What Have You Done For Me Lately?

Janet Jackson may not be best known for this song, but "What Have You Done for Me Lately?" often applies to our political sentiments.

We know intuitively and from academic research that wealth inequality creates political polarization. A cursory glance at history (ninth grade World History), tells us that events like the French Revolution confirm that. The post-World War II epic The Road to Serfdom teaches that governments evolve from anarchy, to democracy, to oligarchy and back again to anarchy. While history may not repeat itself, it often rhymes.

All of which brings us back to today. "Everyone wants less government for the other guy, and more for themselves." Cut entitlement programs (e.g. Social Security, Medicare), lower taxes on business. Raise the minimum wage
and cut income taxes. Math isn't our strong subject.  

Fundamental differences between political parties about the role of government once were bridged by compromise. Statesmen like Henry Clay of Kentucky simply no longer exist. The demands of election and re-election lead elected officials to pander to their bases, and with divided government (House of Representatives and Senate), it surprises us when anything gets done beyond renaming post offices and government buildings. Strident voices at town meetings provide sound bytes not sound policy.

The President has achieved nothing? There is no peace in the Middle East. I guess I missed the newspaper the day that his predecessors struck a lasting peace. The economy is stuck in neutral. We have forty-two consecutive months of job growth, although not at the pace that makes anyone ecstatic. The healthcare system is in shambles. The Affordable Care Act, based on so-called Romneycare, has not ruined the Massachusetts economy, has extended coverage to selected children up to age 26, and no longer excludes pre-existing conditions. As to how its rollout affects the nation as a whole...think global warming. Something less than consensus exists.

We have been in a state of continuous war for over a decade...but have withdrawn from Iraq and are in the process of doing so from Afghanistan. There are powerful forces, both abroad and domestically, that promote war. War is often good business. I remember reading an op-ed piece as a teenager in the early 70's, "Young Men Die in an Old Man's War." We can rewrite that as "Young Men and Women Die in Old Men's War." Viktor Frankl's lessons in Man's Search for Meaning remain lost on enough of the people who make global policy.

Critics articulate problems. Leaders propose solutions. Leadership is not concentrated in one man or one woman. Americans seem to like divided government, because it prevents extremists on both sides (one commodity not in short supply) from pushing through extreme "solutions." Until Americans demand leadership willing to find solutions through compromise, on foreign affairs, energy, job creation, education, women's health, the environment, transportation, and more...the rhetoric will simply mean more heat without more light. And what have you done for me lately?