Who can be part of the solution?

I haven’t written for a long time.  Perhaps a little of my cynical side took control for a while.  A person can argue politics all day but rarely change anyone’s opinion.  Our political culture is not of rhyme and/or reason, but what affects our own pocket book the most - not in my back yard, and the like.  There is little sense of community in our country anymore.

There is a way to handle our economic situation, which others can see much better than we can.  It is not to cut, cut, cut without regard to the consequences to a large percentage of our population that are not working, are not making much money, have no health insurance, and do not have adequate housing.  Or cuts to our seniors who have extremely limited resources.

It is also not to just tax the top 1% and not to touch any social programs.

It is a balanced set of actions that are starting to work a little now.  Jobs are slowly coming back, and so are some other parts of the economy.  We do need to increase taxes on the top 1% and others.  The tax system was designed to be a progressive method of bringing in revenue.  Those who can afford to pay a little more because all of their money is not gone before all the bills are paid each month, including the grocery bill, should pay more.  However, they should not be exorbitantly taxed.

We need to make modest cuts to all parts of the budget, including the Defense Department.  Recent wars, started by our former president, Mr. Bush, have taken too much of our resources, including too many of our young men and women.

Who are to make these decisions?  Who can actually negotiate and discussion a variety of actions that will move our country in a positive direction?  There are no miraculous ways to drop gas down to $2.50 per gallon again.  There are no absolute right plans of action.  No one has the corner on the market of good ideas.  We need good governance, which is extremely scarce today.

The basic problem is that, while we have many very intelligent folks in government and in positions of power and influence in the private sector, we are sorely lacking people who have wisdom and follow ethical behavior in any of these positions.  If they do exist, they are cowed by society into abandoning their beliefs. 

A speaker that I heard recently said that the last recognized wise people were Martin Luther King, Gandhi, and Mother Teresa.  And of course all are dead now.  True wisdom works for the betterment of society, not of one’s own pocketbook.  These three people did not die wealthy, did not arrange form themselves to receive $1 billion stock options or bonuses, and did not die millionaires.  Members of our Congress are millionaires when they leave office, even if they were not when first elected.

Besides caring about the greater good, wise people see others’ points of view, engage in dialogical learning with folks of different backgrounds, cultures, and ideas, and understand that good solutions may change over time and circumstances.  They listen to others.  They serve others.

Who can we find today to be wise for the good of the country and the world?

Take care.