With numerous news shows in recent days highlighting the 10th anniversary of 9-11, one has to wonder what direction our country is currently taking.
For the briefest of times, we were a united nation. Political differences — all differences — were set aside following the events of a decade ago. For a short moment, we were all Americans, under one flag.
A decade later finds us more divided than any time in our country, with the obvious exception of the Civil War. There is no compromise in Washington, D.C. The Republicans want it their way or no way. The Democrats are doing the same. Even issues which require little common sense can’t be agreed on? “If they are for it, I am against it,” seems to be the motto for both major political parties these days.
Remember when Republicans even refused to help pass a bill which would have provided medical assistance to those policemen, firemen and emergency workers who were the first to respond after the attack on the twin towers. Many are now dying and are in need of desperate medical care.
Seems Republicans didn’t like it because the Democrats were involved with it, so until pressure from American citizens on both sides of the political spectrum became too great, the Republicans refused to support the bill. I won’t bother repeating the insane excuses they offered (and don’t waste your time sending me reasons why they were against it.) This was a bill that was a no-brainer, but it still required a small brain to pass it. Remember, “if you are for it, I am against it.”
Our country is in trouble on many fronts. We are involved in too many wars that we cannot afford financially, legally or morally. We spend trillions on wars, but then say we don’t have the money to take care of our servicemen and servicewomen once they come home.
Even if someone attempted to sponsor legislation to help our service personnel, members of the other party would be against it. It’s the name of the game in 2011.
We continue sailing in dangerous political waters. With no intention of working together on any issue, the people elected to represent us have shown they are more interested in holding the party line than doing anything of value for those who put them in office.
There are times when we have to compromise. It doesn’t mean you are weak, it doesn’t mean you aren’t loyal to your party. For once, I’d like to see those in office put the country first, rather than their own political party. It’s getting worse, however. It doesn’t matter what plan President Obama comes up with to create jobs, the Republicans are against it. If a Republican occupied the White House, it would be the same response from Democrats.
For the briefest stretch of time, we were united in this country. There were no boundaries formed by political parties. The loyalty was to our country, our neighbors, our families and our friends. I’m not sure what caused us to steer so much off course from that time. You would think the deaths of thousands of Americans would have held us together.
However, when our number one priority is self over others, we’ve lost something. We will never get our country back on track, economically or otherwise, without being united behind the problem. We should have learned something from 9-11 about how to be a stronger country. Instead, we seemed to have only learned about political infighting which benefits the few rather the country as a whole.
Chris Bridges is editor of the Barrow Journal. He can be reached at cbridges@barrowjournal.com.
Man you must not take a lot of oxygen in do you? I guess that brain is so small it doesn't take much.
You are a sorry excuse, not only for an American, but a human being. (and I use American very lightly)
You certainly like your freedom of speech, but love to spit on the ones who have died giving you that right....yep, HYPOCRITE!!!
So, bottom line is that I cannot respect any solder who brags about his tours in Viet Nam. Napalming children is hardly the stuff of heroes. That country, to put it mildly, had nothing to do with US vital interests.
We see things differently, but I am as 100% pure American as you are. Thank you so very much for not making me leave. (I'd love to see you try, big macho man that you think you are.)