We’re advanced enough to send rockets to the moon (again), so why can’t we answer these questions:
If it’s neither here nor there, then where is it exactly?
Why can’t my cable TV plan include only the channels I watch? Why must I continue to help pay the salaries of divisive opinion hosts on certain anger-tainment “news” networks? Let their followers pick up their tab.
And then there’s sports. Why should I pay for the expensive cars and flashy jewelry for athletes I never watch? Sure, I’ll pitch in to fill the tanks for my favorite Braves’ outsized SUV’s. I’ll even help overpay SEC football coaches, since they provide the best entertainment on TV. But I’m not interested in contributing to some golfer’s private jet trips to Saudi Arabia.
I’ve never watched a Kardashian, a Hallmark movie, a British baking contest, people playing poker, a fishing show, or anything about the royal family. I have nothing against the people who watch this stuff. But why am I paying for it?
Why can’t Joe Biden and Donald Trump find some new hobbies? Many 80-somethings I know have started exercise programs, taken up pickle ball, or learned how to build a ship in a bottle. These two guys each reached their goal of becoming president. Why can’t they step aside, and give some 60-year-old kids a chance?
Why has America regressed to the point that half of our citizens would elect any living, breathing thing that would automatically vote “red” or “blue” on bills in the House and Senate? “Well, he burned my house, shot my dog, and ran over my grandma, but at least he wouldn’t be a rubber stamp for (“the libs” or “MAGA”). Didn’t we used to consider a candidate’s character and qualifications? Can we bring that back?
Why did I rush to update my drivers license to the “Real ID” a few years ago? We were told that if we didn’t do it, we could no longer enter federal buildings or be able to board an airplane. Now the deadline to adhere to this urgent, mandatory law, passed by Congress in 2005 (!) has been extended to May 2025. Is this government in action? Or government inaction?
Why aren’t the people who were complaining about higher gas prices a few months ago, now celebrating the fact that prices are falling fast? As I recall, they predicted that gas prices would skyrocket after the midterms. Yet, just the opposite happened. I’ve never figured out how it’s always “the president’s fault” when prices go up, yet a president never gets the credit when prices go down. Democrat, Republican, it doesn’t matter. We love to play the blame game, but we rarely pat anyone on the back.
Finally, why don’t more people appreciate this about America? Citizens can vote freely, without fear of being penalized or punished for their beliefs.
Example: Nearly all the rural Georgia counties voted heavily for Herschel Walker in the Senate runoff race. In some counties, he received 80 to 90 percent of the vote. Those voters strongly rejected Sen. Raphael Warnock, whose “yes” vote for the 2021 infrastructure bill in the Senate is the sole reason their counties are getting millions of dollars in infrastructure improvements: better roads and bridges, clean water, more sewer lines, and broadband internet.
Had Warnock not been elected in 2021, his opponent (Kelly Loeffler) would have voted “no” and the bill would have failed. Yet even though these voters shunned Warnock, they will still get these much needed improvements, as they should.
Every American should share in the progress, no matter their political preference. No one currently in power will look at negative election results and cancel these improvements. One can only imagine how the infrastructure grants would be awarded (or taken away) in some parts of the world.
But here’s how America works. Good people in government, on federal and state levels, will ensure that all citizens can enjoy better roads, utilities, and communications to boost their quality of life. Election results don’t factor in these decisions.
Yes, America has its flaws, but what we are seeing now proves we are still the best country in the world.
