A Common Case of Rope Burn

No matter how far back you look in politics, there have been divisions. Looking back, America has seen political parties such as the Federalists, Democratic-Republicans, Whigs, Free Soilers, Populists and more. We're fresh out of an election year and some are busy changing bandages on political wounds while others are still wiping off the celebratory confetti. Many of Americans are continuing to look at the political landscape as a matter of left and right. As if we're digging our heels into the dirt and clenching onto a tattered piece of rope on the elementary school playground, we can't seem to end the tug-of-war. Why can't we just count to 3 and let go? We've got to re-evaluate how we look at the political landscape, push our ideologies to the side, and find common ground. More times than not, we all agree on the basic principles that make our country the best country that Planet Earth has ever seen. Think I'm envisioning a political utopia? John F. Kennedy said it best: "I'm an idealist without illusions." I don't, by any means, envision Howard Dean and Michael Steele calling "truce" and singing Kumbaya in the near future. I do, however, envision the American people saying "Enough is enough!" (If the US Treasury was only given a nickel everytime I've heard this, our economic problems would be solved.) Just like playing tug-of-war as a child, the constant pulling will only cause our rope-burned hands to tire, our muscles to weaken, our knees will buckle and our faces to flush from exertion. In the end, the winners can't even "high-5" their teammates due to shear exhaustion. In the end, we all lose in some way. Americans see the dire need for coming together, facing our problems head on, and solving the serious issues before us. So, I say: Let's do something about it. It won't be an easy task, but the first step is being one of those players to simply let go.