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These, Too, Are Times That Try Men's Souls

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BUD MORGAN

Guest Column

Published: July 29, 2008

I borrow the words of Thomas Paine, "These are the times that try men's souls." Although those familiar words were written in 1776, they have meaningful application in contemporary America as she struggles on the domestic and international scenes. Our nation suffers from an incompetent president and an impotent Congress. As a result of their collective domestic and foreign failures, America's future, quite literally, swings in the wind.

This national election is being forecast as possibly presenting the largest voter turnout of any such election in our history. That would be a good thing. This election is between two candidates who could hardly be more different. One is white and old. The other is black and young. They present the electorate with profound differences in their respective visions for America during the coming years. Both are honorable people, but which one will best lead this nation on an honorable pathway out of its many fatalistic threats? That is the question voters must decide.

Although we have heard these critical threats before, they deserve repeating. These treats deserve repeating because the voting public is subjected to so much benign triviality on a daily basis from our national media that the true nature of our impending threats are obscured. The national media prefers "he said, she said" "gotcha" commentary over the reasonable discussion of the issues of the day. They do this for reasons unknown to thinking men and women. Nevertheless, the issues remain.

The United States is up to its eyeballs in debt - a debt that has the potential of threatening any long-term fiscal rationality and jeopardizing our national security. Our infrastructure is crumbling. Our health care system exists only for those fortunate to afford the exorbitant costs. Public education is stymied by the incompetent and irrelevant political interference from all levels of government. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is "in bed" with the airline industry and lacks the political will to ensure the safety and efficacy of air travel. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is "in bed" with the pharmaceutical industry and lacks the appropriate staffing to control the minimum safety of our domestic and imported food supply. The deregulation and lack of oversight of the mortgage industry has led to rampant greed and stupid lending practices, resulting in a mortgage environment of market fear, widespread foreclosures, and bankruptcy. Our national idiotic addiction to oil has prevented the development of alternative forms of energy, placed consumers in further jeopardy of personal economic fatality, and increased the threat to our national security.

We have allowed this administration and Congress to involve us in a war in Iraq that has virtually no utility for our long-term interests abroad, has drained the precious blood from our brave warriors, and has sucked the spirit from our nation. Our military leadership reports that our military preparedness has been drained to a critically low level. Our ability to recruit bright, patriotic men and women to serve in our military services has been severely constrained by our inept foreign and defense policies.

These times do not offer us the luxury of continuing ideological battles between the two political parties at the peril of our national interests. These are times that demand intense planning, discussion and action. The statesmen much replace the ideologues as our national heroes. Men and women of all political stripes must come together and put America back on track toward greatness.

For too long, we have listened to the extreme conservatives who demanded less government when they should have been about the business of fixing the government that we have. For too long, we have listened to the extreme liberals who demanded that government fix everything when they, too, should have been about the business of fixing government.

The voting public must insist that these two candidates abide by higher standards of conduct in this campaign. These times are much too turbulent, and the consequences too dire to allow for campaigning as usual. The candidates must reign in their campaign support teams and let them know that this election is much too important for childish, schoolyard antics. Hopefully, the winning candidate will be the one who takes the high road - the one who earns our votes, rather than the one who engages in sleaze campaigning.

The stakes are too high. The consequences of inaction and triviality are frighteningly unimaginable. These are, indeed, critical times which try the souls of men and women - times which can make America victorious in its struggle or ensure its further decline. I have every confidence that we will do the former.

Bud Morgan lives in Avon Park

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