American Togetherness Undone: When 'WE' Became 'ME'

 

Tim Marshall@timmarshall

Historians often remind us (because we clearly need reminding) that once there was ‘A Greatest Generation.’ The men and woman of all races and creeds took to the South Pacific Seas, the Normandy Beaches and the White Cliffs of Dover to dismantle murderous regimes.

But there was so much more to fix here at home and abroad. From FDR to JFK to Nixon and Reagan and Obama, there has been a ceaseless march to form a ‘more perfect union.’ The presidents had a code they all followed — work to build on their predecessor’s accomplishments, improving the state of our world.

Naturally, there were mistakes made by all of these men (note: not women, yet). Racism has not abated as significantly as hoped. The climate is still overheating. Wars are still being fought — either cold shouldered or hot messes in other continents. Poverty still plagues our nation and the world around us. If one were to study data from Hans Rostling’s work Factfulness, one would understand that no matter how grim things seem today, the world is solving some of the toughest problems.

The government existence is the essence of his oath of office — “to preserve and protect the Constitution of the United States.”

But all that changed course dramatically in November of 2016. The United States, the “Beacon of the Free World,’ elected a president who simply did not understand the gravity of his office. His arrogance and ignorance became a toxic mixture, and he ironically termed his inauguration speech “American Carnage.” As I write these words, 160,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and 5 million have been infected. Those numbers are expected to come close to doubling by the year’s end.

The economy has cratered and the hole is deeper than that of the Great Depression. The Congress cannot seem to agree on what is the best course of action. Republicans are afraid of raising the ire of their president; Democrats cannot move unilaterally because the Senate’s control is in the hands of one man who has no intention of agreeing to anything that smells of a Democratic victory. The President signs ‘proclamations’ that are either unconstitutional or unworkable (and potentially disastrous when a disaster of the natural order hits).

Our allies see American leadership and shake their heads — embarrassed by a president who shows more loyalty to our adversaries and their ruthless leaders. Many of these same allies have been able to get a handle on the COVID spread with science and preparedness: Australia, South Korea, Norway are prime examples.

Meanwhile, our President scorned masks, claimed the ‘China’ flu will just disappear and encouraged Americans to go out and have a good time because the economy comes first (and naturally he demands schools open with students in the classrooms).

And why has the president’s behavior been unchecked? Why has he simply not understood the lesson that one must build on the work of each preceding president? Why? Because he detests Mr. Obama. Because he is not a student of American government (perhaps not a student at all). He believes that the ‘Deep State’ is the source of evil — unaware that the government is the source of strength and stability. The government existence is the essence of his oath of office — “to preserve and protect the Constitution of the United States.”

Instead, his misguide selfish behavior has reinforced beliefs that have long been tamped down, never fully rooted out. He has justified white nationalism as “fine people,” and had embraced the flag of the Confederacy as “part of free speech.” (I wonder what he would think of the Nazi swastika?) He has ignored his scientists’ warnings, criticized them, and tossed around medical advice that has no effect on COVID.

He ignores the Emoluments Clause of our Constitution, profits on his office, lies about releasing his taxes ‘once the audit is complete’(among thousands of other lies), and allows his minions to shill for products (ethics be damned).

He tears up the Paris Climate Accords, the Iran Nuclear Deal and a myriad of other international obligations that previous administrations worked hard to hammer out. He replaces nothing. He even lessens the standards for automakers emissions (which not even those industries want — but does it because Obama had acted on it). Oh, and “the Wall” — guess who’s paying for it (or what small part of what has been constructed)? The American taxpayer.

Perhaps the most chilling legacy he will leave is what he has done to the national psyche. He has legitimized the idea that liberty is all about ME. His motto is ‘do what YOU want and the others be damned’. Interviews with people refusing to ‘mask up’ are turned into angry shouts that translate into “Don’t tell me what to do. I don’t care about what makes YOU feel better (despite the fact that wearing a mask makes the USER safer).

So, I encourage everyone to put their egos and self-interest aside for the next few years.

The anger does not stop at the inconvenience of wearing a mask. The President ridicules experts and then his mean spirited minions take to the airwaves. Evidence: Dr. Anthony Fauci’s recent exclamation that he and his family — his daughters! — are receiving death threats. What have we become when the president’s own careless or vengeful tweets turn our citizens into vigilantes? This isn’t the first time this president’s words bring out security teams to protect the innocent. Michelle Obama’s memoir “Becoming” reveals her anger at the danger this president caused for her family by his tweets and appalling accusations that Mr. Obama was not born in the USA.

As for the Me/We issue, remember that if you are someone in the President’s good graces (or someone who has something to hold over him), you receive commutations, pardons ala Roger Stone, Mike Flynn and likely others, soon.

There is little weight given to the ‘greater good’ today; the American people are encouraged by this President to ‘look out for yourself’ — togetherness is naïve. Teamwork? How can one have a team when this administration’s closest aides have been turned over so many times that knowing the exact number is as impossible as guessing the number of jelly beans President Reagan’s celebrated desk jar.

So, I encourage everyone to put their egos and self-interest aside for the next few years. True, Joe Biden is quite old. True, the Democrats can be sometimes nasty as the current administration. True, we will have to raise taxes (on those who can afford it) and cut spending (one those who don’t need quite as much…ahem, military weapons).

Yes, we need to be much nicer, much more willing to compromise. People in political office, not willing to see that compromise is the path to a more selfless, stronger America, need to be voted out. The current regime needs to be swept out in a landslide so that one of the most important duties of each president occurs without rancor: “the smooth transition of one administration to the next.” That is what separates this great nation from all the dictatorial nations of the world.

If we fail, historians will write our obituary: our own selfishness crushed the American Dream..

Who Knew COVID Would Happen? Hans Rosling — That’s a FACT!

The first thing you are wondering is ‘who is this Hans Rosling fellow? Well, I have good news for you — and sad news, as well. First, the good news. If you are a TED Talker or if you have had the pleasure of being invited to one of the many conferences on global health in which he has been the keynote speaker, then you already know whom this imminent Swedish scientist is.

Others know him because of his book Factfulness, in which he (along with his collaborators Ola and Anna Rosling) exclaimed this subtitle: 10 Reasons Why We’re Wrong About the World — and Why Things Are Better Than We Think.If you have not read the 2017 work of Hans and Co., don’t feel too bad. I hadn’t heard of it either, that is until one of my close scientist pals Hal Dorr brought it to my attention.

Here’s the Big “Five Global Risks We Should Be Worried About… global pandemic, financial collapse, world war, climate change, and extreme poverty.”

Now to answer the question of who knew THIS would happen, we turn to page 237 in Hans’ book in which he tells his readers (after explaining that the world is in much better shape than we think) the five things he is really worried about because the DATA has driven his decision (it drives almost all of his conclusions).

Here’s the Big “Five Global Risks We Should Be Worried About… global pandemic, financial collapse, world war, climate change, and extreme poverty.” Why? “Because they are the most likely to happen. The first three have already happened and the other two are happening now.” Hans explains that each has the potential to cause human suffering either directly or indirectly by pausing human progress for may years or decades.”

So Hans knew it was just a matter of time for COVID 19 to hit and hit hard. Why didn’t “we” listen? Well, many enlightened and informed leaders did listen and guess what? In countries with leaders who read and believe in science, the COVID issue is diminishing. However, in the United States of America led by the most ignorant person to ever inhabit the Oval Office, the nation’s citizens were encouraged to ignore the pandemic, treat it as a “sniffle” because it “would just disappear.”

What does the data say? The only thing disappearing are 140,000 lives (and that number climbs daily). So what can we take from all this? I posit these conclusions:

First: Americans are learning in the most tragic details just how important it is to have a government lead by the best and the brightest. Never in her history have so many been duped by so few. Trump has sold the idea that ‘trusting your gut’ is what matters most in decision making. Simple slogans rule his day. Everything he doesn’t like is “a hoax” and anyone questioning him is “not loyal” and leads “a witch hunt.” This is not the kind of person to be trusted. The data was clear BEFORE he won office. Numerous bankruptcies and fraudulent “deals” compounded with no experience in public office or in foreign affairs (except a Miss Universe contest).

Second: Government really matters. When the inevitable disaster occurs, it is government that needs to step in with the resources, the clear vision and the unvarnished message about what to do. That message is formed by facts, it has nothing to do with someone’s gut. For example, how could people possibly vote for an administration that believes that global warming “is a hoax’ perpetrated by “the Chinese”? One of the few questions that Hans Rosling finds 81% of USA citizens surveyed got right was “Is the earth warming.” (I know — how could 19% miss that one.) During the pandemic, the government on the federal level has done most everything wrong. It is almost as if they were trying to do things badly so people would say, “See, government sucks!” The truth lies in the data. New York did everything right, and still their death toll was awful. It could have been lessened had the federal government acted sooner and with force instead of saying “It’s a state issue.”

Finally, there is time to turn the tide because we have learned from the mistakes of the last three and a half years. November 3rd looms large. Mr. Biden needs to lead a ‘team of rivals’ who use facts and the power of the government to steady a ship that is in dangerous waters. I am encouraged by so many Republicans (with the exception of Senator Mitt Romney) who are outside of government for realizing that the enemy is ignorance and blatant dishonesty running the party they once held in high regard. It is smart to be fiscally prudent. It is smart to be focused in government. It is smart to acknowledge that the enemies of democracy are motivated to shake America down because it is in their autocratic interest. It is smart to begin the sharp turn away from the fuels that erode the Polar Ice Caps. It is smart to realize (as Hans Rosling explains) that the world is in better shape because of science and the facts that drive decisions.

So, you ask, what was the sad news? Hans Rosling died shortly after his work was published. He did not have to face the pandemic and the unemployment and homelessness that it will cause. But he knew it was coming. One last thing — he said there was a sixth thing he worried about “the unknown risk.” We know what that is now. Donald Trump and his enablers.

Now that’s a disaster we can do something about.