Since the Republican caucus has taken over the majority, they haven’t put one jobs bill on. They haven’t done a poor job - they haven’t done anything. These cuts are Republican answers for a job crisis that they created….with their massive tax cuts to the rich, two wars, and big pharma giveaways.
- Rep Keith Ellison (D-MN)
I could devote a lot of time and energy to bemoaning what I see happening in this country today…but I have neither the energy nor the inclination. Y’all can look around and draw conclusions just as I can, and it doesn’t take a Ph.D. to understand that something is seriously, horribly wrong. Whether it’s what’s happening in Wisconsin, the GOP’s wars against women and the social contract, etc. ad infinitum, ad nauseum, it’s difficult to escape the notion that we as a nation are at a crossroads. As I look around, I’m struck by one simple recurring question:
Who (and what) do we want to be?
I’m not going to pretend to have any answers, but I do think it’s time that we have a conversation about what kind of nation we want to be. Without being judgmental (or at least as much as I’m able to be impartial), I see two choices:
1) We can be a nation that cares for its people. No, we don’t have to enable the lazy or coddle the weak, but we can be a nation that recognizes that, for all manner of reasons, some of our compatriots don’t have equal opportunities to avail themselves of the American Dream. I don’t pretend to know what form this concern and support for our fellow Americans should take, but there’s an argument to be made that we can, and should, be willing to take care of one another without diminishing our prerogatives as individuals. Understanding and following the Social Contract would mean that we recognize the need to create a better, more connected, and more humane system that care for the “least” among us as we would those more fortunate and blessed.
2) We can continue on the path we’re currently traveling and become a nation dedicated to the primacy of the individual. This means that all of us have a responsibility primarily and only to ourselves and our families. Anyone else can, should, and must be expected to fend for themselves. A social conscience is really only indicative of a pervasive and insidious weakness in our national character. I’ve worked hard to get mine; you can damn well do the same for yourself. This sort of Social Darwinism might seem harsh on its face, but it ensures that America becomes the strongest and best version of itself and positions us to be as competitive as possible in an increasingly global economy. Sink or swim.
OK, so perhaps that might seem a bit overly simplistic, but I do believe that this is where we are today. What sort of nation do we want to be? I know where I would fall in this debate, but my purpose isn’t answering a question as much as it is stating the need for it to be debated. I believe the chaos and turmoil we find ourselves currently embroiled in provides a golden opportunity for all 300 million of us to re-examine who we are and who we want to be as a nation.
Those on the opposite side of the ideological divide might frame this debate in different terms, and I’m OK with that. My hope is that we can begin talking and thinking instead of merely reacting, because I believe that knee-jerk reaction is what’s placed us squarely in the midst of the dilemma we currently face. Chaos and turmoil can be a good thing if it’s used as a catalyst. I can’t help but thinking that it’s time we- all of us- started asking ourselves one very simple question:
Who (and what) do we want to be?
