BRYCE ON POLITICS
– The glass is half-empty.
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As I talk to friends and contacts around the country, I sense a general malaise in the land, and, No, I do not believe the weather has anything to do with it. It’s been building for some time now, rivaling the level of angst in last year’s “Summer of Hate.” According to recent polls, Americans have lost faith in their government and other institutions (click HERE), such as schools, organized religion, and the media. Rasmussen reports Americans believe the country is heading in the wrong direction (click HERE), and President Biden’s approval ratings continue to plummet (click HERE). Americans feel beaten down and are becoming apathetic. When the people become despondent, and nobody is watching, this is when things start slipping in the back door, such as socialism.
It is difficult to point at anything with pride these days: the federal government keeps spreading fear and defiance in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic; our borders are not secured, illegals are crossing over in record numbers; taxes and inflation are rising; the economy can be described as “sluggish” at best; we’re no longer energy independent; there is also the recent black eye of the Afghanistan debacle; inner cities like Chicago are still battle zones; even the tragic death of Gabby Petito makes us question our moral fiber. All of this adds to a lack of confidence in how we are operating.
I first took notice of this phenomenon five years ago (click HERE) as we approached the 2016 election. At the time, I pointed the finger at the news media for the doom and gloom they reported. Today though, I believe it has gone beyond the main stream media and reflects the changing morality of the country.
As I said in 2016, “The news we hear is unsettling to our sensibilities. We are easily disturbed when our sense of right and wrong is tested, be it through an act of our government officials, corruption, or some other indiscretion. It simply offends us that such an act could occur.”
Whereas, years ago we read daily newspapers and watched the evening news around dinner time, today we live in a 24/7 news cycle. Unfortunately, this has a tendency to disrupt our concentration at work and even sleeping patterns. With all of the bad news being fed to us around the clock, is it any wonder we find ourselves in the doldrums? As I wrote, “Thanks to technology, the news acts like a drug we are addicted to. Even though we are alarmed by what we hear, we cannot seem to change the channel, and want to know more. This is what the news media is counting on in order to fill their coffers. This explains why on a slow news day, they manage to find a small scrap of news and blow it out of proportion to unsettle us.”
We can no longer ignore the events of the day, which is why we’re in a purple funk. We feel helpless to do anything about it. As I see it, we either start taking tons of anti-depressants or get off our ass and change the country, starting with cleaning out the government (through elections), and slamming the door on Fake News. Americans have to learn reactionary politics put the country in this dilemma. If we have any hopes of surviving this depression, we have to become pro-active. Our mindset has to change if we have any hope of enduring this period. As President Kennedy said in his inauguration, “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” In other words, let’s challenge Americans to contribute to the public good, not its destruction. Frankly, it is time to move forward as opposed to backwards. Only then will we rise up from this depressing psychosis we are embroiled in.
Keep the Faith!
P.S. – For a listing of my books, click HERE.
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Tim Bryce is an author, freelance writer and the Managing Director of M&JB Investment Company (M&JB) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 40 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at [email protected]
For Tim’s columns, see: timbryce.com
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