Good Morning Buenos Aires

I spend entirely too much time on Facebook. That being said, I have noticed a lot of disturbing status updates recently dealing with the elections in the USA yesterday. Instead of complaining and adding my own “two cents” directly on Facebook, I decided to address some of my concerns here, where among other things I have more space. So without further ado, here are some of my thoughts:

I think that the problems confronting the United States require a collaborative effort to solve. Personally, I am sick and tired of labels (liberal, conservative, conservative compassion, liberal pity, neocons, neoliberalism, whatever…) and I am even more distressed by the ongoing partisan nature of politics and its associated public engagement in contemporary American life.

Any moron should see that it took a collaborative effort to get us into this mess. A rather small leap of logic should indicate that working together is the only way out of it. And mind you, I am not singling anyone out in particular or pointing any fingers. It is just that a lot of recent status updates are concerning me as they are demonstrative of just how pissed off and separated from one another that Americans have become. I would have hoped that by this point in our lives that we would have evolved beyond simple name calling, the use of inflammatory language designed merely to inflame others, and behaviors which serve only to create divisions amongst ourselves.

The answer to our societal ails be they moral, philosophic, cultural or economic do not lie in the promulgation of unnecessarily hateful language, vengeful statements and other negative rhetoric. Those actions only serve to divide us as a people and to perpetuate the mental masturbation created by regurgitating the problem. I would prefer we talk about solutions for the more we wallow around in the problem the greater it becomes….

Clearly our current economic crisis is the number one issue confronting our country with the lack of an adequate health care system running a close number two. People can whine all they want to about socialism and health care; however, that merely serves to muddy the water. The fundamental responsibility of any government is to provide for the safety, the welfare and the quality of life of its citizenry and there is nothing more vital to the quality of life of each and every American citizen than the ability to enjoy a high standard of economic prosperity coupled with good health.

Enjoying good health and an adequate income is fundamental people. Don't you get it?

And you know what, the United States government, although of the people and by the people, has failed in providing improvements in our quality of life standards for a very long time (certainly the expanse of our own lifetime).

To single out any particular political party is ill-informed to say the very least considering that these quality of life issues have existed our entire lifetime. Those of us in the “40-something” age group are the first generation that was unable to enjoy the same quality of life most of our parents had. Most of us have smaller incomes (at least decreased buying power with what we earn), we have less job security, our wives are unable to stay at home and raise our children as any quality of life requires 2 incomes now… the list goes on and on.

These quality of life issues saw their creation long before we were born, and throughout our lifetime they have been gradually eroding through the course of 4 Democratic administrations spanning 18 years so far (5 and part of an additional year if you were alive during the end of JFK’s life) and 4 Republican administrations spanning 28 years.

Indeed, using a quantitative analysis alone one could reasonably argue that since the Republicans have held power for nearly 61% of our lifetime more of the blame falls on them than the Democrats. (Of course such an analysis his horse-shit, but an interesting point to consider nevertheless.) And if you want to look at the flipside using a qualitative perspective, the two greatest periods of economic prosperity in our country’s history occurred during our own lifetime and were presided over by first Ronald Reagan and then Bill Clinton.

There is a wealth of empirical evidence demonstrating that our overall quality of life to include our economic prosperity, our level of accessibility to adequate healthcare and our job security (if you have one) have been eroding at a consistent pace throughout our lifetime with very few "timeouts". Additionally, there is an equal showing that this gradual decline has continued regardless of which party was in control along the way.

I have been observing this election closely, or more specifically its impact on us as a people who engage with one another either in person or online, and I find myself increasingly saddened by the never ending negative rhetoric on both sides. As children we are taught that “united we stand and divided we fall”. We are taught the “Golden Rule” - to treat others with the same compassion and understanding we hope to receive in our own lives. Yet, when it comes to politics both of those seeming “self-evident truths” fall by the wayside and to me that is the most distressing issue our country is facing in the long run. Times of economic prosperity come and go. Times of social unrest come and go. Times of military conflict come and go. But those qualities that make the human experience worthwhile are timeless: love, compassion, understanding, sympathy, empathy…..

Along with our jobs, our economic prosperity and our potential for continued good health are we to forfeit those qualities which bind us as humans as well? My hope is that we can get out collective heads out of our asses. My hope is that we can see the results of this election for what they really are: a cry for help coupled with a mandate for change. My hope is we can halt this petty "schoolyard bully" mentality that has prevailed for all too long. For I truly believe that united we just might stand a chance to create a brighter future for us all. However, I am convinced that divided we will sure fail and fall!

Peace... out. Read more!