As a wife, a mother, an educator, my husband and I represent the middle class. We want to see Congress work together to keep our taxes from going up. Like most Americans, we are tired of seeing the partisan politics that embody our Congress.
When did compromise become a bad word? Why do politicians see mutual respect and a give-and-take attitude a symbol for weakness? A willingness to sacrifice on a political ideology is okay when the result accomplishes a goal that is best for the American public.
Many of you know the quote by George Washington, which states, "However, [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion." Truth? Words like cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled describe numerous politicians of today. But if our Congress is truly representative of the American people, what do these words say about us? Is the polarization in Washington a direct reflection of the country?
We all must move center. We need to move past our own entrenched ideas, look past ourselves, and engage in conversations over solutions that may come from someone on the other side.
Let's raise taxes on those who can truly afford it. Let's cut spending, because our children cannot carry the debt we've created for them, and let's have the discipline to run our country the way we run our lives. We compromise with those at work; we compromise with our loved-ones at home; we compromise with our friends because we understand the value of these relationships. What is the value of a functioning government?
Wisen up, America. We all have to give a little if we want to provide for the greater good. We all must sacrifice, and we all must elect politicians who are willing to work across the aisle. Our future depends upon it.
When did compromise become a bad word? Why do politicians see mutual respect and a give-and-take attitude a symbol for weakness? A willingness to sacrifice on a political ideology is okay when the result accomplishes a goal that is best for the American public.
Many of you know the quote by George Washington, which states, "However, [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion." Truth? Words like cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled describe numerous politicians of today. But if our Congress is truly representative of the American people, what do these words say about us? Is the polarization in Washington a direct reflection of the country?
We all must move center. We need to move past our own entrenched ideas, look past ourselves, and engage in conversations over solutions that may come from someone on the other side.
Let's raise taxes on those who can truly afford it. Let's cut spending, because our children cannot carry the debt we've created for them, and let's have the discipline to run our country the way we run our lives. We compromise with those at work; we compromise with our loved-ones at home; we compromise with our friends because we understand the value of these relationships. What is the value of a functioning government?
Wisen up, America. We all have to give a little if we want to provide for the greater good. We all must sacrifice, and we all must elect politicians who are willing to work across the aisle. Our future depends upon it.