The Gantt Report
By Lucius Gantt
Most Americans expect their elected officials to discuss and debate political issues like appropriations, defense spending, health care, education, and other governmental issues.
However, too many of today’s politicians seem to desire political disagreements that provoke constant political wars.
Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has been quoted as saying some members of his political party don’t want discussion or debate about important issues; they want to “burn everything down.
At the time this column was written, Congress couldn’t prevent a government shutdown and couldn’t pass legislation in the House of Representatives for even a short-term government financial fix.
Who wants a government shutdown, who wants to end American Democracy, who wants the collapse of the dollar and American currency, America’s enemies would love scenarios like those I have opined on.
Don’t worry, Americans will always elect some fools, puppets, and some “assets” of foreign governments. In the end, however, governmental funding eventually gets done.
What I want The Gantt Report readers to know is that political wars cause animosities, hardships, and hard times for America’s poor, exploited, and oppressed citizens.
Governmental battles between Republicans and Democrats occur far more times than they should.
In fact, political wars are not limited to the United States, they happen on every continent on planet Earth.
The problem is worse in some countries because some politicians choose to turn political wars into cultural wars, into gender wars, into educational wars, into immigration wars, and, one day, if politicians are not checked, their desires for conflict and confrontation could turn into racial wars.
Various Jamaican singers have recorded songs about “War Ina Babylon”. Most versions of the song were statements of political solidarity with innocent Jamaican residents who were tormented by inter-party-political upheaval in the island nation.
I like reggae music, but political battles continue in Jamaica, America, and everywhere else.
You see, political wars, like the Ukrainian-Russian war and most other wars can get bloody.
At some point, the people will get sick of unnecessary political fights and rebel against governments and politicians who want to fight and do not want to serve the country and serve the people.
On more than one occasion during the votes to elect McCarthy as Speaker, Republicans appeared as though they were close to punching each other.
As a political independent, in my career, I’ve had to assist candidates of all political persuasions. I have Democrat and Republican friends and clients.
The idea that all laws, all expenditures, and all governmental policies must be either Republican or Democratic is crazy. The people want non-partisan politicians to work together and support sound governmental policies and proposals.
Membership in a political party is fine but, in my mind, political parties don’t deserve respect, individual elected officials do.
Useless, demeaning, and disparaging political wars will continue around the world until elected officials understand each elected official has opportunities to cast votes on legislation that benefits American citizens and, that the colors of political signs and symbols have no more significance than the colors of toupees, wigs, and weaves, or the colors of politician’s eyes.
If politicians want to fight, they should fight for equal rights and justice!