; corporate greed continues to destroy the
middle class; healthcare is an overpriced necessity, and our veterans are dying,
forgotten, in the streets. There are many other valid concerns, certainly; I
offer these only as examples of common necessity.
On May 25, 1961, President John F Kennedy addressed
Congress. . . “First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to
achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and
returning him safely to earth. . .” This goal was accomplished on July 20, 1969.
Within the halls of Congress there is energy, money, and ability abundant.
There is no doubt in the thinking mind that a country which put a man on the
moon in eight years, one month and twenty-five days should be able, in short
time, to address these and other concerns of the public.
“congress n, 2: the body of senators and
representatives constituting a nation’s legislature”
And what is our congress doing? Rather than tackle the
hard issues and working together to find solutions that are in the nation’s
best interests, they are expending precious time and energy appearing on talk
shows, attending fund-raising events for re-election campaigns, and bickering
over petty partisan issues. The constant backstabbing, sniping, name-calling,
and outright hostility exceeds that which I saw in, and expected from, junior high
school students.
These childish traits, when exhibited by members of
congress, are indeed nauseating; but when they are encouraged and in part
driven by the President of the United States, they become alarming. When this
type of juvenile behavior is exemplified by our nation’s leaders, is it not
sadly natural that the common citizen participates in the race to the bottom of
social discourse?
George Washington, our first and perhaps most revered
President, foresaw and warned against this danger, in his Farewell Address to
Congress in 1796:
"I have already intimated to you the danger of parties in the State, with particular reference to the founding of them on geographical discriminations. Let me now take a more comprehensive view, and warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party generally.
This spirit, unfortunately, is inseparable from our nature, having its root in the strongest passions of the human mind. It exists under different shapes in all governments, more or less stifled, controlled, or repressed; but, in the popular form, it is seen in its greatest rankness, and is truly their worst enemy.
The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetuated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty."
Is this, the rule of our beloved country by a despot, the course we are now on? I think, and hope, not. But it is up to us, to each individual, to examine his own thinking and manner of discourse; and to work toward setting right the manners in Washington. We have but one sacred duty at this time, it is our ability to willingly and continuously parse the truth from the verbiage of hate and division, and promote and vote for the best interest of the country.
Thank you for reading! As always, your comments are welcome.
R M "Bob" Hartman
John F Kennedy, Special Message to Congress on Urgent
National Needs, May 25, 1961; retrieved from https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Special_Message_to_the_Congress_on_Urgent_National_Needs
July 22, 2019.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, seventh edition.
Washington’s Farewell Address 1796, printed in
Philadelphia’s American Daily Advertiser, September 19, 1796 retrieved from https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/washing.asp
July 22, 2019