“…dispel ignorance and cooperatively create solutions.” – The Shrew

I would have to say that most Americans enjoy living simple lives that do not involve much thought on politics.  I too was amoung that dynamic for a very long time.  The closest I got to anything political was the voting booth during election time.  I considered my vote to be an educated vote.  For the record, I am undeclared but occasionally will pick a party to be able to vote in a primary.  When I became a City Councilor, I was happy that the candidates ran as nonpartisan members of the community.   This experience gave me a clearer picture of how an average person can have impact with economic and social issues of importance.  I have since gone on to volunteer as president of a Main Street board as well as hold positions on the Economic Development Commission and the Transit Committee amoung other things.

Today’s polarized governance at the Federal level seems to me to be a far cry from what most Americans want.  We can accept that a binary political machine is the one that exists for practical purposes, however, the lack of middle ground that is needed for solving national issues is currently unacceptable. Why is this polarization happening?  I think it is because the Democrat side thinks they are the only party that can act morally on behalf of Americans.   They devote their words to standing on the side of love, claiming to have all the answers.  No one else should question their motives.  They would like everyone to believe that decisions involving guns, global warming, taxation, education and health care are best suited to only the Democrats.

But wait!  What does this do to the Republican party?  Does this mean that the conservative side is evil because they have different ideas?  Yup…That absurdity is indeed where we are today.  “Conservatives are Nazi racists”…Sound familiar?  I always thought that conservatism meant following the Constitution along with loving thy neighbor as thyself.  I’ll get into this critique in an up-coming post.

Our human existence is based on the very nature of duality.  It is the highest order of ignorance to not see that this duality helps us develop a healthy sense of humility and compassion for one another.  No one side can be absolutely correct.  If we believed this then we would be living in a Dictatorship.

The U.S. Constitution laid the foundation for a governance system that brought us out of tyranny.  This is why neither the President nor one political party can remain in lifelong power.  Our two party system should debate ideas strictly within their constitutional boundaries, oversee a tight federal budget, and be accountable to their constituents who in turn take care of their local issues.  Solutions must be created cooperatively otherwise we will regress into chaos and tyranny.

Wake up Washington DC!  Work together for the common good.  It is what you are there to do.