I have written a series of posts about COVID-19. It now appears that the United States has more confirmed cases than any other country in the world...and this despite the fact that we have only tested less than 1% of our population. Can you get your mind around that reality?
What are the elements of our political, social and cultural DNA that make it so incredibly difficult for all our government authorities to lead us towards victory in the face of this pandemic, and survival as a nation? Let me attempt a list, and there are probably more.
— Our culture of deep distrust of government authorities
— Allowing as much as twenty percent of our citizens to live without health insurance
— Having such a large segment of our population living in poverty, without hope
— Prioritizing individual rights and privacy over responsibility to community and nation
— Our cultural aversion to government orders restricting our individual freedoms
— Our culture of maximizing pleasure and minimizing personal pain or discomfort
— Our federal system, with 50 different state governors going in 50 different directions
— Having more firearms per citizen than any other country in the world
— A large percent of our population with serious health conditions, surviving on meds
— Allowing unbridled greed by those who have the greatest wealth
— A broken political system where partisan divides preclude timely response to crises
— Empathy for our fellow citizens displaced by government welfare programs
— Tolerance as a virtue has become an idol, often working to displace God
— Having a significant percentage of our population living behind prison walls
— Having an antiquated electoral college system that enables the minority to rule
— Allowing major corporations to “purchase” and “own” many of our career politicians
— Having no term limits for federal legislators...lifetime careers and huge war chests
— Allowing corporations to give virtually unlimited funds to candidates for office
— Warehousing our most senior citizens in private institutions, away from family
— Allowing our public schools to graduate students who lack basic skills for living
— Having a culture of violence, both in our sports and in our dealing with conflict
— Urban areas with large homeless populations living on our sidewalks and parks
I am sure I could think of more of these, but the point is that among all of our citizens, (except perhaps some recent immigrants from third world countries) only my father’s generation, most of whom have passed away, has actually lived through an existential crisis. I know I haven’t, nor have my children or grandchildren.
At the risk of offending those of our people who live selflessly, too many of us are over-fed, over indulged, over medicated, and without any instinct for national service. The draft was not economical for our peacetime military, because we trained them for two months and they were gone twenty two months later. But it gave us a significant percentage of our male population with military training and a tradition of selfless service to country. Today, with our all-volunteer force, only a small fraction of our national political leaders, both men and women, have ever served in the military. This is a recipe for disaster. Most veterans make good leaders.
The current administration has continuously disparaged our intelligence and law enforcement agencies, our public media, our traditional allies in both Europe and Asia, and all who question administration policies. Our Supreme Court has become more political than ever, so they have no time to hear cases crucial to getting our people information about potential conflicts of interest in our President’s personal and corporate finances, but time enough to force Wisconsin voters to come out of their homes in the midst of a pandemic to stand in long lines to vote in a primary election!
Internet based social media has created a monster of disinformation, uncivil and unaccountable discourse, and a dearth of people who can carry on a civil, face to face conversation with those of diverse backgrounds and views. Without a truly informed electorate, democracy is doomed. Facts are facts. There is only one Truth.
What kind of country allows drug companies to finance an army of actors who produce a never ending litany of television commercials for drugs that only a doctor can lawfully prescribe? I will tell you the answer. The same country that allows the drug companies to charge exorbitant prices for their products and pay Congress to legally bar our people from securing their drugs from Canada. Does that sound like a criminal enterprise? We simply have two classes of “drug dealers,” namely the “legal” ones and the “illegals.” One thrives because many of our people have an insatiable demand for drugs that provides a temporary escape from reality, the other thrives because still more take legal drugs to facilitate continued eating and living in ways that are unhealthy, and yes, many need drugs to continue living with chronic diseases.
Wake up, America! Before the old Soviet prediction comes true, and we crumble from within. National emergencies and existential threats require strong Presidential leadership, and that failing, martial law. Remember, as a Supreme Court justice once observed, “the Constitution is not a suicide pact.”
You would think that our religious leaders would be united, asking God to intervene and heal our land. But no, even the Christian church is divided along political lines, and idiots are still holding public worship services with hundreds of parishioners, who come in, get exposed to the virus by non-symptomatic fellow parishioners and then go out into the community spreading the virus to their neighbors, grocery store employees, and any other poor soul who crosses their paths. All in the name of religious freedom. Come on now! Most Americans have never experienced real religious persecution. We are clueless.
Religious freedom was one of the foundations for the settlement of the American colonies, and yet we see too few of our people who really believe there is a God who cares enough to intervene in our affairs. To quote the Bible, specifically 2 Chronicles 7:14, the God who created the universe looked down upon seriously rebellious people and promised: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” That is my prayer!
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