We Need a Change

We need a movement. We need a party. We need to make a change. Yes we do, but can we?

First of all, who are we? Well, to start with we are critical thinkers. We value logic. We are the people who aren’t swayed by vague appeals to fight big government and protect the Constitution. We know there is no need to take back the country. We know we can, but we’re not sure what we’re saying yes to. We would love to pick up a sign and join a rally, but the only one any of us can find that is worth joining is led by a comedian. Even that one doesn’t appeal to all of us, only the sarcastic liberals. We are more than just sarcastic liberals. We have been labeled all kinds of things, including conservative, Republican, independent, and socialist. We are united mostly by our desire to solve problems and our willingness to compromise.

Second, what needs to be changed? This question is a tougher one to answer. We have a sense that some of what frustrates us has always been that way. We also, however, have a sense that it doesn’t need to keep being that way. We also know that some of the problems we face are new.

One thing that has to be changed is the current polarized nastiness which prevails among the people and their elected representatives. There needs to be a lot less emphasis on hate. Also, most of us aren’t in high school anymore, so we shouldn’t be acting as if we are part of a competition for prom queen and everyone is out to steal our boyfriend. There are real problems to be solved. We need to put less emphasis on personal lives and putdowns, and more emphasis on the issues and working to solve them. We need less competition and more collaboration.

Another thing that needs to be changed is the level of interest/education among the electorate. This is particularly true in the age of the internet, where information comes to and goes out from the electorate with greater ease than ever before. The success of the Tea Party proves has brought this problem into full view. We need more educated consumers of politics, people who understand that taxes need to be raised once in a while and that government has a role to play in our lives.

Third, how do we make a change? This is the toughest question of all. In general, we will make a change by coming together, if not in a party than in a movement. This leads to the bigger question, how do we come together? How do we come together when we don’t agree on all the issues? The first step would be to agree on the process we need to use in order to reach decisions. Process is critically important. Maybe we also need to lay out some general principles we all could agree on. Some possibilities might be efficient government, equal treatment of all religions, and the prioritizing of freedom of speech.

The need is clear, but the rest is not. The need is clear enough though, that we need to start working on the rest. We need to start working on the rest right away.