How Did We Get Here?

The New Year has begun with an unsettling array of issues that mankind simply can’t seem to get right. Here’s a small list of those issues:

• American ranchers in Oregon feel they are owed national lands for grazing by their herds; they are granted access but must pay a nominal fee to use the lands, else the land could be used by all and abused. So they took over a public land reserve with an armed militia and are demanding land ownership to be transferred to the ranchers. Or else. The rest of America’s citizens – all of whom own this land – are expected to do what?
• President Obama takes a stand over runaway gun violence; the majority of Americans support him and his moves to do this. His political enemies immediately state everything he said they would say in opposing his new executive orders. This is not about Obama, or political parties. It is about each of us living together and protecting the innocent from senseless gun violence. If you have a better idea how to manage this, where are your proposals?
• North Korea claims to have tested an H-bomb. They have signed international peace accords giving up testing of such weapons. No confirmation has been made scientifically whether the test actually took place. Still, this failed nation and its suffering peoples attempt to poke a stick in the eye of the world. For what purpose?
• China builds islands in sea lanes off their shore to extend their claim into international waters and then goads world powers to deny them this folly. Is this a badly disguised war cry with which they wish to challenge the world? Bah!
• Russia makes claims that the USA is its enemy and a security risk. America has extended its hand in peace continuously for decades. It is no enemy of Russia unless Russia wants that to be the case. How foolish is this?
• A black man sits in the White House. He is reviled by a large portion of his countrymen. Why? Is this a racial issue in spite of our claims to the contrary? What makes politics so vile and demeaning? Why do we treat public servants in this manner?
• Mental illness is a serious problem for most societies. The best educated societies understand this and have the resources to combat the problem. Yet they don’t; they medicate the patients and set them free to self manage their care and behavior; it results in loss of life and senseless violence. Yet no one steps forward to manage this very human problem.
• Education is the one public service that develops human potential and success for the long term future for the students and society. However, we allow bureaucracy and teacher unions to weigh heavily on the effectiveness of this critical service. Research tells us how to reorganize our efforts but politics steps in the way of meaningful change. Why?
• Sports teams want local municipalities to subsidize their stadiums at huge cost. Why is this even an issue? Public education would benefit enormously from these public dollars. Professional sports is not on par with public education. Fund the schools.
• Private corporations continually benefit from use of public infrastructure including an educated labor force yet they minimize their taxes via loopholes they lobbied for and even stash untold billions outside the borders of the nation claiming they cannot afford the taxes required to repatriate those dollars. Who exactly is seeking subsidies for their operations and why?
• The arts have always had a hard time remaining viable within educational programs. Why? Art and music education have shown to develop the brain and social skills of students in astounding ways. Why would we deny this important ingredient in our public schools?
• Non-profit organizations achieve results where no private dollars are risked. The nation benefits. People benefit. Yet donations to these non-profits are always included on the beggars’ list. Why?

We have much to do in this nation of free people and so called open minds. We celebrate our strengths without realizing our weaknesses. It would appear we need to take responsibility for what we believe and make good things happen.

Such is done by motivated people with strong minds and goodwill. When do we begin?

January 7, 2015