Crime is on the rise in cities across the nation and everyone is pointing fingers. The fault lies heavily on the shoulders of our elected officials. Elected officials allowed police to be vilified, allowed looters and rioters to break laws with impunity by telling police to stand down.
Police were told not to react when being spit on, cursed at and their cars vandalized. Elected officials called for bail reform which released recidivists back into the community and many elected officials called for the defunding of police forces across the country. Many veteran police officers retired in the wake of anti-police sentiment fueled by this rhetoric.
Elected officials used the death of George Floyd — who was unjustly killed by a Minneapolis police officer — to advance their political agenda, painting all police officers as ruthless bigots. They allowed anarchy in some of our cities without regard for the law-abiding citizens in those cities.
The politics of division has taken over our country and by our silence we have allowed it to continue. Every time we do not exercise our right to vote we give the radical element in our country, both right and left, the ability to elect extremists. Radicals vote; they have an agenda and work to bring that agenda to fruition. When moderates stay home, they allow extremist views to take root. The polarization of America will be its downfall.
A Republican president comes into office and attempts to undo all of his Democratic predecessor’s accomplishments; then a Democratic president takes over and undoes the policies of his Republican predecessor and so it goes to the detriment of the citizens of our country.
Take a moment to consider what has happened during Covid-19; political parties pointed figures at each other, instead of working to save the country’s citizenry. It was more important to blame the other side. When a vaccine came available politicians made comments publicly that they wouldn’t trust anything coming out of Washington causing people to shy away from a life-saving vaccine.
The death of George Floyd caused some politicians to vilify the entire law enforcement community. Violent protests swept the nation, riots and looting ruled the day and the blame game continued. Politicians used the media to sow dissent and fear, and make accusations against one another which aren’t necessarily true to sway the electorate. For many the ends justify the means, and all the character traits we teach our children — honesty, trustworthiness and loyalty be dammed.
Saddest of all, we elected them and then make excuses rather than admit we were wrong. Moderate Americans must stand up and be counted or we will lose what our Founding Fathers have built.
