Politics as (un)usual

I don’t claim to be a Democrat, but if I did, I think I might be ashamed to admit that at this particular time in the history of our great nation.

Our political system has always been quite contentious as the differing parties struggle for control. However, so long as our elected representatives have communicated through open and honest discussion and debate they have most often arrived at decisions that allow our government to continue to function in the manner set forth in our Constitution.

This process served us well as we grew from a small immigrant nation to become the richest most powerful nation on planet earth. Unfortunately, in recent years that process has been badly eroded as the Democratic Party has become the party of special-interest groups and taken up the incivility of political correctness and by so doing have lost contact with the core values of our nation and our culture and with those patriotic, hardworking, predominantly Christian men and women who are the backbone of this nation.

The Democrats have also taken on a superior attitude normally reserved for kings and dictators who feel they are entitled to rule because of their superior intellect and that therefore they need not consult with nor negotiate with the common people.

This sad turn of events has been vividly demonstrated in exquisite detail for the world to witness throughout the past year. Since the inauguration of President Donald Trump the Democrats elected to the two houses of the U.S. Congress have been AWOL. These Democratic representatives and senators have refused to participate in the bipartisan process of governing and thereby have abandoned their sworn duty to this nation and to their constituents and instead they have spent thousands of man-hours and millions of taxpayer dollars attempting to discredit and undermine our duly elected president.

This pathetic, juvenile conduct has served only to widen the divide between the parties and instill disgust in the citizenry without having produced anything of value, exactly zero nada and zilch! If our government were a business these non-productive employees would be fired or if they were in the military they would be court-martialed and given less than honorable discharges for dereliction to duty.

The final demonstration of childish immaturity on the part of Democrats came at President Trump’s State of the Union message to the joint houses of Congress when several chose not to attend and the remainder sat there with wooden frowns on their face while their Republican counterparts and the many guests present stood and clapped as the president reviewed the progress made in the past year and laid out his priorities for the immediate future. These actions were certainly not how to improve bipartisan relations.

I have good friends and even family members who consider themselves to be Democrats, and we often discuss politics and religion, always in an adult civil tone without anger or recrimination. From these discussions I have learned that some Democrats are far from pleased with the direction their party has taken in recent years. This letter is by no means intended as an indictment of all Democrats but only of the Democratic Party and their present platform.

In its lust for power and zeal for votes at any cost, the Democratic Party has allowed itself to be hijacked and radicalized by special-interest groups. In other words, the Democrats have sold their soul to the devil for a few more votes and we all may rue the day this deal was consummated, for it has created a great divide among the citizens. I’m on my 14th president, and the division and the acrimony present in our nation today is far greater than at any previous time in my sojourn on this portion of God’s creation. This great divide is very complex and very problematic and has the potential to facilitate the loss of precious freedoms and eventually, the unthinkable, loss of our liberty.

I fear that reuniting our nation will be a long, difficult process, and if we are to be successful we must first regain control of our system of higher education so that we may once again teach our children how to use their God-given gift of reason to think for themselves rather than indoctrinating them with what to think and believe as is currently done.

I am a firm believer in the power of prayer so I call on my fellow Christians to join me in daily prayer to our heavenly father that he guide us to the path that leads to healing for our nation and that he impart to our leadership, regardless of political party, the knowledge, foresight and integrity to always make decisions that are best for the future of this nation and ALL of its citizens.

Larry Metzger is a resident of Bigfork.