Pulling in the Same Direction?

A fire burns out a home; a family is homeless until the insurance company provides the authorization to rebuild or rehabilitate the structure. The community draws together to help the family with replacement space in which to live, clothes to wear, food to eat. Comfort and safety flow from the community to the family. 

A child walking to school is hit by a car while crossing a street. The child dies. The school community as well as the neighborhood responds. Parents from several blocks around appear the next morning to walk kids in groups to and from school to their own home blocks. They do this until crossing guards or stop signs and traffic lights are installed to improve safety for the kids.

Water tables rise in a season of unprecedented rain and snow melt. Rivers and streams rise. Water spills over adjacent banks and roads. Local businesses are swamped with rising flood waters. Patrons of those businesses assemble at the beleaguered businesses and begin to bag sand to protect the doorways and windows and basements of the businesses. City crews supply the volunteers with sand, bags, and heavy equipment to assist with the work.

The same flood washes out a school’s interior. The entire community responds with alternate classroom space, supplies and emergency lunch programs for the students now continuing their education in temporary spaces.

On September 11, 2001 the City of New York experienced the first of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Later the Pentagon came under similar attack. Of course there was the third flight that was hijacked for another target but was commandeered by the passengers and flown into a vacant field in Ohio far from the intended target.

Over Ohio the passengers came together and did what they felt necessary to protect other innocents from terrorist death and injury.

In Washington DC and New York City, thousands of police, fire and medical personnel responded to help. 3000 innocents died. 500 first responders died. Countless thousands died early deaths from health effects of the attack. Still more thousands live lives with scarred psyche’s. Their cases of post traumatic stress disorder.

But more was suffered from 9/11. A nation’s sense of itself and its vulnerability was a clear victim. So too the global community. They came to understand that terrorist attacks can and do affect many population centers throughout the world. And they could be next.

The good news: responders gather and pull together in the right direction to make things whole for the sufferers and the community.

In the aftermath of terrorist attacks the nation – our nation – pulled together and formed safety networks and early warning protocols to defend against terrorism. Such efforts have worked quite well. Large and clumsy to be sure, and costly. But effective nonetheless.

But now comes political Washington DC, primarily the republicans once again. They are arguing over who gets the say about budget and policy and government programs. The house of representatives under john boner’s leadership has claimed they are in control of budgeting for the Department of Homeland Security. The quid pro quo for this is the President’s immigration program. Cripple the latter or cripple the former. That is boner’s tactic this time around.

But the Senate says no. Majority leader McConnell (republican again!) doesn't want to give into this demand of the house of representatives.

Boner declares Homeland Security will be shut down as a consequence.

How interesting! Who’s pulling in which direction? What is the good that needs doing? Why are we not doing that? Gentlemen and women, isn't governance about getting things done rather than destroying them? And what about security and safety of the innocents?

The political mindset of 2015 appears to be no better than what we have endured since 2001. A disgrace. Mindless and unprincipled, too.

This fight does nothing to build confidence in ourselves or our nation. It is a rich embarrassment.

But you all voted these clowns into office. Not me and the friends I respect were pulling in a better direction. How did Washington DC (and Springfield, Illinois) become so messed up?

February 18, 2015