We are the ones who must stop the madness of America
Watching the madness that is the political climate today, I have tried hard to make sense of it. What we are watching is the very thing that our founding fathers warned us about. George Washington is quoted as saying, “Let me now take a more comprehensive view, and warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party generally.” We, as Americans, are responsible for the very thing that is happening now. We are the definition of insanity.
What I mean by this, is we keep doing the same thing over and over, yet somehow expect a different result. Every election year, whether it be local or federal, when the current party fails, we vote for the other party, or worse still, we keep the same party in office. This in itself is madness.
Within the last year, we have seen political affiliations, behave more like cults, than parties of political stands. People now shut down if they oppose any of the views their party holds. You will be labeled as a communist, a snowflake or a Nazi. We in America have lost our ability to discuss, opposing viewpoints, and meet with a compromise.
I cannot blame the American people for this, because if you watch our elected officials, they behave like spoiled children. They refuse to compromise and try to force their agendas. A great example of this would be President Joe Biden when speaking on voting rights. He said, "Do you want to be on the side of Martin Luther King or George Wallace?" Essentially calling anyone that doesn’t agree with this piece of legislation a racist. While I could continue this train of thought for pages I feel we need to move on from this.
How do we fix this, can we fix this? The short answer, maybe. It would require a lot of change, mostly in the elected officials. It would require them to start working for the American people, instead of the lobbyists in Washington. It would require some election reform, term limits, and bipartisanship. It would also require the American people to have access to more information, and access to more of the color chart, aside from red and blue. Yes, I am speaking of third-party candidates.
This past election, I said if ever there was a time for a third party candidate to come out swinging it was this past election. There was a third-party option, but how much screen time did this candidate receive? These media outlets spent more time talking about Trump and Biden, watching them act like children because that is what served their ratings.
I feel that people have the right to know about all candidates that are running for any given office. This is the responsibility of journalists. This would allow the American people to make a more informed decision, and help them to break away from the cult mentality that has become synonymous with party affiliation, whether it be Democrat or Republican.
The madness of America is curable, but it's going to take work. We, The People, need to stop allowing our elected officials, to remain in office as long as they do. We have to hold the media accountable for the information that is presented and make it equal to all parties running for election. Last, but least, we must become more informed about who we are voting for, and stop voting for people just because they have a D or R next to their name. We are the only ones that can stop the further madding of America.
Donald Stinski is a resident of Belleview.
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: We are the ones who must stop the madness of America
