An American Experiment

Today is American Independence Day.

On this date in 1776, the new United States of America declared its independence from Great Britain. America was founded as a new idea, an experiment in democratic governance. Over the intervening 244 years, this great experiment in government, as President Abraham Lincoln so eloquently stated it, "of the people, by the people and for the people," has faced many challenges.

This country survived a civil war, assassination of presidents, race riots, mass shootings, an international flu pandemic, and world wars. We survived the Great Depression and record high unemployment. We survived terrorist attacks in Oklahoma City, New York City, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. But I believe that right now, in 2020, we are facing the greatest threat to this nation in many, many years.

I see several threats to the survival of our republic. Threat number one is the coronavirus pandemic that has so far claimed more than 132,000 American lives. While other countries have dealt with the pandemic and are now seeing a greatly decreased number of cases, the United States, under a president who declared the pandemic a hoax and continues to do exactly the opposite of what public health officials recommend, is facing a daily infection rate of  more than 50,000 new cases. Some experts have said the pandemic is out of control, and it may take several years -- not months -- to control it.

Threat number two is economic. In the wake of the pandemic, millions of people have lost their jobs, either temporarily or permanently. The threat of economic collapse is very real. And yet, as millions of workers rely on their unemployment benefits for survival, the wealthiest among us have increased their wealth by tens of BILLIONS of dollars. And as the pandemic surges in the majority of states, governments are rolling back or canceling plans to reopen the economy. Yet the president and his minions in Congress are hell-bent on taking health insurance from millions of people. Think about it. In the middle of a raging pandemic and with millions unemployed, the buffoon-in-chief wants to strip citizens of their health insurance. 

The third threat is to our very way of life. If Chump and his Rethuglican allies have their way, we will live in an autocracy, where the president can do whatever he wants, and with the complicity of the Department of Justice, the Supreme Court and at least one house of Congress (the Senate). The Rethuglicans have refused to act on legislation that would provide millions of dollars to protect the integrity of our voting system. They are closing polling places, leaving the prospect of hours-long waits to vote during a pandemic where close contact is not recommended. They have already purged millions of names -- largely Native American and African-American -- from voter rolls.

To temporarily satisfy his insatiable need for recognition and acclaim from adoring crowds, Chump continues to hold rallies of thousands of people, with no social distancing and no masks. I don't care whether those stupid enough to attend get sick with Covid-19, but I do care about those at risk due to age or existing medical condition who will be exposed to the virus by those too selfish to stay home. 

I always thought that Americans looked out for each other, that we acted for the common good. Yet now, when the only sacrifice we are being asked to make is to stay away from crowds and wear masks, far too many are unwilling to take these simple steps. I see the large numbers of selfish, greedy, self-centered, don't-give-a-damn-about-anybody-else Americans as a real threat to this country. Right now we are seeing what happens -- as the experts predicted -- when people ignore the experts and crowd into bars, onto beaches and into restaurants. In many places, the healthcare system is on the verge of collapse.

We are a country horribly divided, under a president who, rather than trying to bring people together, uses inflammatory, and yes, racist, rhetoric to fuel the divide. He wants to prevent the removal of statues of Confederate leaders -- people who took up arms against the United States. These the president refers to as part of "America's heritage." I have news for him and his racist supporters: Racism, slavery and those who fought to defend it while tearing the nation asunder are NOT part of my heritage. The Civil War is part of this nation's history, but what the Confederacy represented is not part of my heritage.

We are a nation embroiled in a constitutional crisis that seems to have no end, led by a president and a political party that will do, and say, anything to get their way.He continues to try to grab as much power for himself as he can, until stopped by the courts. But after his henchmen in the Senate confirmed more tnan judges, I question how long even the courts will be able to stop him.

This is a president who dares to compare himself to Lincoln, yet who cozies up to dictators such as Putin of Russia and Erdogan of Turkey. He has alienated our staunchest allies such as Canada, the UK, France and Germany. We are not only the laughingstock of the world, but we are alone in the world.

I hope that Independence Day 2020 isn't the last true day of independence we can celebrate, and that next year will not see us as just one more failing, autocratic nation led by an incompetent, greedy, soulless person. Our democracy is at great risk. Only we the voters can hope to save it.