The politics of division

The politics of division Originally published December 02, 2011 The Frederick News-Post By Steven R. Berryman

Forces keeping America from a union in harmony with itself seem to be at an all-time high now. Preserving opposition to a plan or policy or cause seems essential to maintaining the power structure. For example, the military-industrial complex needed opposition -- conveniently provided by the former U.S.S.R. -- in order to remain "supersized" after World War II, and was aided by grossly inflated internal surveys of Soviet power and capability. But it was a win-win. The evil empire of the East had its bogeyman to protect and prepare against, and in return we had budgetary excuses for absolutely anything, the most egregious in cost vs. reality cloaked behind a "black budget" to keep the embarrassment level low for those in congressional oversight roles. To extend the benefits to the U.S. war machine, entire industries were created to demolish missile silos and dismantle nuclear bombs at plants the size of cities, as in Pantex of Texas. And the money moving from the fallout of the Cold War continues to this day: One of the costs of avoiding any nuclear annihilation was to pay off Russian weapons scientists with continuing salary to keep them from selling their hard-learned or stolen secrets to terrorist nations or enterprises. In the cases of North Korea and Iran, this did not work out as planned. The above is the quintessential example of a self-opposing machine that self-serves certain parties, against the interests of many, such as the taxpaying citizens of America. But do religions exist by touting superiority to other religions or atheism itself? Does racism propagate through the generations by maintaining a status quo of victims on the one hand, and racist villains on the other? Will we maintain this war? Does the "war on drugs" work in tandem with a justice-industrial complex? Do Republicans and Democrats really represent their constituents' best interests, for the common good of a nation, or do they willfully confront each other over taxation, immigration, abortion and foreign policy in order to create pressure points and ways to "rally the people" in partisan ways that are needlessly divisive and counterproductive? Don't we all want a government that runs more efficiently so we can pay lower taxes? Why don't we collaborate in efforts to fight waste, fraud and abuse of the taxpayer? It seems to me that we squander our efforts on opposition and maintenance of this power structure, too. Do the forces of the tea party and the Occupy Wall Street movements really oppose each other? I don't believe that they do now, but I could foresee a day when convenient contrasts are invented to keep the sides in line and on task. Don't we all want the best opportunities for our children, the safest environment, and a peaceful world? Real leadership involves finding that common ground and taking it. Bureaucracies and power structures be damned when they maintain a divided America. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Steven R. Berryman writes from Frederick. See you at WFMD's Christmas Cash for Kids today! (srbmgr@comcast.net)

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