On a recent morning, I finished the newspaper and continue to be amazed by the anger it reports while at the same time heartened by the good many people are doing during this pandemic and the terrible fires in the West.
This strange juxtaposition leaves me somewhat optimistic. That is because I believe that most people want the same things: a safe place to live and raise a family, financial and health security, a decent job, quality of life from schools and housing to community amenities. Opportunity.
Over the past few decades, we have not delivered on this promise for much of America, whether under Democrats or Republicans.
Much of the terrible political mess we are now entangled in seems to me to be just plain anger and frustration at that situation. People don’t know what to do and have picked sides so they can blame someone.
Unfortunately it happens that some people on the far right and far left see the opportunity to profit from the cultivation of, and giving voice to, this destructive anger. The far right is very good at this (Fox News, Sean Hannity, etc.) while the far left would like to be but are considerably less effective beyond the young. Both are destructive.
If the majority of Americans, independents, Democrats, conservative and moderate Republicans, can come together to deliver real opportunities to all Americans I think you will see much of this illogical, damaging anger evaporate.
Americans have spent 200-plus years cultivating a culture and approach to life that is so much better than we are seeing right now. These past few decades are an anomaly.
Let’s vote for people who give voice to our better instincts and spend our energy as a nation being fabulous, not angry.
Steve Boulay, Salt Lake City