The Political Voice

This past week I read a story on the campaign funding activities of J. Joseph Ricketts and his political agenda. I realize he is just one of many wealthy individuals who actively play the Monopoly game with our country, its politics, government, and our future. I realize, too, such individuals are representative of and support both the Democratic and Republican parties, liberal and conservative agendas. I don’t know how it will ever change in as much as our democracy, though built on a foundation of great principle, appears to stand as a monument to ascendant affluence and personal wealth at this point in our history.

As the campaigns move forward we will be bombarded with all manner of advertising touting political, religious, moral, and economic agendas. We can expect advertisements that will be rude to the point of malice while others will offer promises to the point of pandering. I cannot imagine anyone in this nation who will not be physically sick of the process by the time November rolls around—save those who are paid to generate such intellectually offensive litter—and the self-serving individuals who finance them.

It’s a healthy desire to want to make the most of oneself. It’s a healthy endeavor to strive to take advantage of every opportunity. It’s healthy enterprise to actively seek ways to create, to build, to grow. But wanting more for the sake of more is not healthy. And wanting more at the expense of oppressing others is definitely not healthy.

The beauty of this country is that we each have personal freedom: Freedom to worship or not. Freedom to travel or stay safely in our homes. Freedom to speak our mind or remain silent. Those principles, among a host of other core values, are what make us great. Each of them intended for the benefit of all. We have asked, and continue to ask, our young men and women to lay down their lives to defend those many liberties.

As the campaigns move forward and the media assaults begin I hope we can each keep in mind those core principles and ask ourselves: Do we honor our democracy when millions of children and adults go to bed hungry or poorly fed each day? Do we honor our democracy when we spend millions of dollars fighting over the subject of gender, sexual orientation, marriage, and religion? Do we honor this great land when our elders cannot afford retirement? Is the America where healthcare remains unavailable to millions the one we praise? Are we showing proper care and keeping of this precious nation when we allow wealth to grow among the few while the number living in poverty grows to levels not seen in almost one hundred years? Do we honor this democracy when our once great public school system faces financial challenges to its very existence? Is forging a future for this nation wherein the wealthiest can continue along an unobstructed path to greater riches, while poverty grows and the middle class withers and contracts, is that the future we want our children to defend with arms?

For generations we have been able to state, without reservation, this is the greatest country on earth. We’ve held that belief because this is a land of opportunity; opportunity provided without prejudice, opportunity provided without qualification, opportunity available to all who would avail themselves of our great physical and social resources. This is a land of abundant opportunity and one funded by the individuals and businesses that prosper within this great nation.

This year I will be listening for the voices that speak to restoring and preserving those many opportunities and resources. As such, how I would love to hear the candidates address restoring America to greatness: the elimination of hunger, the restoration of public education, the creation of broad and affordable healthcare, ensuring a sound and meaningful system of old age pension. That is the great nation I thought I was born into over 50 years ago. It’s not socialism or communism. It’s historic Americanism.

Times have changed. But the principles remain and wait to be returned to prominence. I want to know we can feed and educate our children and care for our aging. I want to see a nation that cares about the many not the few; recognizing that true wealth and security comes with looking after the wellbeing of all. And if there’s a billionaire somewhere who wants to promote that agenda…more power to ‘em.