Is Our Country Divided Or Are We? - When did people change, or have they?
INTRODUCTION:
Before I begin, I wish those who make Halloween a memorable night have a great time. Enjoy your parties and fun. Please remember. Young children will be out and about looking to collect their fair share of treats. Let's all slow our driving down and be especially careful as we drive on our streets. Have a spooky evening. Now for tonight's topic.
My past two or three posts have revolved around current events because we are approaching an election year. I have repeatedly stated that the 2024 Presidential elections will be critical for our country. We are living in a world in turmoil. A country that is facing many issues that will not only affect us in the present but also our children and grandchildren. It is not my place nor my intent to sway you or tell you who to vote for. When that time comes, that is your choice. I intend to help understand the system and how it works. What we deal with each day. This information can help you decide who might be the best choice for you and our nation.
The term divided by definition is self-explanatory, meaning split into parts or separated. If we are to look at this perspective, everything in life is divided because of the nature of people having different opinions. Therefore, please don't be so hard on our country. However, when we refer to a divided country, most refer to the political system. When you have a two-party system, there will always be some division.
In a perfect world, politics should be about compromise and executing the people's will. Isn't that why we elected these officials? In reality, that does not happen. Politics have turned into whatever the personal agendas are of individuals or a political party. Many older people remember the politics of years past. The years when extreme right or left was not as prevalent as they are today. Probably because times were different and not as complicated with all the issues we face today.
A DIVIDED COUNTRY:
When politicians are divided to the point where chaos and indecision are in play, it is natural for the people in the country to be divided depending on who they follow. It is always easier to be part of the problem rather than part of the solution. Being part of the problem is more accessible because it takes little effort. Being part of the solution requires some work and dedication—a more difficult task. However, doesn't it take some work to make things better?
This also comes with two different views. According to Wikipedia, "Those in favor of divided government believe that the separations encourage more policing of those in power by the opposition, as well as limiting spending and the expansion of undesirable laws. Opponents, however, argue that divided governments become lethargic, leading to many gridlocks."
If you read that closely, they both make sense. Therefore, is a divided government a good thing? When determining this, we should remember the basic rule of thumb. "Anything in moderation is good. When it becomes excessive, it is not good." Look at the fiasco of electing a new speaker of the house and the problems with selecting a new one. Political parties rely on solidarity, especially if the majority is by a slim margin; hence, the Republican party is having such difficulties. Regardless of what side of the aisle you support, you have to give the Democratic Party credit because they stand in unity. There is always power in numbers.
The question is, do we want a divided country? By definition, we see that it has its pros and cons. Somewhere, there needs to be a meeting of the minds so we can settle in the middle. It is all about compromise. During my years of negotiating many business contracts, in a short time, I learned one important lesson. No one side gets everything they want. It always ends up with a compromise.
However, it is different for everyday folks like you and me. Politicians are pros at playing this game. One of the biggest is introducing hundreds of pages long bills that must be passed at the last minute. Although most of these officials have a staff to review these, they often do not have sufficient time to analyze every aspect of the spending bill. Know that somewhere in the middle is almost always something to spend money on that has nothing to do with the bill at hand. It is one side's way of getting things through that they want. This is also why many in Congress and the Senate are against splitting bills into sections and voting on them as separate issues. Others are for this. Every spending bill should be divided into sections and voted on as individual issues. This solves the problem of slipping things in.
As a people, we forget that our taxpayers' money is being spent—the money we paid in as taxes. Everything comes back to us—the taxpayer. As company costs increase, the cost of goods increases, so taxes increase. As policies affect other factors in the world and our country, our prices rise, and the same applies. The responsibility for paying back what our government spends flows downhill, and we are at the bottom of that food chain. It is a snowball effect.
We must be diligent and know what our politicians stand for and if their platform aligns with our desires. It has been said many times on the news and in other articles. "Are we better off today than we were four years ago?"
A PEOPLE DIVIDED:
Are our people divided? How can we not be? Between cancel culture, new gender identity issues, government spending, and other issues, people naturally take sides. Very few sit in the middle of these issues. We live in a world where people are afraid to speak for fear of who they may offend. You are afraid to address someone as sir or ma'am for fear of how they identify themselves. This applies to very few people, primarily those in more progressive-thinking cities like L.A. and New York. At times, we exaggerate things as a society.
In politics, people are always split due to their individual views. Sometimes, I wonder if all the reporting on these issues makes them worse than they are. Sports teams have changed their names, and products have done the same. We have changed the name of certain holidays, trying not to offend others. Terms and phrases used for years are no longer acceptable by some. Where does it end? Sorry, Merry Christmas has been said since its conception. There is no need to change it to Happy Holidays, so Get over it!
Some Democratic lawmakers are divided on the White House's support for Israel. This further sparks a divide among people. People forget history and the years of terrorism Hamas has inflicted on the State of Israel. I said in my last post I could better sympathize with the supporters of the Palestinian people if they were protesting to free Palestinians from Hamas, rather than supporting Hamas and the atrocities they have recently affected upon the people of Israel with their brutal attack on October 7th.
There are many more followers in the world than there are leaders. Some show up to see what is happening and don't even know what the protest is about. All these controversies divide people. However, there are also many things people stand strong and united about. Items include the cost of living, food, gas, oil, inflation, and interest rates. Why? Because these issues have a direct impact on how they live their lives. What they can afford and what they cannot.
The human condition shows us that people will take an interest and care about things that DIRECTLY affect them. Most other issues you hear about in the news affect very few people, and most do not care. They will joke and speak about it but don't care because it does not directly impact them. People are not as divided as most think. What we hear about on the news represents only a tiny fraction of the people in this country. That does not take away from the importance of some of these issues. It only means these are not issues that divide a nation. However, it is a shame that something catastrophic has to happen in our country for people to unite.
Life is busy. People are busy. Most do not have the time or the desire to become part of some of the nonsense in our society. Most issues are just talking points for most. People choose the battles they wish to fight. However, we should not consider that a sign of an undivided society.
IN CLOSING:
The one word that repairs most social problems is RESPECT. People have to learn how to respect one another. Certain groups must learn to live their lives the way they choose and STOP trying to impress their views and lifestyle onto others. The phrase "stay in your own lane" has significant meaning in these areas.
Taking into account that people have the right to choose. I believe that most of the division in our society results from what our appointed and elected officials at all levels do. Things such as not involving parents in school choices. Things that affect their children. The indoctrination of children is being attempted in our school system. For many decades, schools taught the basic educational subjects. The things our children needed to learn. For those same decades, we led the world in education. We have drastically failed in that regard, and our children are not up to speed for their grade levels. Our education standing is falling in the global community. Schools should stick to what they do best and stay out of what a parent's job is. The position of the school system is NOT to raise our children. Social services are available in the school system should they see a student is lacking in certain areas. However, parents MUST be a part of that process.
I stated earlier there are more followers than leaders. That is true. Our job as a society is to choose the proper leaders. Leaders that represent our values and wishes. If not, boot them out. Kick them to the curb. Vote them out in the next election cycle. Make no mistake. Running a country is like running a business. Would you let a business dictate what your children will learn in school? Of course not. Nor should the government when it goes beyond the standard basics of education.
There will always be different views and opinions in our society. We must remember we live in a three-generational society. We have our elderly population, our middle-aged, and our youth. Each being raised during different times. Times were different for each generation. It is what they learned and are accustomed to. Therefore, it is normal to expect people to have different opinions due to their different cultural upbringing. However, this does not make us divided as a society in the sense that people cannot get along. Just live and let live.
Each of these generations had the same problems. Problems include crime, recessions, inflation, working paycheck to paycheck, etc. Over time, it is the choices our lawmakers made that have made much of this worse over time. These issues are not a new rodeo, and no one reinvented the wheel. Much of this is due to the political climate, which is much different now. It is a shame that the number of people who are eligible to vote does not. They get frustrated and feel that one candidate is no better than the other, so why bother? We MUST bother. We must take the time to make our voices heard. Sometimes, it may come down to choosing between the better of two evils. We all know that life has become busy for everyone. However, voting is an important issue. Voting is denied to many in different countries. We are fortunate to be part of the decision making process. We must all take advantage of that. decision-making
Don't be so quick to throw our society under the rug. We have a great society. All it takes is for people to be involved. Like everything else, you may or may not agree with some or all of the issues discussed in this post. However, you must know and understand that it all makes sense. It all comes down to what we want in society and what we are willing to accept as normal. Thank you.
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Please feel free to leave comments, or if you have a topic you would like me to discuss, you can email me at crondina@caesarrondinaauthor.com. Thank you.
Be safe, stay well, and focus on being happy. And remember to always:
Live with an open mind,
Live with an open heart,
Live your best life.
Best Regards,
Caesar Rondina
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