What happened to ‘one nation,’ indivisible?
Enactment
of national health reform has given many PEF retirees and members a renewed
optimism in the governance of this country.However, the legislative process starkly highlighted the deep divisions between our political leaders and their constituencies on the right and the left.
We are subjected to headlines such as “Tea Partiers Vow Revenge,” our country’s sitting president is portrayed with a Hitler-like moustache, congressional members are spat on, called homophobic or racial names, and shock jocks use epithets in referring to our elected representatives.
Can one honestly state we are a united country, when political lines have become so polarized and intransigent?
Many of us come to this moment with understandable concern. We are tired and upset by the power of special interests and their sway over governmental affairs. It may be time to shatter the complacency that has settled over American politics. Abuses of power, political contributions that ensure preferential treatment, gerrymandering and patronage have become accepted practice.
Seniors can remember when Americans felt we were unquestionably the greatest country in the world. We were united in our love and respect for our country.
Randolph Roth, a professor of history and criminology at Ohio State University, is quoted in the April issue of American History magazine:
“…. most patriotism in the United States since the mid-19th century has been, ‘I’m an American and you’re not,’ and that kind of patriotism is destructive. It draws the line between us and them within the society, rather than between us and people who live outside our society. As long as that kind of patriotism is out there, it’s the problem, not the solution.”
Abraham Lincoln, paraphrasing the Bible, stated: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
The Greek philosopher Socrates promoted civil discourse to examine accepted norms, institutions and ideals.
We, too, should advocate for freedom of inquiry and a commitment to the intellectual search for truth and fairness without intimidation.
As seniors, we must demand free and civil discourse and promote what we have in common as Americans. Let’s insist on a better America.
