Teen Talk
The Future’s Greatest Challenge
By Evan Baumel
When the Cold War ended in 1991, many Americans were optimistic about the future. No foreign country was capable of challenging the economic, social, and political supremacy of the United States. However, as soon as the “Iron Curtain” had fallen, another cold war had begun, this time within America itself. Eventually, a “culture war” erupted that spread throughout the nation. Debate over even the smallest of issues, such as the effects of television on children, sparked strong passions in liberal and conservative corners. Even today, there is a lack of mutual understanding on both sides of the spectrum.
I have noticed that, over the past two decades, the Democratic and Republican parties have embraced the far-left and far-right ideologies, respectively. To me, this is the greatest threat to the foundations that have supported this great country. A clear example of this would be the health care debate during the summer of 2009. Rather than focus on the merits or faults of the legislation being considered, several right-wing Republican groups and prominent figures immediately dismissed the initiative as “socialism.” The Democratic base was not helping itself either. At one Democratic meeting, the organization tried to vote on a resolution urging President Obama to continue to support the “public option”. Almost immediately, far-left hecklers disrupted the meeting, favoring a more radical “single payer” system, which would only allow the government to run health care (legitimizing the far-right’s argument). The meeting became so chaotic that the session had to be dismissed.
I view political extremism as a threat because I know that pragmatic individuals founded this country through compromise. The founding fathers (and mothers) who created this government based it on a few common principles. They agreed on the grounds that this country would be a democratic republic, where the leaders are chosen and take orders from the people. Basic rights such as freedom of speech and religion were not to be infringed. The press would not be censored, affirming Thomas Jefferson’s quote that “when choosing between a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I would rather choose the latter.”
Even a few decades ago, the divisions between the parties were not as prevalent. In Barack Obama’s The Audacity of Hope, he recalls the first meeting he had with the longtime Senator Robert Byrd. Mr. Byrd remembers that when he first came to the Capitol, it was not uncommon for Democrats and Republicans to discuss the issues together. As president, Barack Obama tried to reach out to the Republicans, but the Republicans did not cooperate (the Democrats did the same with George W. Bush).
I have found that the greatest American leaders, such as Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt, were usually political moderates. When they needed to solve a problem, they would hear from both sides before making a decision. If anyone wishes to truly solve the nation’s ailments, he or she needs to ignore the partisan bickering and instead listen to every side of the debate.
As the future generation, we must make it our mission to cooperate with people who hold different views from ours. So far, I have seen great progress. At Wellington High School, the Young Democrats and Young Republicans clubs often hold joint meetings for non-partisan speakers. They see it as an effort to reach across the aisle and share ideas that could lead to a better future. It is my hope that the leaders of the next generation refuse to play the same politics as usual and work together to build a better future for our country.
Evan Baumel is a senior at Wellington High School. He’s involved in Debate, National Honor Society, Key Club, politics and writes for the school newspaper.