It's On Us

Today I am thinking about an excerpt I read from a book written by Lee Iacocca about the perilous times we're in and, generally, how we need to stand up and shout ourselves hoarse in order to effect change.

It's easy to get the old juices flowing when he points out thing after thing that we know is true and, damn it, why haven't we done something about that before now! I have listened for 50 years to the refrain of 'throw the bums out of Washington'. We absolutely should monitor our borders better and not squeeze our middle class to maintain a National lifestyle. I enthusiastically embrace moving toward eliminating our dependence on foreign oil - (Did I miss Chrysler leading the charge to embrace the development of solar or electric hybrids?) No matter.

At first glance, it does seem right to believe we should solve our domestic crises before giving it away to the world. But then comes a whopper of a natural disaster like in Haiti, with unimaginable loss and suffering, and I wonder who among us would prefer the US not to throw its resources behind a relief effort to help in whatever way possible? A simple show of hands will do.

We are complacent citizens. It's unfortunate but true that in our country we have great faith and a belief that good will prevail, even when faced with proof to the contrary. It is one of our greatest assets, our strong sense of American honor, and why we find ourselves at this uncomfortable juncture.

Remember settling for the lesser of two evils - even for President? Me, too. I can't say I have ever picketed the state capitol or attended a Town Hall meeting when I felt our country had veered off course.

We the People are out of shape! We rely on the entertainment media to ask what we hope will be hard enough questions so we can decide where to mark our x, and they do the job half-heartedly hoping a good scandal breaks that is infinitely more alluring. Ratings, you know.

We don't try very hard to pin our candidates down on compelling social and political issues. Our voices are becoming no more than an angry whisper over dinner when we feel our government is not representing the principles we believe it should. Voices are even dimmer in the voting booth, where our choices are only those who had the perseverence, the money, and the political connections to make it that far.

I'd like to say I've opened my wallet and my home for a candidate whose experience and sense of right aligned with mine, or that I've kicked and screamed when all the qualified Presidential candidates were not given airtime because they weren't as attractive or dynamic, but that's not true. I along with everyone else allows the staggering costs of TV ads to cull from the herd those candidates who cannot afford political office regardless of their vision and how well they honor the principles of our democracy. A John F. Kennedy type of man from humble origins might very well be sitting at home wondering how America has prevented him from reaching us because he cannot buy his way in.

We have forgotten how to participate in our own democracy. It's on us.