This Road Leads to the Future

It's over.  No more political ads for awhile.  Time to remove all of those yard signs, clear out the negativity, shut down the propaganda machines and get back to work.  Time to stop preparing for the end of the world, the collapse of civilization and all of the horrors, that both parties assured us were tied to this election.  Time for Congress to do what they are being paid an obscene amount of money to do.

As I hope everyone is aware, very early in President Obama's first term, Congressional Republicans decided on a policy of obstructionism.  No compromise, no working together, a complete refusal to do anything that originated with the President, or the Democratic Party.  This is nothing new.  In fact, it is an entirely too common tactic.  The President is ultimately blamed for everything.  If he vetoes a bill, he is opposing the will of the people.  If he tries to get his legislation through Congress, he is trying to destroy the Constitution, or force some secret agenda on the country, or he hates America.  Blah, blah, blah.

Approaching any aspect of life with a closed mind is counter-productive.  Principles and morals are good, but they require flexibility in order to deal with all situations.  Refusing to kill for any reason makes you a willing accomplice, if an attack, you could have stopped, results in the death of you and your family.  When you find yourself thinking in terms of "always" and "never", it's time to re-assess, because you have ceased to be useful to society.  This is something our Congress needs to understand, this is something all Americans need to understand.

Pick your favorite issue, the one that you stand behind 100%, now flip it around and see if it makes sense.  Here's an example:  The Second Amendment guarantees the right to keep and bear arms.  Any attempt at regulation, or gun control is often regarded as an attempt to take everyone's guns away.  Flip that to say that every American is required to, at all times, carry a gun.  How safe do you feel now?  Perhaps the answer lies somewhere between the two extremes.  Every issue becomes ridiculous if you run the same test on it.  Whether the issue is abortion or welfare, the solution lies somewhere in the middle.  Compromise is how we go forward.

Compromise is a beautiful concept, because it allows conflicting beliefs and principles to co-exist.  It allows the vegans and the meat and potatoes folks to each partake of life's buffet.  I don't have to be like you, to like you.  No matter what your beliefs might be, I support them, until you require them to become my beliefs.  The true beauty of compromise is that it allows everyone to follow their own principles, while still moving forward.  The road to the future demands that we work together.  Instead of "you can't" or "I must", let's focus on "we will".

The agenda to ensure that President Obama was a one term President has failed.  For two years we've been running in circles.  For two years Congress has been paid to do nothing.  It's time to pick a direction and start moving towards it.  The road will not be straight.  The road will not be flat.  For every hill we coast down, there is one we will struggle to climb. Stop insisting that we all have to go to the right, or that we all have to go to the left.  Both extremes will ultimately drive us off a cliff.  Let's start moving.  You choose your path around obstacles and I'll follow mine.  Ultimately, we'll leave it behind us and move on to the future.