From: Bob Hyatt
Columbus
I’ve heard it said that politics is about the distribution of power in our society. Laws flow from who is in power. In this country, we strive to be ruled by laws which our representatives create to help us achieve our ambitions both personally and as a country.
The “wall” is a symbol and symptom of significant issues troubling our society. The pace of life and change in our world are dramatic. Most younger people “get it” and accept it and are moving with it. Many older people and disadvantaged folks, in their opinion, are rebelling against how fast this is happening and who is benefitting and who’s not. We generally are good people and want to help those in desperate need, but not quite so much for those who we see getting something that maybe they don’t deserve.
A basic tenant for Democrats for almost 100 years has been that we are, in fact, in this together and everyone deserves equal and fair treatment and an opportunity to succeed. Democrats generally don’t care what the color of your skin is, who you love, the language you speak or where you find spiritual help to guide your life. But, our government hasn’t been able to adequately address the needs of all those feeling left behind or deprived of their rightful positions.
The president saw this disenchantment in our country, particularly rural areas, and similarly to Barack Obama offered hope for change. His change, however, was to take us “back” to the good ol’ days. He promised to fix everything — just return to the way it was. The wall became the rallying cry. It was a symbol of hope many wanted.
I personally don’t know any Democrats that don’t believe in border security. Democrats have agreed to money for more people, electronic surveillance, etc. The wall, however, and what it promises is very doubtful. The Great Wall of China is about 13,000 miles long — and a tourist attraction. A wall is great for ladder sales and tunnel diggers. But, it is a symbol of the president’s commitment to take us back to the past and the good ol’ days, which, in reality, are gone forever.
How do we move forward? We don’t do it advocating reductions in Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and food stamps. And not by increasing the national debt in order to transfer ownership of the country’s wealth to the top 1 percent. Steps that will help will be eliminating the insanity of our current health care system with complexities and costs that all but guarantee poor health for many of our citizens. We do it by designing school systems that get 100 percent of young people a high school education and providing affordable advanced training. We do it by taking money out of politics, making sure our elections are fair and our voting districts are reasonably defined and by promoting true freedom for all people in our country. We do it by investing in our people.
