HATRED & FEAR
Two weeks ago, David Brooks, New York
Times correspondent, said that the campaign for president was the most
hate-filled in U.S. history. It has certainly been the most hate-filled in my
lifetime.
Hatred is an interesting phenomenon; as we
can see in other countries, it harms both the hated and haters. And, these
countries have difficulty getting anything done. In America, I believe we’ll
see a great deal more in future campaigns—it works so well, and there’s plenty
of special interest money available to pay for it.
The corruption of special interest money
marches on, untouched by voters, penetrating every aspect of our lives, even
those not normally associated with politics. Check out our shrinking economic
mobility; we rank second from last, right behind Britain in the developed
world. Just 29 of our largest corporations now account for over half of all
profits with equivalent increases in sales. Small to medium size businesses are
being squeezed out. And fewer new businesses are being started. We used to rank
2nd in the world for ease of starting a business; we now rank 11th.
Our K-12 school system continues to be unsatisfactory and uncompetitive.
Inequality is growing in every aspect of
our social and economic lives. A great many people understand this but continue
to believe that participation in politics, if only by voting, is the path to
improvement. How many more election cycles must we endure before we step back
in sufficient numbers and attack the underlying system of corruption?
Post-election, many folks claim to be
fearful of actions to be taken by our new administration, taking to the streets
in protest. They have a right to do this. Hopefully, they’ll keep in mind that
our democratic traditions and the rule of law are more important than the
results of one election.
Over the years, I’ve noticed that only
those protest movements with sharply defined objectives succeed (Vietnam).
Others peter out (Occupy Wall Street).
Joe Bakewell.
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