Stephen
New member
Charlie Schuessler said:
With a light-hearted invitation like that, how can I resist?
Chilemass PM'd me asking for my input. I responded that I may or may not, but at this point, I felt that we could save a lot of time and trouble if we each just posted and responded with either "liberal" or "conservative" and we'd all know what each other would say without having to type it. However, pedxing's post led me to reconsider the fact that we're not ALL black or white here.
There's no doubt in my mind that what we have now is better than the alternatives in both elections. However, one can never judge the legacy of a presidency while it is occurring. Basic calculus will show that any curve can look straight if examined to the smallest points.
There are things that I think Bush has been brilliant on, but there are other things that this nation will need to recover from for years to come. Personally, I am stunned that we are going through yet another administration that refuses to legitimately address the borders issue.
So, IMHO, it's way too early to judge legacy based on current events. George H.W. Bush had some of the highest ratings ever at the start of the gulf war. He ended with a whimper. Clinton had the highest poll ratings since people were first asked of their opinion of the President's job performance. But I don't see him as obtaining the greatness of other Presidents. Regan was seen as foolish when he fired the air traffic controllers, and everyone assumed he was done after that. Yet, his legacy was much stronger than that, as evidenced at his funeral.
In the musical 1776, which takes place in Philadelphia when the Declaration of Independence is being voted on, the whole balance came to the question of slavery. John Adams insisted that it had to be aboloished, southern representatives wanted it to remain. The vote had to be unanimous. The founding fathers accepted what evils they had to take in order to achieve the higher goals. There is no perfect solution. It's very easy to bemoan the fact that our founding fathers failed in providing for equal rights. However, that was not their battle; if it were, they would have lost. Thier battle was independence and from that, equal rights would one day come.
There is no changing the world overnight. Change is a war won battle by battle. You pick the fights you can win, and hope and pray that the coming generations both forgive you for not winning all the battles, while at the same time picking up the banner and continuing the fight.
Our movements today to secure democracy in other areas of the world are a step in that direction. In contrast to other forms of government, democracy works every time it's tried. There is no other form of government that leads to the people achieving life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness to a fuller level. We thrive thanks to democracy. As does, France, Germany, UK, Poland, Ukraine, and now even Afghanistan. All of these countries were oppressed under various regimes and monarchies. And now they all have a place on the world stage.
We as a people have a right to speak against our government, the very sign that the balance remains in order. This, to me, is the litmus test of a free society.
So there it is, my thoughts on the legacy concept. Ask me again in about 10 years or so, and I'll let you know where things stand then.
-Stephen
Our town in NJ overlooked Manhattan..
