Anger building in America

March 10, 2013

Do you feel the anger building in America?

My wife and I just returned from a long driving trip through the center of our nation. We drove quite a bit on non-Interstates, and passed through many small towns, until reaching central Texas where we stayed for a few weeks. Then on the return trip we drove along the Gulf Coast until swinging back North from Florida to return to this special place we call home. As we drove through many mainly rural areas, it was quite clear our fellow citizens are feeling much economic pain. Abandoned businesses dotted the downtown landscape of most small townsSmall. Homes seemed to be in general disrepair, and few new cars or trucks were evident.

Every person I engaged during this trip expressed similar feelings of anger and disappointment in the failed national leadership of both political parties. These Americans understand our nation is in deep financial trouble. They also recognize our leaders are either unable or unwilling to unite. Like most of you, they know how much worse their lives will become without drastic actions.

Along the way, with time to kill, I listened too much to politicians and TV news shows on satellite radio. The more I listened to their ridiculous rhetoric, the angrier I became.

Shame on so many TV Opinion/News "shows" for failing to ferret out the whole truth? I'm even coining a new word: "op-news" to describe them. These shows pander to their preferred audience to make money for their owners by doing everything possible to pitt the parties against each...instead of demanding they unite for the benefit of all Americans. Most national op-news shows seem so desperate for ratings and ad revenue they have forgotten what objective journalism and news reporting used to be about. Freedom of the press was founded on the principle of pursuing the truth...no matter the consequences. Most of these types of national op-news shows choose to ignore what these freedoms imply, and none of us should ever be deluded into thinking of them as "news" programs.                                                                   

How dare our elected leaders from both parties for failing to serve all Americans? How dare they instead allow themselves to be prostituted by the special interests? How dare they place power and party loyalty over the very survival of the American dream of freedom and opportunity for all? How dare they not unite to solve the obvious problems we face? It doesn’t take much genius to recognize we cannot continue to borrow and spend our future generation's money to live the life we prefer but can no longer afford. All of our elected know this inescapable truth...yet continuously turn their faces away in order to maintain power and control.

How dare the special interests and ultra-wealthy, who control every law, care so little about the rest of their fellow citizens or our nation's survival?

Divisive op-news TV shows, lobbyists for every special interest imaginable, and corrupted politicians form the deadly trifecta which has led our country to the brink of ruin.

As much as I blame this trifecta, the majority of blame belongs to the vast majority of us...We The People. Nearly half of all eligible voters in the last election didn't even bother. Those who did seemed more concerned about party loyalty than our nation's survival. The vast majority of us know something is terribly wrong. We also know we can't rely on our elected to fix the problems. Then our seniors provide our elected with another reason for frozen actions by screaming...don't touch my "entitlements".

Most American adults needs to ask themselves if they want to continue to be part of the problem or become part of the solution. If you are satisfied with the status quo, or simply too lazy to get involved, perhaps you should begin immediately to write letters/emails to your loved ones in future generations apologizing for your unwillingness to get off of your butt and fight for our nation's and their future. If preceding generations had acted as ours is today, the nation would have failed long ago.

For the rest of us, Tea Partiers, pro or anti gun, the 99%, pro or anti abortion, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, environmentalists, etc. We all need to stop pointing the finger of blame at each other. It's time to join together and re-focus our anger against both failing parties, divisive segments of media, and special interests. If we don't find solutions to our pending economic collapse...none of the other specific issues we might be passionate about will matter a single whit. Stand up again as American patriots and protest loudly and often...we aren't going to take it any more! It's simply not effective to blame and complain...it's time for We The People to get mad and act before it's too late!

These are my opinions. What do you think?

Mike Tower

Thanks for visiting my blog. Please also take a few minutes and visit the blog of a good pal a fellow columnist:  Lee's Political Opinions,  and the website for an organization we co-created:  Citizens Against Politics As Usual