Patience, key in personal opinion
Matt Pearl
One of the more puzzling dilemmas in my mind these days is that of when we, the American people, should patiently observe the workings of our leaders, and when we should initiate change in our government.
The precedent of the 2016 Election is one that still reverberates throughout our collective existence: without warning or despite prevalent poll data, Americans can decide to make dramatic changes in the partisan composition of our land. Love President Trump or hate him, he represents a drastic shift in our decision-making and our expectations as a nation.
From his earliest hours of service in the Commander-In-Chief’s role, Mr. Trump began to enact radical change, much of it essentially retroactive take-backs of policies the political right deemed to be too liberal, progressive or socialist for America. That certainly pleased many of his voters.
It is my habit–sometimes perhaps to a fault–to sit back and watch things unfold before I get too critical. My major beef with President Trump is that he is clearly side skirting addressing the working press by using social media to send his message. That’s a paradigm shift that should bother those who believe that the First Amendment placed the press in charge of helping to maintain transparency and accountability among our leaders.
But on other specific policies–immigration reform, travel bans, health care ‘remove and replace’ schemes, etc.–I have been waiting. I try patiently to allow the dust to settle, to more fully understand how policies will work and what effects they will have upon the American people.
Perhaps I am unjust in doing so. Perhaps others will tell me that we must rush to judgment, either to celebrate or to condemn the sitting U.S. President. Perhaps they would inform me that I need to stand in support or in criticism now, and not delay in doling out praise or condemnation.
Well, that’s not me. I’m not doing that.
And if Americans would take a minute to try and observe with honesty our nation’s immediate circumstances, many more of them might exercise a little bit of patience and skepticism before jumping to a verdict.
This is not a simple problem. The mainstream, politically connected presidential candidate with a record of public service lost in nearly every corner of rural America to a political outsider–an individual that spoke primarily to Tea Party interests and economic reform.
You may hate that such an event occurred, or you may believe it is the beginning of our national healing. Both viewpoints are rather extreme–but what else should you and I expect from this polarized America in which we live during these times of division?
Rural America was unhappy with the general direction in which the nation was headed. A friend several months ago prompted me to go to healthcare.gov and compare premiums for my home zip code with those offered to folks with urban and suburban zip codes, where higher populations affect pool size. You’ll find out in a hurry that certain parts of the previous leader’s policies were detrimental to people living where we live.
When you view the election in such a light, it begins to become clearer why Mr. Trump was able to defeat Mrs. Clinton. But it does not vindicate everything this man has done, or will do: yet he won the election for a reason.
Still, what if we were to engage our minds, have a little faith in the American system, and reserve judgment until more than a couple of months pass in this presidency? I am prepared to be either encouraged or disappointed, and likely both, in the next four years. Patience is key.
Matt Pearl owns and operates newspapers in King City, Albany, and Grant City.
