Leaving the Paris Agreement
The United States of America has apparently left the Paris Agreement and now aligned ourselves with Nicaragua and Syria. Can you imagine? Not only are we aligning with these countries that are monuments to the erosion and destruction of civil liberties, that support war and other activities severely detrimental to human welfare and a civil society, we are doing it on the decision of a single person; and we are alienating and confounding other countries that have been our strong allies in modern times.
We are leading in the wrong direction and like most ineffective leaders, we need to look behind us: no one is following. The United States is rapidly losing our place in the world order based solely on the decisions and actions of what appears to be a single-issue president making unilateral decisions out of ignorance, ego, and self-interest.
Surely, this is no longer a “party issue”? Surely! I have immense respect for all our elected officials regardless of party affiliation. Anyone that puts themselves, their families, and their assets on the front line to run for public office deserves our respect regardless of political affiliation. However, after they are elected, we should hold them accountable to a very high standard the first tenet of which must be good stewardship of the entity they represent.
And, in the case of the House and the Senate, by “entity”, I do not mean the single small district or state from which they were elected. We are a nation of states and a republic – a representative government. It is their responsibility to take actions in the best interest of the entire nation. Legislating in this environment means discussion and compromise, constructive deal-making within the boundaries of principled and thoughtful stewardship of the entire country.
It is time for all of Congress to stand on facts, intelligence, and responsible stewardship. It is time to forego party and dogma; to set aside narrow self-interest and the all-consuming drive to be re-elected. We are in serious trouble and in grows deeper each day. We cannot allow the inexperience, self-interest, ignorance, and ego of our current President to erode what the United States has accomplished in the world; to take us unilaterally into self-destruction.
Nicaragua and Syria?! Really? Is that where we see ourselves? Are those the international partners that will help us build our future? Are they the ones we wish to look to for ways to improve our world? Of course not. It is time for Congress as a body, regardless of individual party or ideology, to exercise leadership and responsible stewardship for the safety, security, and future of our nation and our planet. It is time to turn our immense abilities as a world leader back into the light and away from this darkness into which we are hurling. It is time for Congress to assume their place as our elected representatives – as principled and thoughtful stewards of our nation – and stop blindly flailing in the sucking quagmire of party demagoguery.