So the new reality is, in reality, an old reality: if America is going to be great, many of us will have to individually and collectively take on the task of making it great.
Here are some of my ideas on how to accomplish that.
· We must all work to repair the rifts in our national sense of community. The divisiveness we are witnessing in Washington is a reflection of the divisiveness in our nation: rural vs urban, the 1% vs the 99%, business vs labor, conservative vs liberal, religious believers vs non-believers, etc, etc.
· In relation to the above, we must find ways we can talk to each other, listen to and try to understand one another when we don’t share the same political, cultural or religious convictions. I recommend reading Parker Palmer’s Healing the Heart of Democracy: The Courage to Create a Politics Worthy of the Human Spirit as one way to get ideas about how to do this.
· We must work to overturn Citizens United—there is much too much hidden money in politics today. That dark money is corrupting our politicians and our country. A majority of Americans, regardless of their party affiliation want this Supreme Court Decision overturned.
· Urbanites must make a genuine effort to find out about and understand the needs and frustrations of those in rural America. Donald Trump won the election because many in rural America consider themselves the forgotten minority. Here’s one resource. Also consider reading J.D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy and/or Arlie Russell Hochschild’s Strangers in Their Own Land
· We must hold corporations and their leaders accountable for their sizeable role in destroying jobs in America by shipping them overseas, automating them, and downsizing simply to make more money for themselves and their stockholders. We must insist that cities and towns and the federal government only give corporations incentives for creating jobs and protecting the environment. Even small individual actions can make a difference. I never self-check-out of grocery stores or self-check-into airlines, doing that destroys jobs. And I let employees and managers know why I don’t self-check in or out when they ask.
· We must be knowledgeable about tax loopholes that corporations and the rich use to avoid paying taxes and press our legislators to close those loopholes.
· We must work to shorten Presidential Election Campaigns. As Jeff Jacoby points out in his article “Campaigns so long they make children cry” these campaigns usually kick off 20 months before Election Day. By contrast, Canada elected a Prime Minister in 78 days and the British election campaign cycle consumes five or six weeks.
· We have to stay informed about what is happening politically in our community and in Washington. Stay politically engaged; sign petitions, write your Senators and Congressmen, attend their town meeting and ask questions and be sure to compliment politicians when they do the right things.
“But if there is any hope of redemption, it will have to begin with a clear recognition of how bad things are. American democracy is very much on the edge.” Paul Krugman
I invited your ideas on this subject.