One recent morning, the news ticker at the bottom of the screen revealed, alas, another election. This fact makes me recall the promises and vows made over the past few presidential administrations and congressional yearbooks in our post-9/11 world.
The way I see it, the biggest issue the United States is facing is agreeing on a unified direction. It appears whoever is driving this country is either inexperienced or possibly inebriated.
President Obama is not the only one at fault, as Congress, the states and even we the voters have a stake in this reckless driving. It appears that everyone – Democrat, Republican or whatever – just wants to go his or her own way, even though our shoelaces are tied together.
As the midterm is upon us, I see only a few huge issues for the rest of Obama’s first term.
The major social issue Congress must act upon is the LGBT rights front, which is becoming more and more prevalent each day.
It appears people think we can just ignore it, and it will go away – put a bandage on a severed limb, like don’t ask don’t tell. We can’t just fire judges, but work with them and the homophobic to find a fix.
Take Iowa, for instance: On Tuesday, voters in that state brought down three justices who legalized same-sex marriage. We need to address this issue more formally, or more people are going to get hurt.
The other major issues are going to be Middle Eastern affairs and environmental concerns.
With the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the beginning and body of our involvement is complete, but lacks a decent conclusion, so revision is in store. A quick history lesson and, heaven forbid, learning their language could result in at least a B- grade.
What needs to be done? Well, I don’t think a majority is the immediate solution. Rather, we need members of Congress who know how to talk to each other.
Left or right, if Congress’ cogs aren’t cranking, then the promises have failed. Both parties need to work together to hammer out legislation, not take turns flinging outrageous clauses back and forth across the floor.
It is a sad day when the filibuster is a long-term legislative strategy; it is like carrying a fire extinguisher around everywhere you go. There needs to be more challenging as opposed to shooting down. Through consensus, leaders need to trim legislation with logic and delberation, not a machete.
What we need is a strong Congress that wants to and has the drive to be a history-changing Congress. We need a Congress that can have the brains to figure out and lay down a plan for the wrapping up of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We need a Congress that will take a progressive stance on LGBT rights and end the hate that continues to linger in this nation.
I don’t see the economy as the greatest issue of the day; it just sometimes gets like a 3-year-old, and we can’t give into its every whimper. The economy is always going to be a roller coaster – that can’t be helped, and blame games don’t help either. It doesn’t take an econ major to figure it out: Don’t buy what you can’t afford and if recession hits, bite the bullet and get through it. If you can find one instance where panicking works, then please feels free to run crazed through the streets and let me know when you get to Washington. (It may not take that long!)
At the end of the day, we need a Congress that will challenge and change, not sit and pout. That began Tuesday, so make sure to hold them all accountable. I’ll see you in the promised land.