Recent events have me thinking.\u00a0 Actually, the events aren\u2019t even all so recent.<\/p>\n
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As we\u2019ve witnessed the shut down and the healthcare rollout failure, we\u2019ve also had the even lesser pleasure of witnessing partisans return to their camps.\u00a0 It\u2019s almost as if, when all else fails, when push comes to shove, the partisans believe they must cling to their camps; they must hold most fiercely what they believe to be true; they adhere to a passionate ideology.<\/p>\n
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Even though to date, for example, the implementation of the Affordable Care Act has been unprecedentedly poor, how the politicians and pundits speak of it often depends more on their chosen ideology than on accurately addressing the problem.\u00a0 Hence, persons in \u201cCamp Obama\u201d are more likely to minimize the failure, while \u201cTeam Boehner\u201d or \u201cMcConnell\u201d campers may instead utilize the moment to justify more, far-reaching criticism.\u00a0 My sense is that both camps cloud the conflict; both camps interfere with responsible, effective governing.<\/p>\n
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The bottom line is that politics are impeding government.\u00a0 The polarization that has escalated and intensified over the past 3 decades has hurt us.<\/p>\n
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This past weekend I had an excellent, challenging conversation with a trusted friend.\u00a0 Note #1:\u00a0 the 2 of us don\u2019t agree on all things.\u00a0 Note #2:\u00a0 I\u2019ve yet to find a person with whom I agree on all things.\u00a0 And note #3:\u00a0 agreement or not does not diminish our ability to discuss nor impact our \u201ctrusted friend\u201d status.<\/p>\n
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In our discussion, with an acknowledgement of the partisan camps that so easily entangle, we came to a bottom line question:\u00a0 is our government irreparably broken?<\/i><\/p>\n
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Let me ask again:\u00a0 can we recover from the brokenness?\u00a0 Has the polarized politicking digressed so far that we cannot return to responsible, effective governing?<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s a tough question.<\/p>\n
It should cause us to pause.<\/p>\n
Is our government irreparably broken?<\/i><\/p>\n
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I\u2019ve decided to be intentional… \u00a0do a little research…\u00a0\u00a0think a little longer… ponder solution. \u00a0I have to believe the broken, American system\u00a0can be fixed.\u00a0 <\/i>Granted, it\u2019ll be challenging… ok, hard… maybe even, well, a little daunting… intimidating… unnerving… hmmm, better stick with hard.\u00a0 But the Intramuralist believes it can be done.<\/p>\n
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Some time ago, my older brother encouraged me to not only acknowledge a problem but to also offer a solution.\u00a0 If the government is <\/i>not<\/i><\/b> irreparably broken, then how can we fix it?<\/i>\u00a0 What must be done?<\/p>\n
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Over the next few posts, my goal is to explore the repairs.\u00a0 We will offer potential solutions to an inefficient, ineffective, irresponsible, broken means of governing.\u00a0 No one solution will be \u201cit.\u201d\u00a0 If \u201cit\u201d was that easy, the Intramuralist would probably be writing this from inside an oval office.<\/p>\n
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We will cover tangibles and intangibles, specific steps, and perhaps some virtues to embrace.\u00a0 I will also include your respectfully submitted ideas.\u00a0 We\u2019re in this together \u2014 together under a broken government.\u00a0 We desire something better and more.<\/p>\n
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Our first step will be introduced on Thursday.\u00a0 Can you say term limits?<\/p>\n
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Respectfully,<\/p>\n
AR<\/p>\n
Recent events have me thinking.\u00a0 Actually, the events aren\u2019t even all so recent. As we\u2019ve witnessed the shut down and the healthcare rollout failure, we\u2019ve also had the even lesser pleasure of witnessing partisans return to their camps.\u00a0 It\u2019s almost as if, when all else fails, when push comes to shove, the partisans believe … <\/p>\n