Here’s a quote from our representative in Congress, Claudia Tenney: “Instead of working together to pass spending cuts, gain operational control of our borders, rein in Biden’s bloated bureaucracy, and hold the corrupt Biden family accountable through oversight functions, Republicans will remain divided amid important negotiations with Biden and (Sen. Chuck) Schumer … ”
This comment was made after the Democrats helped the GOP shoot themselves in the feet and remove Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House.
It’s not like the current administration (which is FAR from perfect) are the ones who bloated bureaucracy. Bureaucracy is like The Blob: It just keeps expanding and rolling over everything. This is how it’s been since around the time the original Blob was rolling through movie theaters.
The buck hasn’t stopped here in a long time. Also, I’d be careful using the word “corrupt,” especially when you look at the legal woes and convictions of the last administration. These types of preaching-to-the-choir statements may play with the base, but we’re not going to get anything done unless we learn to work together, no matter where our political alliances may be.
That should be the overall goal, right? Not just the RED or the BLUE, but working together amongst themselves. If anything productive is going to get done, both sides will need to work with each other.
That’s why I’m an advocate of finding common ground and compromising. Since this is a very complicated idea that I need to sum up, I went to ChatGPT to help:
“Compromise is essential for the greater good because it helps create an environment where diverse thoughts and interests are valued and considered. By doing this we are enabling ourselves to navigate through differences and conflicts more effectively. It ensures that solutions, policies, or decisions arrived at are mutually acceptable and embody shared values or benefits (everybody has skin in the game), which is pivotal in sustaining long-term relationships and creating stable governance (which right now is something we really don’t have …).
“Compromise mitigates the potential for conflict, enhances cooperation, and establishes a foundational platform where collaborative efforts can thrive, thereby driving societies towards inclusive growth and development (note these are all good things …). It is a testament to the understanding that the collective well-being often supersedes individual desires, advocating for a balanced approach where sacrifices and adjustments are made in pursuit of a common goal or purpose (or, as Spock put it, ‘the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few … ’).
“Moreover, it demonstrates a level of emotional and social intelligence where empathy, respect, and the ability to listen and adapt are paramount, establishing a respectful and constructive cultural and social ethos.”
There you have it from me, and an open AI that responds to questions derived from patterns in the training data. We both just sort of churn out words. Take away from them what you will.
On a related note, yesterday a friend asked me, “How often do you think of the Roman Empire?” Apparently, that’s a thing now.
I told them, “about V times a year … ” while admitting that I did think of the Roman Empire recently when I watched the debacle in Congress.
I do worry that if we don’t learn to compromise better instead of lifting America up, we could end up falling just like the Roman Empire.
The positive psychologist/behavioralist in me likes to think we can figure this out. Of course, the sci-fi writer in me thinks, well, if we don’t, our AI overlords will.
