As we look to another election, are we searching the men and woman with integrity and a desire to work together, to compliment each other, and to make the country better? These days, I look for calmness and empathy in politicians before listening to policy and platform. I walked away from both parties in recent years, choosing to vote in support of people who could -calmly- and intelligently, tell me why their platform and ideas would help our children.
Attached is an opinion piece from my friend Eli, sent to me this morning. Do you have something to say? Let us know salidacitizen@gmail.com -bd
Eli Reichman
A nation founded by immigrants, America has always been a fascinating jigsaw puzzle . . . a collection of imperfect pieces melded together as one. Today the stability of the country’s future is tenuous, clouded by a competing array of racial, religious and ideological factions. To mold this collection of disparate forces into a unified whole requires leadership built on altruistic principles, not the current spate of divide and conquer partisan politics U.S. voters are enslaved by.
It is understandable when individuals turn against a government they believe has forsaken its democratic foundations. It’s also obvious that an entrenched bureaucracy will take advantage of the same fractured electorate to perpetuate a broken system, disguising it as something new. We’ve grown accustomed to bellicose political rhetoric during contentious periods in our nations history, but one should not confuse obstructionism and misinformation for an effective legislative agenda.
Every election cycle is like a pendulum and this Tuesday Americans across the country head to polling places facing another ideological crossroads. Sarah Palin’s vision endorses a slate of candidates offering no radically new policy considerations, but they have successfully tapped into the overabundance of voter hostility. Mrs. Palin and her cronies have not offered up anything more than reworked versions of the same poorly conceived programs already compromising the core health of the country’s economic future. Why then would any rational person want more of the same? It takes individuals with well thought out and innovative ideas to lead a country through these challenging times.
If there is one universal tie binding us together, it is our children. We bring them into this world full of hope and wonder. We watch over and nurture them. We teach them their ABC’s and how to play nice with their friends and foes alike. We take them to ball games, museums and concerts. We dress them up for proms and send them off to college to become good citizens at home and abroad. It is a mighty commitment.
In return it is each new generations responsibility to make the world a better place for all, not just those they self-identify with. Likewise, it is every politicians obligation to tackle difficult and divisive issues for the benefit of an entire country, not a single preferential group.
This Tuesday, let us vote for hope over hate. Our country’s future depends on it.
Eli is a Pullitzer winning photographer based in Kansas City and Salida, Colorado. Photographs ©Eli Reichman, 2010. All Rights Reserved.
“You can always count on Americans to do the right thing – after they’ve tried everything else.” Winston Churchill
Evidently, we’re still trying.