The Time has Come for Us to Act as the Adults in the Room

Like the vast majority of Americans, I am saddened and disillusioned by the continued ratcheting up of the hate filled speeches and rhetoric which fill the political discourse of the day. It was inevitable that violence would spill from the hate filled environment that has been created in our nation and we are witnessing that every day.

It seems as though every Monday morning we pivot out of bed to news of another senseless act of violence against each other which begs no rational explanation.

We have many challenges within our borders that face our nation today. Those challenges will only be appropriately dealt with through intelligent discourse, ingenuity, reasoning and hard work. Violence never will solve the social, racial or the political challenges that face us as a people. Those issues will only be solved when reasoned men and women come together to find solutions and put the blame game behind us.

As a people we must become better informed regarding the issues of the day. The responsibility to help find reasonable solutions lies first with our commitment as citizens to understand the issues and not rely on others to lead us like sheep by the use of slick words or slogans.

When our Founding Fathers penned the Declaration of Independence all those years ago, they did so while believing in the value of the individual. They understood the need to recognize the inherent value in the ability of the individual to guide his or her destiny, and therefore that of the nation.

Each and every individual has much to offer society and we must be prepared to accept those contributions based upon the good each of us can offer humanity. This relates to all matters which lie before us and has no relationship to the color of a person’s skin, their religion, nation of origin or their political party. Instead it has to do with only the fact we share one common denominator; we are Americans, one and all.

We must tear away these terrible “labels” we’ve placed on individuals and be prepared to deal with the issues rather than the “labels.”  We are all Americans first and not Democrats, Republicans, liberals or conservatives.

Whether it be in education, healthcare or the environment, there can be middle ground that must be found to insure we meet those challenges as we move forward. No one would dare debate the fact that there are issues regarding healthcare that must be addressed. The costs have spiraled out of control over the last several decades and that must be addressed, so no person should have to make a choice between their need for insulin or heating oil this next winter.

Immigration is another area that needs a steady hand and reasoned approach to addressing those issues and not the name calling and bigoted hate speech that has been associated with it the last three decades. 

Those that choose to come here with an intention to break our laws, pray on the defenseless or act in a way to bring shame and dishonor to their heritage must be immediately expelled from our nation and dealt with in a swift and decisive manner.

We must face the fact that there are those who have broken the laws regarding entry, but have lived here for decades, raising their families, paying taxes and participating as good citizens. For these individuals, the challenge is greater for our nation, and a reasoned and intelligent approach much be found; not a knee jerk, feel good, pound your chest reaction, while avoiding the sound bite type of political approach that continues to kick the can down the road, while avoiding the reality of the situation.

The air we breathe, the water we drink and the land we live off must also be a priority in our lives. These games must cease, as the stakes have become too high. The time has come to find a balanced approach to insure we don’t ruin the wonderful gift God has granted to us, while still being able to utilize those resources he also provided.

We are the nation that has sent men to the moon and back. There is no reason that we cannot apply that same brilliance to how we deal with the challenges regarding the environment and how to better co-exist within it.

As I sit here this evening, I find myself becoming more and more disenchanted with this game of “musical chairs.” Unfortunately we are no longer in grade school and the clock is out of time, we must become the adults in the room and take control of the situation before this great nation has lost its leadership role in the world.