| December 26, 2011 | Volume 87, Number 4 | |
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The rich and the poor“Two nations; between whom there is no intercourse and no sympathy; who are as ignorant of each other’s habits, thoughts and feelings, as if they were dwellers in different zones or inhabitants of different planets exist today. They are formed by different breeding, are fed by a different food, are ordered by different manners and are not governed by the same laws… THE RICH and THE POOR.” These words were spoken by Benjamin Disraeli in 1845 during a heated debate in the British Parliament on the “Distress of the Country.”. As the politics of “intransigency and deadlock” continue to play out in our nation’s capital, do the views Mr. Disraeli echoed over a century ago ring true today? Over the past 30 years the gap between the “Rich and the Poor” in this country has grown steadily with the gap widening dramatically over the past three years as our economy struggles to recover from the 2008 economic collapse. For many Americans, disenfranchised by an economy that is non-responsive to their needs, the “American Dream” is just that — a dream. While political pundits and politicians wrap themselves in the American Flag extolling the virtues of hard work and the entrepreneurial spirit as the clearest path to economic recovery and prosperity, they fail to address the structural issues of a “playing field” that has been anything but level for the majority of its citizens. This reality is exemplified in recent single digit approval ratings for Congress and the emergence of the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street movements as an alternative voice.
Unfortunately these qualities come at the expense of the majority in favor of a privileged minority. While America is not at the precipice yet, fundamental changes are required to restore confidence in our system of governance to meet the needs of all its citizens. While there are no easy answers, a good first step would be to tone down the rhetoric and political point scoring and re-establish a civil environment for constructive discourse. With such an environment in place, a renewed effort at the three “Cs,” — communication, compromise and commitment — would be next. While the three “Cs” may sound like a cliché, they are essential. To be sterile and indifferent to the fundamental inequalities now present in our society is no longer possible without a detrimental effect on the country as a whole. Civil discourse, active listening, equitable compromise to insure the needs of all citizens must be addressed. A commitment by all parties to those compromises is the only reasonable path forward. Progress is not measured by who wins or who loses. Progress is measured by our commitment as a society to create an environment where all citizens achieve a sense of dignity and equality allowing them to fully participate as equal partners in the enterprise of the nation.
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To say partisan politics is eroding confidence in our political system is an understatement. Where the qualities of common sense and a compassionate spirit encouraged a sense of optimism in the ability of our elected officials to do the “right thing” for its citizens in the past, there is a sense today that those qualities have been replaced by self-interest, greed, and indifference.