July Fourth Resolutions
I’d like to write more. This may seem an odd thought for the Fourth of July weekend, a time more often associated with the beach, barbecue, and fireworks; a time to be proud, not pensive. The beginning of a calendar year is a far better time to start new habits, shed old ones, or collect your thoughts. That is, to ‘make resolutions.’ However, the Independence Day holiday here in the US, when Americans celebrate our nation’s birthday, is indeed the most appropriate time to pause, reflect, and outline ambitions, both personal and national. Especially in 2017.
The past year has been traumatic for our country. We’re seeing cultural, economic, and social rifts that have been fomenting for years reach a boiling point. Perhaps that has always periodically been the case in our pluralistic country but that doesn’t make the experience any less difficult, or feel any better than it likely did in 1968, 1929, or 1862.
A bit about my background: I am a registered independent in New York. I hold some progressive beliefs and others that are less so. I live in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, a neighborhood dotted in equal measure by rainbow flags, Bernie Sanders posters, and townhomes worth tens of millions of dollars. I am motivated by economic reward but I do not see my income or wealth as a measure of my human value, whether intrinsically or in comparison to other members of society. I am happy to pay taxes and expect the proceeds to be used in an efficient and effective manner by the government. I’m not wealthy but I do live a reasonably comfortable life. I am also paying off a fairly obscene amount of student debt.
Neither of the main two political parties’ ideologies map neatly to my own. Separately, and much more significantly, neither party’s actions bear any resemblance to their own professed ideologies. Republicans are not fiscally conservative. Democrats are not the party of labor.
They are both simply clientelist machines. Yet, unlike the clientelism associated with many parts of the developing world, in which political patrons dole out small favors and gifts to voters in exchange for their support, American clientelism is characterized much more by its aggression than its protection. Vote for me, so I can torment ‘unhinged libs’ and kick out the immigrants. Vote for me, so I can mock the religious and ignore the ‘flyover states.’ Identity politics of various forms, including race baiting by both the left and right, are key components in this unique system of clientelism.
Yet this is completely anathema to the design of our American experiment in self-government. Simply (re-)read the conclusion of The Declaration of Independence, which is a pledge of solidarity:
“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”
So back to the resolutions: I’d like to write more. But I’d also like to speak and listen more. About the topics and ideas that matter most to us as citizens. I’d like to better understand and articulate how we’d like to see the United States progress as a country and society. Together.
And I implore anyone, especially those using the long weekend to dress patriotically and drink domestic* beer with an American flag logo on it, to please take a moment to think about what the USA means to you. And, finally, to speak with someone on the subject, perhaps even someone with different views than your own.
I believe that government, when wielded properly, can be a good and useful tool. I vehemently believe that the government in the US can be employed for far better good and use than it is today. It takes all of us staying active, informed, and in dialogue with one another to do so. It takes us being proud and deserving citizens of the United States of America.
