SO WHERE ARE WE AT YEAR END?
The “Good, Bad and Ugly” of 2025 has included too much real experience of the Bad and Ugly. A bipartisan Congress was paralyzed by fear, incompetence and lack of leadership…with all parties and We The People complicit in our cumulative neglect of governance. We let down our guard, and the void was filled by the worst of us. Our Country is paying dearly for this irresponsible default of responsible citizenship. DOGE broke stuff, and there weren’t competent, experienced folks in the Administration to repair or replace. Bad enough that folks are inconvenienced, worse that too many have been hurt in the process. A tough year for sure, dysfunctional at least.
SO, DAN, WHERE’S THE “GOOD?”
I’m fastening my seatbelt for a bumpy ride, but am encouraged by many factors. The media and pundits are starting to use words and concepts that have been dismissed and relegated for too long. Such as “accountability, bipartisan, courage, compassion, civility, inclusion, across-the-aisle and LEADERSHIP.” Not just lip service, but descriptions of our fellow citizens and organizations that have had enough of the governance destruction, and are ready to step up to reclaim our SELF-governance…knowing that it will take commitment, collaboration and creative energy to turn this around…to do many right things.
New candidates are emerging, anachronistic leaders and philosophies are being replaced, and creative community partnerships are being formed to lead the reformation. The “resistance” is expanding from marches, placards and slogans to become action-oriented models for EFFECTIVE change. These efforts encourage and inspire me.
LET OUR LEARNING CURVE LEAD TO NEW BEGINNINGS…
Time to rise to our occasion. Let’s do personal audits of our community involvement, and determine how we can start with our friend in the mirror and encourage/inspire family, friends and business associates to step up our/their efforts to make a positive difference. The potential is unlimited, defaulting to further decline is unconscionable…