State of the Union

The president addressed a Congress that now has both houses controlled by a party opposed to his policies. He sought to paint a positive picture of his accomplishments and the current conditions of the country. There has been progress- on the war front, with the condition of our economy, with how we are perceived in most of the world, and with consumer confidence in our future. For the first time in years, the president’s approval rating has exceeded 50%.

But dream as he may, the president leads an America that is still challenged by a number of problems. We seem to be more concerned with the preservation of our privileges than about treating people fairly. We seem more concerned about appearing “tough” than solving real problems with our foreign relations, with our military, with our police, and yes, with our Congress.

The truth is we remain divided as a country with the “haves” seeking to retain their advantage and the “have-nots” seeking the elusive principle of equity. That does not even consider the millions of confused Americans who believe their “privilege” is based on how they look or what gender they possess or prefer.

If we are really going to become the country we can be, or the country we purport to be, we are going to have to face reality. We must commit to changes that will require us to do things differently. We cannot continue to abuse the environment and each other and expect things to get better - they won’t.

And the sooner we recognize this, the sooner we get on a sustainable path to progress.

Brad Thompson

February, 2015

Be sure to visit my twitter account @bradthompsonsr for my daily thoughts