Benefits of Watching Movies for Self-Improvement

Most of you know I don't spend much time on social media and Facebook, but when I see something important, I like to "throw it out there." Recently, I read an article about Mitch McConnell stating that America is experiencing "the most dangerous time for the free world since the fall of the Berlin Wall" and that the GOP is misdirected in its desire for isolationism, which the GOP falls back on periodically before coming to terms with the necessity of engagement in the geopolitical environment (i.e., Pearl Harbor and Germany in 1939). I am not a McConnell fan, but he is correct in stating that "America is facing challenges in Geopolitical tensions (Middle East / Iran, an aggressive China, and a belligerent Russia), domestic disharmony, and economic uncertainty."

So here goes my opinion:

1. Isolationism is Not an Option

We can't bury our heads in the sand – isolationism is bad. Our adversaries would be more than happy for us to go "hull down" and worry just about America, as this would give them a strategic advantage. To use a sports analogy, it's like a football team deciding it's only going to play defense and just take a knee on offense – you can't win that way. We have to acknowledge and address our strategic goals in a geopolitical world and act accordingly.

2. Domestic Disharmony and Political Accountability

"Domestic disharmony" is just a polite way to say we've lost our damn minds. Neighbor against neighbor over what? Political disagreement? We have lost our moral and ethical center somewhere. We can't have normal discourse over issues; instead, we resort to name-calling (liberal Democrats, extreme right Republicans, etc.) rather than even attempting to listen to each other as adults and try to work together for the good of the nation. It's a problem on both sides of the political aisle.

As a registered Republican, I want to point out a few issues to my fellow Republican brethren. You can't be for "law and order" and then scream the justice system is rigged when a ruling goes against you. The constitution and the law are the basis for our governance. If you break the law, you suffer the consequences. Trump broke the law and should be held accountable just like every other citizen. And those in Congress who break the law should also be held accountable. When Congress passes laws that benefit them but are detrimental to America, we the people have to hold them accountable through voting.

Additionally, the Republican Party has always been about "limiting government." We've gotten great at screaming about overspending by Congress (both parties), but now we want to pass laws forcing religion into schools and government offices/functions, regulating abortion, IVF, and birth control, and governing what books are acceptable in schools. That is the proverbial overreach of governing power the Republican Party was built to prevent. We are talking out of both sides of our mouths here. Let's get back to basics – the Republican Party is about upholding the laws of the land, limiting federal government, and balancing our budget. Your religious views are yours – and that's where they should stay – in your family. Keep religion out of government – we are a democracy, not a theocracy.

3. Economic Realities and Congressional Accountability

America's economy is number one in the world – someone here is making money – but the average American is not better off. This decline is not due to Bidenomics. We've been in a decline over a long period, and Congress is largely to blame. We are the richest country in the world, yet people can't afford medical care, and rural life in America is literally dead as we know it (rural hospitals closed, poor health care access, and economic attrition).

If you aren't convinced we have problems, go out to small rural towns and see just how much they have declined since the 1960s. Small businesses are gone, replaced by Amazon Prime/internet commerce, and family farms replaced by large farming corporations that are part of the industrialized supply chain. We've lost our communities, local stores, local businesses, and local hospitals, and we've lost each other. We've enabled big business to win (when you build a retirement system based on the stock market and publicly traded company success, of course big business is going to win) at the expense of the average American.

Congress gets lots of money from big business to keep that model going – it's good for them, so it must be good for America, right? I don't think so. Take Congressional hands out of the big business cookie jar and make them accountable for creating the conditions for the average American to succeed.

Conclusion: Returning to Fundamentals

We have lost our way – but we can find our way back. Let's get back to fundamentals: get our heads out of the sand and acknowledge we have to operate in a global environment, return to common sense law and order, and stop making excuses for the political elite in our country. No one is above the law, and despite its flaws, our legal system is actually a good one – but it can be lost if we delegitimize it. Finally, let's balance our budget, cut out the BS spending, and focus on helping the average American rather than making it easy for big business to "buy advantage" with PAC money. For those who will say I just made a "socialist" statement here – I am all about capitalism, which means our businesses should succeed based on performance rather than government interference/handouts. Cut farm subsidies for corporations, stop using tariffs to give American business a homefield advantage – let them win based on performance, stop giving tax advantages to big business, and make sure everyone is paying a fair share of taxes (flat tax anyone? Everyone pays the same percentage, so it's fair across the board, increases our tax revenue, and reduces our debt). My parting words are: we are "a nation," not a red state or a blue state, but one nation of many states. We are going to have differences. We can and should work together to resolve them. For those of you advocating "civil war" or political violence – I am sure you can open up an actual history book and see the same kind of discourse occurring in the US prior to the Civil War and other nations prior to national genocides. You can create the conditions for a real war, but I suspect 99% of you talking that trash have never been in a real war or been to a country in the aftermath of a civil war/genocide (I have had the unfortunate/fortunate opportunity for both). For you, I have this to say – don't let your alligator mouth overload your canary ass (my apologies for using this language – but hopefully it got your attention and a smile). War is serious, and people die. We are better than that. Stop with the trash talk and start having real discourse with your neighbors – be polite, listen, work together, and remember the goal is to have a better America for all. Sorry for the rant... I'll go back in my hole now for another month or two.