Chapter One The Good Old Days: I Remember When . . .
Theres an old story about the drunk who came before the judge charged with setting a mattress on fire. He said, "Judge, that bed was on fire when I got in it!"
Right!
Its a silly thought. But Ill bet there are a fair number of young people in our country who look at what has happened and what is happening in our country in just the past decade and make the same point: "Hey, that was happening when I showed up on the scene."
Remember, those graduating from high school this year were in first grade when the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal enveloped the Clinton administration. They were in fourth grade when we were attacked on 9/11. They were in fifth grade when President George W. Bush started making plans to invade the country of Iraq. They listened all through high school to a U.S. President insist that our country had the right to torture certain prisoners who might be terrorists. They heard their President claim he had the right to order wiretapping on telephone conversations in our country in order to protect us from these terrorists.
They were in grade school when Enron collapsed and we found out that one of the largest energy companies in the United States was also, in part, a criminal enterprise making money the underhanded wayby cheating its customers. And they would have seen the television commercials advertising home mortgages to people who had bad credit and couldnt pay their bills. They may not have known how out of line that was as compared to a time when their grandparents and great-grandparents saved up to buy things and knew that keeping their financial house in order was essential.
They have, during their school years, attended class about 12,000 hours and watched about 20,000 hours of television. They have been fed a steady diet of sex and violence on television since they were first able to handle a remote control.
And in 2008 they saw the meltdown of the stock market and an economic crisis unparalleled since the 1930s.
In short, those graduating from high school this year have in their brief lives seen, heard, and experienced so much in this age of instant communication.
Even in the middle of an economic crisis and cultural change, I know there are plenty of positive things in their young lives as well, starting with computers and the Internet, which brings that ability to communicate with the world to their fingertips in just a nanosecond.
Still, its probably not surprising that, having grown up in the past decade of these strange times, young Americans, especially, seem determined to change things. And they are deciding to get involved in politics. That is a healthy sign. For the first time in many decades, the 2008 political campaign was marked by an outpouring of energy and commitment by young people. They were demanding change.
And, not surprisingly, in the 2008 campaign candidates from both major parties called for change. Change.
But "change"is just a word. What exactly needed to change?
In a word, I think the issue was trust. The American people had lost faith in their governments ability to tell the truth and to lead.
By mid-2008, President Bushs approval rating had dropped to a historic low of 26 percent. No institution can survive long without confidence in both the honesty and leadership of those in charge.
Frankly, while some in politics might cheer the sinking poll ratings of a President of the other party, it gives me no pleasure. It hurts our country when the American people have lost confidence in their leadership. But the American people have a right to demand change when they feel our country is off track.
Clearly, many of our problems have been brewing for some time. But the flaws of the past administration have on nearly every issue, from budget deficits, the war, and torture to the economy, the environment, and more, shaken the faith of those who long to respect and trust their government.
I have learned that sometimes government is able to move forward despite itself, but it rarely moves very far without the push of the people behind it. America cannot advance if its citizens do not have the information and the will to do so. The purpose of this book is to provide a measure of both. Nothing happens without you.
It seems as if we are in this big boat together and, though there is some splashing going on, we are not rowing together, and it is unsettling to note that for too long no one appeared to be steering!
When government is unable or unwilling to effectively lead, it is the place and the duty of its people to lead government. Not only do you have a right to be heard, but you also have an obligation to speak out when America takes a wrong turn.
But as I pointed out in my introduction, lets not lose sight of the many things that are right about America even as we address the things that are not.
AN ANGRY OLD MAN
It was at a town meeting I was holding in a small North Dakota town one evening that a thin old man got to his feet shouting, "Our government is worthless! There isnt one damn thing it can do right."The veins in his neck bulged and his red face and narrow eyes made it clear that this anger wasnt just for effect.
I know that government sometimes does things that make our blood boil. So I wasnt surprised by the passion shown by the old man. But I was curious what prompted his anger.
Following the meeting, as people were filing out of the hall, an elderly gray-haired woman came up to me and said, "Dont mind Ernie! He just had open-heart surgery and he gets pretty upset and emotional about a lot of things these days."
Interesting, I thought. This old guy must have had his heart surgery paid through the Medicare insurance program. So I went over to him as he was headed out the door and said, "Thanks for giving me your opinion. Let me ask you, do you have Medicare?"
"Yup,"he said. "I just had heart surgery with my Medicare plan."
"So, you must think at least that one government program works?"I asked.
"Medicare aint government, its Medicare!"he snorted as he stomped off into the night muttering to himself.
Well, in these situations you win some and you lose some. Of course, Medicare is a government program. And it does work. Not perfectly, and not without modifications from time to time, but time and time again it outperforms private health care when it comes to cost and efficiency. But in the years since then I have thought a lot about that old man and his anger about government and what it means for our country.
While skepticism is required of citizens these days, the loss of trust between Washington, D.C., and people like Ernie is troubling. Government has long been a target of critics and comedians, and I believe this is not only often well deserved but also healthy. But it is easy to lump all of it into one mass of human incompetence. And believe me, I have seen plenty of government waste and incompetence and spent much of my time in Congress trying to stamp it out. But I have also seen so many examples of people working together through government to move our country forward.
Our 24/7 media and talking-head culture help reinforce the notion of governments incompetence. How