Come Together

     Are we losing sight of the community when we focus on smaller special interest groups?

     Sure, all of us belong to some sort of special interest or at least have particular causes that are supremely important, but don’t we have more in common than not?

     It seems to me this is not the time to talk in terms of “us vs. them,” and yet, that’s what a divisive political campaign spawned.

      With the New Year should come some coming together.

      Lots of people are worried about many things, some of those things are significant to tiny segments of the population. Maybe we should concentrate on the ones that impact us all.

       Of course the biggie is the future of the planet. I could kiss Andrew Cuomo for finally getting rid of the Indian Point nuclear power plant – take a look at a geologic map of the Ramapo Fault and I guarantee you’ll get in line behind me. But the possibility of an earthquake sending radiation into the Hudson River pales in comparison to the possibility that an unstable leader of one country could set off the unstable leader of another who possesses nuclear weapons. I think we can all unite behind not wanting another arms race.

     And behind not wanting a quieter but just as deadly consequence for the earth.  Climate change is real and it’s happening really fast. We should be uniting behind the international treaties to stop pollutants; behind alternative energy (and, while we’re at it, behind retraining for the miners who are NOT going to be returning to the coal mines); behind every initiative we can think of to slow the progression of sea level rise (I mean, sure, the thought of Atlantic City permanently under water gives me a moment of giggles, but. . . .).

    How about getting behind infrastructure repairs? Our railroads and roads and bridges are crumbling. People need jobs, there they are. And new projects where necessary: the new Hudson Rail Tunnel, the Gordie Howe Bridge. Makes sense to me.

    How about education? I don’t know one person on the right or left who thinks No Child Left Behind and all the increase in standardized tests makes any sense whatsoever. How about training the best teachers we can (another buss on the cheek to Mr. Cuomo for his tuition plan for New York State) and giving them free rein to do the best job they can, with as little paperwork as possible. People who are good at teaching are almost by definition lousy at filling out silly forms.

    Let’s look ahead at what we can do for the future. I’m not calling for abandoning any group of people, just for concentrating on the issues that impact all of us.

    It’s time to come together. Not splinter apart.