Volume 10, Issue 36
The equipment purifying water in Jackson did not fail overnight. One rational account cites warning signs flashing for decades alerting to the potential crisis. No one at the federal, state, or local level heeded the warnings. The situation is reminiscent of Hurricane Katrina’s impact on Louisiana. New Orleans knew for years that the levees were deteriorating, in desperate need of repair, and not properly engineered to withstand a category 5 hurricane at high tide. Every year, the issue was debated about whether this was the year to fix the levees. The project was enormously expensive. The question always came down to, what are the chances that New Orleans would get a direct hit next year? Who knew? But, the low risk of it being the next year was always worth putting off the expenditure.
Like Katrina, no one in the federal government, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the state government, or the city government demanded of record that the aging water treatment equipment in Jackson be replaced by a certain deadline. The feeling was that it could always last one more year. Then again, like Katrina, when the crisis came and the infrastructure failed, a catastrophe of mammoth proportions ensued. When society experiences life-threatening failures of government services, the finger-pointing begins immediately. In the case of Katrina, even the President of the United States was blamed for not acting quickly enough on a holiday weekend. In the case of Jackson, Mississippi, the mayor, who is African-American, is being encouraged to accuse the state legislature of withholding funds for a majority black city to the benefit of other white communities. This of course is not helpful. Federal monies allocated to the states have many managers, including the EPA.
This is less a question of overt racism than of the negligence by governments collectively not doing what is necessary to discipline society to address long-term issues.
Given the choice, people will nominally choose short-term pleasure over long-term gain. Committing to the long-term requires definition of the benefits and explanation of consequences if ignored. Politicians often put off current necessary elements of critical long-term needs. Why? Because they don’t want to tell the people the truth relating to any expected cost or sacrifice. This dysfunctional relationship between government and its citizens results in dystopian society.
Now, the intellectual elites are doubling down on the premise that every issue facing America today has something to do with identity politics or cultural bias. Oh, woe to the person who might even suggest that there is common decency at the basis of every culture that can be called upon to unite a country. Every society in the history of the world has put some value on the generational structure of the family.
And America today is no different.
There is a popular TV series still airing today titled “Blue Bloods.” It involves a family in New York City whose occupational history has been serving as police officers in the NYPD. One daughter is an Assistant District Attorney dealing with criminal matters. Every week’s program shows them around the family dinner table on Sunday talking out together the personal emotional issues of society dealt with in that episode. Together, they always come to some compendium conclusion reflecting transcendent common sense.
And, so it is with the American family today.
A majority of Americans responded recently to a national survey that they felt like foreigners in their own country. They no longer understand the primary objectives of government. Elites tell them that, unless they agree with wokism, they are out of step with current moral culture. They are told that the reason they feel isolated is because they are either racist, bigots, selfish, or uncaring about their fellow citizens.
Individuals are perplexed because, upon genuine self-examination, they do not find these faults in themselves. They do care about other citizens. They do want to address latent racism. They are willing to participate in sensible societal solutions. What they want is a secure and stable life that they can afford, while contributing to a society that leaves a better world for the next generation. They are willing to sacrifice for such simple goals and objectives if only politicians would have the confidence in them to tell them the truth.
Common sense comes to these conclusions. The purpose of an education is to teach reading, writing, and arithmetic to prepare children for a productive life. Sensitivity training for racial relationships may be important, but only in partnership with the basic curriculum objective. Infrastructure must be maintained to avoid catastrophic failure. Sports should be fair in competition. In wrestling and boxing, participants compete by weight and strength. Why isn’t it unfair for a biological transgender man to be allowed to compete against a biological woman? Government spending must be limited to what society can afford. Ongoing spending results in inflation. No government can print and borrow forever without accountability. The borders must be secured. It’s not just the entering masses of individuals putting pressure on government services. It’s also the flow of illegal drugs killing our children that must be stopped. And, abortion must be allowed with certain exceptions and definite limits. These are the conclusions of common sense.
And the process to reach common sense conclusions is now being processed generationally through the American family.
Wokism disrespects and ignores common sense when it holds a culture hostage. Citizens lose connection with national purpose when culture questions common sense.
Americans want to do the right thing. What is required is for intellectuals and elected officials to listen and respect the generational advice emanating from the American family dinner table.
My name is Marc Nuttle and this is what I believe.
What do you believe?