Do You Like the Tone in Our Country?

By Leslie Manookian

Do you like the tone in our country?

The tenor of our national dialogue has deteriorated to such an extent that I simply don’t want to engage with it or participate in it. I don’t want to be part of the fighting, finger-pointing, mudslinging, and vitriol, I want to be part of the solution. So that’s what this space is for.

I’m going to talk about important issues that affect us, not as a liberal or a conservative but as an American. Democrat, Republican, left, middle, or right these are really just ideological containers the powers that be try to put us into to divide us so we can be controlled. But I don’t fit into one of those boxes and I don’t think most people do either. Nor do I believe many of those groups, truly walk their talk. They pay lip service to the idea of peace, transparency, small government, balanced budgets, and debt reduction while they do the opposite. President Obama preached transparency and change we could believe in but was one of the most secretive presidents, prosecuted more whistleblowers, and wrote more Executive Orders and Executive Memoranda since Truman 70 years prior. President Trump ran opposed to bad trade deals and promised to cut the budget deficit then promoted the USMCA which gives away US power to an economic block with Mexico and Canada and ballooned the deficit. While Obama was in the White House, most Democrats relaxed, comfortable that their guy was in power so they didn’t have to let down their guard. Then Obama continued most of the policies of his predecessor and broke most of his campaign promises. Many Republicans have likewise breathed a sigh of relief now that Trump occupies the White House. But while he says he supports US workers he’s seeking to extend the H1-B visa program which enables corporations to bring cheap labor here from overseas taking jobs from Americans and the national debt has never been higher.

The sad truth is that most of the policies put forward for decades are pursued no matter who controls Congress or occupies the White House. So, let’s not fall prey to the partisan narrative. Let’s not be brainwashed by the shallow drivel put out by much of the mainstream media. Let’s dispassionately separate the truth from the fiction on a myriad of topics that matter to us. Let’s engage in dialogue and hold our representatives accountable no matter which party they represent. Because at the end of the day, they actually represent us all and are accountable to us all. If we ignore the partisan commentary and focus on what these people actually do, maybe we’ll make some progress.