By Robert Field
It is amusing to read and hear people talk about how we live in such dangerous and difficult times.
For my generation, the six decades starting with the Great Depression in 1929 and continuing through the disbanding of the Soviet Union in 1989 was one of great economic hardship, war, and later fear of death.
We experienced the Great Depression. A quarter of the country was out of work. Many starved to death. For a feeling of the times, read or watch John Steinbeck’s “Grapes of Wrath.”
Then came the Second World War, when Germany and Japan were on the cusp of conquering all of Europe and Asia and were a threat to the USA.
After a four year hiatus, this was followed by forty years of fear of a thermonuclear World War III. We taught youngsters to “duck and cover” under their school desks. The Cuba Crisis brought us close to annihilation.
ISIS is a problem but sooner or later we will kick their ass. Putin is a problem but, unless he goes totally mad, likely a passing phenomenon. Russia’s long term home is with Europe, not an alliance with China.
Yes we have serious problems, but most are brought about by ourselves. Counterfactual right wing ideology has frozen the nation and sapped our ‘can do’ spirit.
What we needed was a smaller version of another New Deal, a concerted effort to rebuild our infrastructure and put all of our resources to work. It should have started in 2009. It was thwarted.
We have one of our nation’s greatest presidents. Why don’t we follow him?
Just like lemmings to the sea???