Are you willing to step up to the plate and get it done?
Where does one start? Perhaps the best place to start is at the beginning. When I came home on Christmas of 1966, I found America ablaze with burning cities, racial strife, hate filled rhetoric and a divided people. The Vietnam War had deeply divided America. There was a prevailing belief by many Americans that government officials had lied to us. In time that belief was confirmed. It is this seed of mistrust that permeates American thought to this very day.
Coupled with this mistrust is a congressional body that knows of America’s racial, economic and social inequalities and have acted only in part to address these problems to this very day. The members of this body continues to play party politics. One need only listen to any newscast organization, leaning left or right, and one will hear the same repeated refrains. Often, if not all the time, it is the other political party to blame. Often it is said the other party is unwilling to compromise. Even a less frequent refrain heard is that of we will form a commission to investigate this issue. At times it feels as if we Americans are going along for the ride and no one is driving. In short, nothing is done the finger-pointing continues and America continues to wait.
It would seem after Jan. 6 of this year our elected officials would understand they need to do something other than play party politics and speak useless rhetoric. Still, to this very day, they continue playing party politics and America continues to wait. I want to make it dear I did not, and do not, condone what the terrorists did on Jan. 6. It was not right by any rationalization. In America we use the pen. Perhaps if millions of us were to sit down at our kitchen table and write a letter telling our representatives to stop playing party politics and go to work to help America and her people. And if not, we will elect people who will. Perhaps such a letter may remind them they were elected to help all Americans and not their constituents only. America continues to wait.
What do the members of our congressional body need to do? Each of them needs to roll up their sleeves, sit down together and start to work as one body to identify, and implement strategies that will address the issues facing America and her people. We the people want to believe in America’s politics and process and her leaders making decisions guided by integrity and a moral compass. Party politics are a stench upon the land. Are you willing to step up to the plate and get it done?
It’s time to go to work. It is time to earn our trust. America waits.