National Fault Lines
As the country opens back up and we listen to (or, God forbid, actually read) news reports it's easy to overlook the fact that thousands of people are still dying from Covid 19. Thankfully, the infection and death rates have slowed dramatically in the U.S. Sadly, this is not the case throughout the world. As one more sign of our cultural decline we still have significant numbers of uninformed, misinformed, self-centered, or just plain lazy folks who confuse their civil rights with a free license to do (or not do) whatever they so choose with no personal responsibility to the civil society that guarantees those very rights. What does it say about the future of a society with this egocentric level of personal entitlement that normalizes refusing vaccinations while millions across the globe are begging for them? Many veterans' groups (like my own) use the phrase "Freedom is Not Free". I call the anti-vaxxers what they are: freeloaders who want you and me to bear the weight of active citizenship while they sit on their duffs and hope to freely reap the rewards of a herd immunity unreached as of now.
If you need to be induced to get a potentially life-saving vaccination with a free beer or a lottery ticket you don't deserve it but don't you worry - the rest of us will pay for it one way or another. For the refuseniks among us, a question: why should the rest of us pay for your expensive treatment when you get sick due to your own bad choice? Why should the rest of us be paying for TV ads trying to convince you do what is only common sense to save your own selfish life? You believe in going it alone so go it alone - no insurance coverage, no emergency room freebies, no hospice, just your very own Social Darwinism at its finest. But you know that won't happen; we're a country of too many good-hearted people who wouldn't allow you to die alone by the side of the road or have you burying family members in the back yard or cremating them in empty fields as is happening elsewhere in the world.
One might think that with 600,000 of our fellow citizens dead from Covid that there would be more than 42% of us fully vaccinated by now. That number rises by an unimpressive additional 10% when considering those not fully vaccinated. This means that roughly half of Americans are in it for themselves and to hell with the country as a whole. This is but one example of the perilous fault line currently running through the foundation of our society. A few others:
Almost 40% of Americans do not trust that the results of the 2020 presidential election are accurate despite multiple recounts by state election officials of both major political parties, federal cybersecurity and election officials, multiple judges of both parties and the conservative majority Supreme Court.
? Hardline US bishops of my own church who for decades ignored (or even worse, hid and abetted) clergy child abuse are now pushing to deny access to communion as a political weapon against church-going politicians whose positions are contrary to church doctrine but are in concert with the majority of American Catholics.
? 15 - 20% of Americans hold to the QAnon conspiracy theory that a cabal of "deep state" operatives and liberal Hollywood and political elites are Satan-worshipping cannibals operating a child sex trafficking ring. Believers are being elected to Congress, to state offices and local school boards. (One current QAnon congresswoman blamed California wildfires on "Jewish space lasers". Really. You can't make this stuff up.) Such beliefs used to be symptoms of mental illness.
? There is no national standard for what is taught in our public schools. In all 50 states textbook choices are made at the local level. In most developed countries those decisions are made (and updated at short, 2 year intervals) at the national level to promote equality of educational opportunity, inclusion of evolving scientific finds and technology innovations, and ensure uniformity of content as a prelude to employment opportunities
? The US has no national standard for teaching students about civics and how government is supposed to work. One in four Americans do not know that the U.S. declared its independence from England. Three in four don't know why the Civil War was fought. One in three cannot name a single branch of government. In fact, one current US senator couldn't name the three branches. (In fairness, he is a former football coach from Alabama.) People cannot defend a system of government that they don't understand. Nor can they adequately fulfill their citizenship responsibilities if they don't know what they are and why others were willing to die to protect them.
Without going too far afield let me share what many serious sociologists, social psychologists, political thinkers, observers and practitioners have opined. It is that we may be facing the most dangerous, most venomous fracture in US society since the civil war. Though typically an optimist by nature I have minimal hope that the current generation can bridge this divide in any substantive and conclusive way. Those of us who are willing to work for the survival of this great American experiment must focus on the future - the upcoming generations. What follows are some dramatic options worthy of debate if we are up to the challenge with which we are currently faced.
Paths Forward.
? No vaccine, no public school. Period. Your kid has no right to bring possible disease into a public setting. Send him to your favorite anti-vax school - on your own nickel.
? Protect Employer Rights. An employer should be allowed to set common standards for all employees and not be forced to hire anyone who potentially puts fellow employees, customers, suppliers and the general public at a health risk.
? Reform Election Laws. Pass rigorous national standards for how Americans must conduct elections and require strict educational and ethical standards for the professionals employed to run them. No partisan "volunteers" needed.
? Adopt National Educational Standards. Our country needs to update public school curricula on a national basis. There's no such thing as Minnesota math, Georgia geography, or Connecticut chemistry. Students from poor states should have as much opportunity to excel academically as students from rich states. As a matter of national security US students should be educated sufficiently to succeed in the competitive international marketplace.
? Bring Back Civics. The purpose of public education is not just for preparing students for college and careers. It is to inculcate the values of democracy, the price others have paid for our system of government as well as preparing them for the responsibilities of citizenship. Support the current bipartisan Congressional bill supporting national standards for Civics and History education which is unlikely to pass without huge public input in the current toxic political climate.
? Adopt Citizenship Training for All. Today's immigrants are expected to pass a citizenship test before receiving their citizenship papers. Why not require the same before getting a high school diploma? Or are we admitting our high school grads are not as smart as every new citizen. Or maybe go a step further. Why not require passing the citizenship test before being able to register to vote or run for public office? Some would say this further restricts participation. I suggest it might raise the percentages of those who chose to vote, perhaps increase trust in the results and certainly improve the quality of office holders.
If you think the above ideas would be radical changes stay tuned for my final suggestion.
? Universal National Service. I loved growing up in my hometown but until I became a U.S. Marine I never even knew an inner-city resident or someone from the Great Plains or Appalachia or was from the old confederacy, or a Native American or someone of a different color or whose first language was not English. Knowing and living with folks like these helped me learn to listen more, to be less afraid to ask questions about things I knew nothing about, and ultimately made me a better American because I better understood the vast range of the American experience.
Consider that Israel has the highest rate of Covid vaccinations in the world. Note also that Israel requires universal military service for all citizens (male and female) over the age of 18 (with a few exemptions). Israelis also vote in much higher rates than the U.S. All Israeli citizens have "skin in the game" which strengthens their sense of national identity and common purpose - something now so obviously missing in US civil society.
We hear a lot today about free community college, free college in general and forgiving school loans. First of all telling prospective students that anything is "free" is educational malpractice targeted at a populace most of whom have received no practical financial knowledge. (Another topic for another day). We know that many high school grads are not ready to get the most out of college. And those who are could also benefit from exposure to a real world beyond their personal experience. As an alternative why not implement universal national service for all 18 year olds?
Two years in the US military or (for those not up to it) three years in civilian service such as entry roles in conservation, education, public health and the like would earn you two years at a community college and preferred, low rates for educational loans for further education. Something earned is much more valued than anything for "free".
The U.S. trails most developed countries in voter turnout. 2020 was touted as a huge year for the U.S. at 56%. Consider that other democracies like Sweden, Australia, Denmark, Belgium, South Korea, Israel, Netherlands, New Zealand, and Iceland all typically range between 76% and 82%. I suspect Universal National Service would generate a much-needed increase in voting percentages as well as other aspects of active citizenship such as community volunteering, serving on public boards and working with local charities. It might even reduce the number, extent, rationale, and ultimate costs of our military adventures abroad with the risks spread more evenly between the rich and the working class.
Given the current state of our nation and culture these are all serious and demanding ideas worthy of on-going debate.
LifeMap is about offering big ideas and big possible solutions to big problems.