By Dave Racer, MLitt

This short opinion piece is a call to rational thinkers who prefer dignified, if not spirited, discussion about politics, culture, economics, education, faith, or any number of important concerns. In short, American civics.

We are blocked from these rational discussions because too many people are focused on what President Trump did in the last three minutes, or might do next. Instead of discussing a rational immigration policy, you fret about immigrants whom you believe Pres. Trump is treating people roughly and/or without due process. Or you are demanding Pres. Trump step up deportations without considering the humanity of people.

You won’t consider the violence and murder that has become common in our big cities, because you fixate on Pres. Trump’s rush to do something local mayors refuse to do, or you condemn the mayors because they just hate Trump.

You praise every dollar spent by the Biden administration, and trash Pres. Trump for cutting waste, without examining the waste he’s cutting.  Or you demand spending cuts that are outside the bounds of law.

Because you have such disdain for Pres. Trump, you refuse to consider the constitutoinality of federal judges who defy SCOTUS and continue to exert power never granted to them by the Constitution. Or you develop animus toward all judges who raise objections to Trump’s policies.

We can’t even have a sane discussion about deranged evil shooters who take the lives of our children without blaming Trump or blaming liberal accommodation of all species of humans. 

There are other kinds of “activists” in our communities. These are the citizens, lawmakers, media, clergy, educators, and others who are interested in a civil discussion about troubling and challenging issues. They are not fixated on Trump as the root of all kinds of evil (see 1 Timony 6:10). 

I am not asking you to quit stepping up to support Pres. Trump, or attacking his policies. I am asking you to get beyond your vitriol and emotions and have valuable discussions about serious challenges.

Just exactly how are our grandchildren going to pay the Social Security and Medicare costs with which we elders have saddled them? What can we do to address the $37 trillion in public debt and tens of trillions more in obligations that we are passing on to our progeny? What can be done about the increasingly unaffordable costs of healthcare? Will we ever address immigration reform, demand better results from our education systems, stem the attacks on personal liberty, drive on good streets, and provide safety for our communities? The list is long. 

To find solutions, we need healthy debate, not filled with hatred for Donald Trump or for those who hate him. He’s powerful, no doubt, but We the People are sovereign, not him, not Congress, not the Courts. 

Let’s get on with self-governance.