Chapter 9: Conclusion & Call to Action
Welcome. This is a nonpartisan, no-nonsense assessment of the State of the Nation. The authors are two patriotic, everyday Americans with no hidden agenda or personal axe to grind. Our interest is the preservation of the American Dream for future generations.
In nine, separate chapters, we present and analyze critical issues with the goal of stimulating grassroots debate, discussion, and action. We invite your participation.
Please note that Medium’s algorithm sometimes presents chapters “out of order.” Simply scroll to the bottom of this page to find a brief synopsis and links to other chapters.
By: J. Chris Davala & Jack T. Scully
“We have met the enemy and he is us.” – Walt Kelly, Creator of Pogo
The High Cost of Gridlock & Greed
Two and a half years ago, we set out to examine how Gridlock & Greed gained a stranglehold on We the People. How did it happen and who is responsible? And how do these problems affect the future of The American Dream?
Hyper-partisanship Simply Does Not Work
Gridlock, the legislative choke point in Congress, is a vivid example of why hyper-partisanship is a losing proposition. The grandstanding and petty machinations of the elected elite have ripped apart the messy, but functional process of lawmaking. Instead, political parties have become warring camps.
Sadly, but not surprisingly, retiring House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) admits the only thing coming out of Washington these days is “chaos.”
Official Washington has, in fact, lost its “founding values.” So says Philip Howard in his The Atlantic article: Reform Is Not Enough: The Federal Government Needs a Complete Makeover. Despite President Trump’s vow to “drain the swamp,” Howard paints a picture of an American government run amok. Its members form a “deviant subculture” with “values substantially different from those in the majority of our society.”
Progress on resolving critical public issues demands that elected officials wake up. The cold reality is this: Gridlock & Greed is a cancer metastasizing within our democracy.
The Art of the Politically Possible
“Partisan politics is not necessarily wicked.” But, we must find a way, as we once did, “to govern through it.” That’s the message of Jonathan Rauch’s The Atlantic article, How American Politics Went Insane.
After a decade of cowering to unprincipled prima donnas, zealous factions (like the Progressive Caucus, The Blue Dog Coalition, Tea Party and Freedom Caucus), and venal special interests, Rauch urges leaders of both parties to “regain control and restore order.” It’s within their power to alter rules and adopt new policies.
Like most Americans, though, Rauch is not confident that the mindset in Washington will change in the short term or ever.
We expect that liberals and conservative will seldom agree on many issues and never on all the issues. These are givens. But in recent years, compromise has been abandoned.
Decisions based on sound, practical analysis and empirical data are rare. Instead, We the People witness one political sideshow after another, many dominated by lemming-like adherence to rigid ideologies and self-serving political chicanery.
Based upon performance to date, whether the current generation of professional politicians can create institutional change — let alone move the needle of intransigence — is questionable. So, we suggest America needs a 21st Century Citizens Movement to hold Washington’s feet to the fire. It should consistently push the president and Congress to achieve fair and positive results for all.
Divergent Roads in America’s Future
We the People have arrived at a fork in the road. In the intersection, chaos, unpredictability, and disorder disrupt our political establishment.
Behind us is the road we’ve traveled since the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Though winding and circuitous at times, it has, until now, generally “restrained ambition and excess,” according to Rauch, “by forcing competing powers and factions to bargain and compromise.”
Now the road offers a choice. One road leads to more of the same — Gridlock & Greed. The other road leads into the unknown but holds the potential for change for the better.
The Do Nothing Road
Staying the current course requires no change. We passively let elite Washington insiders continue to mismanage the Republic.
It’s puzzling to the authors that even in a time of polarization and stalemate, there are people comfortable with tolerating more of the same. After all, the economy is improving, the unemployment rate is low, and the Trump administration is making some headway in the global economy.
We contend, however, that preservation of the status quo in governance is no longer a viable option.
Not in an era in which the political parties have failed to faithfully adhere to their publicly announced goals and priorities, let alone deal forthrightly with vital economic and social issues. Instead, inertia, deficit spending, lobbyists, and massive stacks of conflicting laws and regulations rule the day.
The Do Something Road
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On occasion, ordinary citizens have a chance to make a real difference in the life of a country. We believe that time is now for citizens of the United States.
That is why we urge our fellow citizens to take a stand. Seize the moment, overcome apathy, and become proponents of a governmental makeover. Expert testimony and analysis — as well as plain common sense — tell us we must act together to preserve the American Dream for future generations.
What can you do? As much or as little as you want. But keep in mind, we all can do something — however big or small. Our Call to Action offers a few examples.
Call to Action
In this essay, we have painted a picture of a looming crisis in America — if we fail to act. If you too believe Gridlock & Greed is rampant in our federal government and is indeed An Attack from Within on We the People & The American Dream, then join us in this effort to regain control of our country.
What You Can Do
- Join our new grassroots movement, #Beyond Gridlock & Greed.
- Register to vote and learn what you can do to sustain our democracy. Here is a good starting point: Challenges of 21st Century Citizenship.
- Follow us on our online “Beyond Gridlock and Greed,” feeds on Facebook and Twitter.
- Support political action groups like No Labels — a non-partisan organization challenging Washington to Stop Fighting; Start Fixing.
- Go online and learn something about your representatives and senators in Washington. Share your concerns via text, phone, email, tweets, etc. Tell them that in the next election your vote depends on a record of national accountability and progress, not finger pointing and partisan backstabbing.
- Be prepared to vote out of office any incumbent who remains a pawn of special interest groups.
- Demand that your elected representatives support the reopening of and bipartisan approval of an updated version of the Simpson-Bowles Plan for Debt Reduction.
- Share this essay or chapters with friends, family, and colleagues.
- Join our online community and share our message on pages, boards, and forums.
- Become an advocate for change for the better, starting in your local community.
The time for We the People to rise and be heard is now. We must demand that our elected officials be responsible and act in the national interest — on every vote.
Without question, getting official Washington to act on the people’s behalf will require grassroots commitment, funding, and lots of time.
But think about it.
If each of us showed up at just one town meeting or online forum, talked to one elected representative, joined one citizen task force, and voted for meaningful change in the next election, we would send a clear message to our representative that the time for lip service is over.
The time for accountability in governance is NOW.
In choosing a new path for America, we leave you with Robert Frost’s classic poem about the importance of making tough choices in life. Think of it as a good reason to start down the road less traveled. It just might make all the difference.
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Synopsis of the Full Essay and Links to Chapters
In Chapter 1, Introduction, we cite four critical challenges (Broken Moral Compass, Congressional Paralysis, Fiscal Insanity, Unsmart Outsourcing and Deindustrialization) that, we believe, pose existential threats to The American Dream.
In Chapter 2, Broken Moral Compass, we shine a bright light on where, in our judgment, the country has gone astray. Failure to put racism behind us and to end sexual discrimination loom large. Using a broader brush, we paint a picture of other major deviations from our collective True North.
In Chapter 3, America’s Moral Compass, we offer a model for a calibrated Moral Compass that can work for almost everyone in our multiethnic, multicultural society.
In Chapter 4, Congressional Paralysis, we begin an analysis of America’s 2nd critical challenge — Reforming the U. S. Congress.
In Chapter 5, Reform the Congress, we sample multiple approaches to transforming Congress.
In Chapter 6, Fiscal Insanity, we address the nation’s soaring debt. We caution that annual debt interest payments will inevitably lead to higher taxes, or slashed funding for critical national priorities.
In Chapter 7, Deindustrialization, we discuss the pain inflicted by inequitable trade on America’s industrial base and the middle class.
In Chapter 8, Saving Jobs & Our Middle Class, we call for the development of a National Strategy to address imbalances in global manufacturing and the deindustrialization of our country.
In Chapter 9, Conclusion & Call to Action, we draw conclusions for your consideration and issue A Call to Action.
