Handling the Crisis
The Facts on the Ground
- The crisis has the full attention of the nation.
- In these difficult times the status quo is unacceptable and unsustainable.
- We need a national commitment and national sacrifice to deal with the crisis, or we will all suffer the disastrous effects of inaction.
Overview
The crisis has everyone talking - conservative and liberal, blue state or red, globalist or protectionist, military and civilian. It has become plain to all that business as usual is no longer wise or prudent. Business as usual would have disastrous consequences, not only for ourselves, but for our children, and their children, and theirs...
Oh... wait a minute... which crisis are we talking about? There's the economic meltdown, the auto bailouts, the wars (Iraq, Afghanistan, maybe Iran and Korea... oh, let's not forget about Darfur, the Tamil Tigers, and FARC in Columbia - oh yeah, Israel and the bunch there too.). There's Global Warming (at least there was til the economic meltdown), the housing crisis, nuclear proliferation, the drug problem, education, and healthcare as crisis. Wasn't it just a year ago that gasoline was hovering at about $5.00 per gallon? (Yes it was... and we were running out of oil - when the Arab states weren't blackmailing us with cutting us off...). Then there are the smaller crises - children being carjacked in their safety seats, identity theft, and maybe winding up in the next 9/11. How about how a cheeseburger will kill you, or how disrespectful Letterman was to the Palin's. Let's not forget the speculation on which one of the four bimbos of the apocalypse (Spears, Lohan, Hilton or Ritchie) is nearest to death on any given day. What happened to the pirates? All presented in crisis mode 24 - 7 with your choice of biases on CNN, MSNBC, and Fox.
This all begs the question - WHAT IN THE HELL IS WRONG WITH US??? How did we get to the point where everything must be a crisis - the serious as well as the banal? Can't something be a serious problem, but not have us hyperventilating and keeping us up at night? When did we, as a people, lose our sense of perspective?
Part of the problem is the mainstream media (MSM for the new to the net...). In that 24 - 7 continuous newscycle, time must be filled. Walter Cronkite was the most trusted man in America because he had a half-hour to present what was really important for Americans to know. Newshour on PBS, and 60 Minutes on CBS goes in depth on 2 or 3 stories and remain credible news sources. Now, on a slow news day, everything is news - from Mel Gibson in a drunken anti-semitic rant, to Bo the White House dog's love for Manolo loafers as chew toys. We don't make a point of quoting Rush Limbaugh, but several years ago he coined the term "drive-by media". Just as a drive-by shooting makes a lot of noise for a brief time and causes lots of grief and damage, so too does the focusing on Joe the Plumber or Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for the 15 minutes of fame that they are allotted til the next news cycle starts.
Part of the problem is the non-mainstream media, of which TPP is a part. There are so many sources for news and opinion that many are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information out there. Couple that with the news "sources" that are not careful in their fact-checking, and rely too much on unidentified sources and rumors, yet report allegations as fact.
The greatest part of the problem lies within ourselves. A friend of TPP, who spent many years as a missionary in Africa, reported an Ethiopian proverb - "When there is no food on the table there is only one problem, when there is food on the table there are a thousand problems" - the point being that when our needs are met, out wants have a tendency to substitute for our needs. He further illustrated that "lactose intolerance" is not a medical problem in Ethiopia, as the average Ethiopian has no access to dairy products for food, and subsists mostly on rice. Starvation, however, remains a problem there. He then muses the irony of the poor in America generally being overweight.
As a society, we have become fat and lazy - which is the problem with any civilization that has come to maturity. We, in fact as well as in deed, run the planet - we have more wealth and power than any civilization ever in the history of the world. We really can do whatever we want, with impunity. The reason that we don't is our greatest American ideal - that we are a good, as well as a great people. That is why time after time, the world calls on us to fix the next mess - it's because only we, America, have the resources, and can fix it. And we're starting to fell a little under-appreciated. Our military supports Europe and East Asia, much of the middle east, and locations far-flung over the globe. That lets the Europeans have pretty little social programs that would be great to have here - universal healthcare, more leisure time - and Asia with education that works... We ask our allies for a small assist here and there and they complain or only grudgingly help out. We are the ex husband financing the new boyfriend - and we honor our commitments, because we are a good people. Meanwhile our own situation starts to deteriorate, and peripheral things add to the general chaos. It all becomes a confusing bunch of demands presented with histrionics.
And this is where our greatest loss is - our lack of leadership. Where are the grown-ups that are supposed to be in charge? Both Bush and Obama hoodwinked us on the economic / housing / stock market / bank failure crisis - arguing that we had to act, and act now, or we would all suffer all the more. So we spend $570 billion on TARP, which most agree was a bad idea, and commit to $3 trillion in new spending on proposals that no one had any time to look at. Bush did a bait and switch and on the way to Afghanistan detoured to Iraq. Obama has committed 21,000 new troops to Afghanistan on the way to peace. Dark Lord Cheney has been replaced by a host of cabinet nominees who just "forgot" to pay their taxes - even the guy now running the IRS (speaking of ironic...). Bush ruled with confrontation, Obama with conciliation. Bush's face was spat in by our allies, Obama by our enemies (and our allies are trying to muffle their laughter as best as they can).
The call is going out once again for a LEADER. President Obama is still welcome to step up if he cares to. A leader is one who fills the shoes of JFK or Ronald Reagan. A leader defines America as that one unique place that is an ideal - a beacon to all who desire freedom and liberty. A leader defines our interests and governs by them. A leader does not play fast and loose with either the military or taxpayer dollars. A leader calls us not to shared sacrifice, but towards weathering adversity to arrive at a better day, in better shape than we ever were. A leader calls us to be Americans first - shedding our sub-group labels, and bringing every other American along as we move forward, regardless of sub-group. A leader promotes the idea of American Exceptionalism, he does not apologize for it. Our domestic agenda, and our foreign agenda is to provide the tools to whomever shares our ideals to empower them to succeed, and then to have them help others to succeed in the same manner. A true leader empowers the best in each individual, and that enriches us as a country. To those who do not share our ideals, we seek no conflict, but if you come at us, you will wish that you hadn't.
Common Sense Dictates
With the leadership outlined - not only in the White House, but in Congress and the Senate, and in State Houses all over the country, we will have a trusted voice to listen too. We can reason and debate rather than react in fear to harsh pronouncements of fear-mongers. Crises will become serious problems that can be dealt with as adults, and solutions found in a reasonable manner - not as an act of faith in someone who "understands better." As George Washington said "An educated citizenry is the best defense against tyranny." Maybe then Rush and Alan Colmes will be able to retire knowing that the republic is actually safe, and no one will ever know about Paula Abdul's latest plastic surgery.
RLB
Categories: Rights and Responsibilities, Constitutional Issues, Historical perspective
Tags: bipartisanship nonpartisanship civic responsibility
Well, have to admit, the crisis du jour is getting lost in the sauce - maybe we do need to separate the wars of the day from the fights we fight every day.
Reply to this
Another "cause" is the myopia of news coverage here. If it's not happening in the USA or somewhere that we are engaged, it is not news. If issues such as Russia making moves against Ukraine, or how food aid is diverted in Africa because of government corruption, or Iran maybe really not voting for Ahmadinejad are to be reported, it has to be a damn slow news day. God forbid that Regis has a bad hair day - he will get the headline, not Africa. Unfortunately, if you want a real picture as to what is going on in the world, you need BBC.
Reply to this
I have to think that a lot of it is that we reallly feel the need to have our generation do something important. They call the WWII generation the "greatest generation" - saving the world from fascism and giving birth to middle class America. The Boomers answered with the first "me" generation, where in the glow of a free world, they were free to put themselves first. Other than a war they didn't want to serve in, and wreacking havoc with the norms of society, they have proven to be a washout of a generation. This new generation has amazing energy, and no one has called on them to channel it into a great cause. We do not need sacrifice, we need to masrshall that amazing energy and ability to lift everyone up and forward. The greatest generation was the last generation with a plan, and the dedication to accomplish it. We need the youth to go there for direction and then every little problem will not be a manufactured crisis.
Reply to this
I would have gone 100% in the opposite direction. Nowadays its short (microscopic) attention span, instant gratification, and after a childhood being coddled and coached - expecting things to just get handed to them. The principles of the greatest generation were patience, fortitude, hard work and idealism. It's hard to see that in today's generation. I have enough trouble getting their attention away from their I-Phone to have them fill my coffee order at Starbucks.
Reply to this
I would agree with pressman over madhatr. I see such potential in this next generation. They can do what is so difficult for anyone raised before computers - true multi-tasking - they really can do five things at once. If they don't have facts or knowledge, they know how to get it. They have a great competence, and I would not call them lazy, they just pick their priorities, which is the point of this whole piece. They are inexperienced yet, so maybe some of their priorities are questionable, but once they realize that they are in charge and focus, the world will become a very different place. It's the youth leading the change in Iran.
Reply to this
I don't see this as generational at all. Everyone is caught up in way over appropriate behaviors and viewpoints - visceral hatred of politicians, a lack of willingness to "do it yourself", and a spirit of being owed. Maybe it comes from the news coverage of a small slight or insult leading to a 20 million dollar lawsuit judgement. Maybe it's Extreme Makeover redoing people's houses and creating a lottery mentality of someone else saving you from your own problems. I don't know. What I do know is most of us live beyond our means, and when we get in trouble, we expect a bailout (just like the banks and car companies). Life doesn't work that way. We are not entitled to success.
Reply to this
"Bread & Circuses" is what I see - keep us fed and entertained, and we won't be asking the hard questions, or doing the work that is required to maintain our rights. It worked for Nero, it works now. If everyone is talking about the Palin flap, no one is talking about the bailouts. An email or a letter to your Congressperson is an inconvenience better spent by using that 15 minutes to go down to Starbucks to load up on caffeine and sugar. Now with the internet, we can find groups that just agree with us and don't challenge our way of thinking - it's more comfortable than distilling out our ideas, arguing them rationally and persuading people to change their minds. Let's just shout at them instead. It serves the power structure to have us go to our McJobs, drive our McCars, and live in our McMansions, and chase after our McBling. It keeps us just distracted enough that they can get away with anything - such as mortgaging the future for 3 trillion dollars, escalating the war in Afghanistan, and lining the pockets of bankers.
Reply to this
I've got to go with the 24 - 7 news cycle now. It used to be you got the news in the morning (or evening) paper, or watching the evening news after dinner. Now CNN and the like are all news, all the time - and a lot of it isn't news. It's filler repackaged to look like news and to look important. It's those of us who weren't raised on computers who lose the most on this. Those who were understand that the volume is for convenience to pick up info when you have a few minutes to kill between other things. We, on the other hand, think that volume equals importance - which it doesn't. The volume is always there, and needs to be full all the time. Only part of that time is actual news. The news comapnies understand that which is why they present fluff as important. Could you do your job if all it amounted to was shoveling garbage looking for a nugget of gold?
Reply to this
As a general rule, Americans suffer from a desire for instant gratification and living beyond our means. It's not that we've had a failing of morals here, but we do get bombarded by mesages all day - on TV, radio, and even by our friends that we are not meeting or living up to our potential, unless we are living to excess. A good part of this is reflected in the guuilt that is thrown on us in regard to raising our children. If they don't have this, that or the other thing, we are bad parents... well, that is nonsense, as is if one little blonde child is kidnapped in Seattle, all little blonde children are in danger. We do get caught up in this hysteria, and we really need not to. For most people, life does not consist of horror, panic and ruin. Just because the news plays it up doesn't mean that we have to play along.
Reply to this
I see the cubicle life as contributing. We all so much want to be a part of something important, but every day we drive our camrys to the office, and park ourselves in front of a computer screen the move information around. If we can feel a little better by identifying with a news story, and it breathes a little life into us - well, that's not bad. When we go overboard as a society - well, we have what we have now - visceral hatred of leadership, despair in the economy, fear of a whole swath of humanity that wears peculiar headgear. Too much info is as bad as too little.
Reply to this
A lot of what we're seeing in society is merely a reflection of what we are seeing. Cronkite was respected because he was respectful. Less so with Rather and Donaldson. Tim Russert had such a wide variety of guests and in depth discussion because he was even handed and even tempered. He certainly made his bias known, but not in a confrontational way. Too much of what we have today is not talking heads talking, but pinheads shouting. People always point to Rush Limbaugh as an example of this, and I have to say, he is about the mildest case of it out there - he still at least attempts to educate. Many just spew their venom (Hannity, Oreilly, Maher) and look with scorn on the people actually doing the job. A respectful manner, gets respect in turn, and breeds respect as a whole.
Reply to this
You know, this may be all just buying into the crisis mentality. Sure the media hypes the hell out of every non-news story. They have to, it's their job (as pathetic as it has become). Most of the people that I know are so busy in their own lives they don't have the time or inclination to worry abour swine flu, or pirates, or little kids that aren't their own disappearing. The only people that I know who have the time to HATE Bush or Obama, spend 24 hours plugged in online and have alternate plans of taking over the world. Kooks I yhink you call them - and we all know a few. I really don't think the average person buys into this BS that the media is selling, except to have something to talk about over the cubicle wall.
Reply to this
I've gotta go with travis on this one. You only have the time to get caught in all of the crisis mentality if you have too much time on your hands. Everyone I know is plenty busy, and doesn't have time to get caught up in phony panics. I think the disservice that the media is doing is "boy who cried wolf" syndrome (just coined a new syndrome - woo hoo!). With everything being reported in crisi mode, when something really serious does happen, no one is going to care.They'll just blow it off as more hype.
Reply to this
I dont know, guys - I see an awful lot of hyperventilating libs and conservatives lately - some are almost rabid. Granted that the people I mix with don't necessarily represent your "average" American, but I don't think anyone can dismiss the polarity and panic as just cable news puffing itself up. Obama really hasn't done much to either assure America that better times are coming, or to reach across the aisle to the Republicans to heal the divisions. I think the problem may be smaller than MSM wants us to believe, but it is very real.
Reply to this