It Is Official. America Is In A Political Ball Of Confusion
By James B. Ewers Jr. Ed.D.
Being in the 4th quarter of my life has given me a perspective about what is happening in today’s world. I have seen a lot and read a lot about the challenges of everyday life.
I was taught at an early age to treat all people with dignity and respect regardless of their station in life. Another life lesson that has remained with me is that there are no shortcuts to success. You must put in the time and the work to get better, no matter your craft or profession.
Many years ago, I was a college student-athlete. Practice was the only way I got better. There were no cheers or applause. The bright lights were off, not on! I learned that in competition, you must be noble in defeat and humble in victory.
I wonder if those tenets should apply to today’s political scene. We are living in unprecedented times. The environment is distrustful, and we, the people, are discouraged.
The United States of America has now become the blue states and the red states. Everything that we do is in some way linked to whether we live in a blue state or a red state. Our united has now become our divided.
Elected politicians don’t work together for the common good anymore. There is overt dislike for the other side of the aisle. Incivility is the call of the day.
How did this acrimony begin? Another question at the gavel is will it last?
It is my opinion that the divisiveness was ever present when Mr. Trump was in office. During his time as president, he was a polarizing figure. Organizations that thrived on hate and racism constantly reared their ugly heads.
When he lost the bid for his reelection, he became sour and sore. To this second, he does not believe that he lost the 2020 election. He has convinced a sizable part of America to go against well-defined practices and principles. Succinctly put, he cannot accept losing.
Voting rights, civil rights and human rights are being debated each day. Officials in many states are making efforts to disband DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) programs and activities. What we read and where we read can no longer be taken for granted. Our USA is becoming unrecognizable.
There are states (you know them) that are banning books about slavery. One governor who ran on the GOP ticket for president is shutting down all multicultural offices in his state. The NAACP has issued a warning saying that students should not attend state schools there.
This same governor lost a battle with Disney and at the end will lose the battle to close these vital state college and university offices.
Our beloved country is suffering a moral headache and we have lost our sense of fairness and goodwill. Wrong has replaced right; evil has replaced good. Oh America, what are we becoming? We have the wrong people in many elected offices and their attitudes and positions are wrong for the American people.
What is the response for a person who is running for the nation’s highest office, yet he is also running from courtroom to courtroom because of his poor decisions? Sad and misguided are two words that come directly to my mind. Those words apply to both the person and his followers.
Recently, the current Speaker of the House went to see the former president to get his approval. I believe Speaker Johnson sold his soul for a seat at a crumbling table. He may follow in the footsteps of former speaker, Kevin McCarthy.
The New York trial involving Mr. Trump has selected a jury and the trial is to begin on April 22nd. We will see. Sadly, this saga of alleged ill repute and illegalities by him will be with us for a while.
