America the Beautiful?

Let’s play the blame game. I watch many of the political news shows, read the websites and even catch a Twitter or two and am struck by debates over health care reform, the Sotomayor confirmation and the fiscal economic crisis. It seems that the political arena has become a hotbed of insanity! Last night I watched a news segment where the actual citizenship of our president was questioned! Whatever happened to respect for the office? Whatever happened to the promise of an America of the people, for the people, by the people? I am frustrated with the direction this country is taking and it has nothing to do with what party I affiliate with. On the contrary, I place equal blame on all politicians and their inability to come together for a common good, for America. Whatever happened to forming a more perfect Union?

America is a great country. Understatement. America is the land of opportunity, the land of the free. We fight for what we believe in and the right to speak up about our beliefs. Unfortunately, what I have learned and witnessed, is that we are also petty, selfish and very unforgiving. Our elected politicians are so ready to point the finger and play the blame game, that instead of thinking of their constituents; they immediately get into a playground brawl with each other. No one listens politely to the other side of the spectrum but instead immediately lashes out. The president’s inability to pass health care reform “will be his Waterloo,” stated a senator just the other day. Instead of sticking it to the president, shouldn’t Congress be working with the president to find a way to pass health care reform? Instead of focusing on words in a speech (or many speeches), shouldn’t the confirmation committee be concerned with a Sotomayor’s judicial record? Instead of blaming the Clinton administration or Bush politics for America’s current fiscal crisis, shouldn’t we instead be working together to fix it?

I worked in Washington for over 10 years and was lucky enough to land a job that taught me the nitty gritty of the political machine. Any illusions I had about government came to a screeching halt after having spent time in the shadows of Capitol Hill. But what I came away with was one definite belief. Our government is made up of US, the American people, and we make up the government. Until we can get along and work together, we can’t expect our elected officials to do so. “Civility lies somewhere between tolerance and acceptance.” – Anthony Gregory

Think about it and then decide. Blame or action?