WE THE PEEPS 1

 Hutch Dubosque, author      1/23/2021

LISTEN TO WHAT THEY SAY.

THEN, WATCH WHAT THEY DO.

I became politically aware in the mid 1950’s. My Grandparents and parents were politically involved; mostly to get people out to vote. They were all devote Republicans in the days that Republican really meant something. And, wouldn’t you know it, my parents four children grew up to become Independents and Democrats. I feel justified in making the observations, below, about how politics worked back then and how it seems to work now.

Prior to the mid 1960’s our governments, on all levels, was a collaborative effort between political parties. Policies got put in place. Laws were passed. Life seemed pretty good. Then along comes, not a drawdown and withdrawal, but an escalation in the Vietnam “Conflict”. Between 1965 and 1972, a distinct swing to micro-management in government took place and Lydon Johnson (from Texas) couldn’t, or wouldn’t, deal with it.

Richard Nixon started a fifty-year decline in the quality of governance in this Country; then he unceremoniously bowed out in disgrace. The white bread of Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter didn’t take us South or North. Ronald Reagan (from Hollywood) tried to make us all believe that trickle down economics was our savior. Then he ran up the deficit and should have, at least, been impeached for his Iran-Contra dealings. I remember loving to watch Oliver North try to squirm his way around the truth. George H. W. Bush had high ambitions for the U.S. He just constantly tripped over himself and didn’t get much done. Now, it gets worse!

All the way from Arkansas came the wonderful, dynamic duo; Bill and Hilary Clinton. Clinton lost a ton of Congressional seats (House and Senate) during his two terms. He was, somehow, able to work with both parties, and leave the Nation with a debt surplus. He was also in office when the 1993 World Trade Center was bombed. Imagine that! Then we were treated to Poppy’s little boy, George W. Bush (from Texas). Mid-eastern terrorists welcomed “W” by flying two commercial airliners into the World Trade Center buildings and into the Pentagon with another plane being brought down before it could reach its target.

2001 brought us into the “War on Terrorism”. So, off to Afghanistan and Iraq went our fighting men and women. This war was supposed to be nothing like the Vietnam War. Well, it was and has been for twenty years and counting. Still there is no exit strategy. Yeah, kinda, sorta just like Vietnam! The very same micro-management of our Military from fifty-five years ago has played us again. Barrack Obama gave us the start of a National health plan. That was torn to shreds over the course of his presidency and the presidency of Donald Trump (impeached twice in four years). All the time, “main street” economies had gone in the tank. The rich are making windfall profits and laughing all the way to the bank.

I’m certain everyone was up for a little Corona virus in 2020. It’s just like the Flu! No, it isn’t the Flu. In one year, it has killed 400,000 people in this Country and shows no immediate signs of receding. Now, there have been clarion calls for a second Civil War and a gross act of treason and sedition. None of those are going to happen. With that in mind, perhaps we could be “civil” without the war. My fear is that, in my lifetime, a more civil Union will not happen. I sincerely hope the next generations can work this all out. My generation didn’t and we were supposed to.