Teaching Truth

Recent Statement at the Poker Table.

As with many groups, discussing politics is discourage in our poker game. At the start of a recent game someone, stated that we live in the Greatest Country in the world, to which several individuals agreed. I was struck by this comment as being political. And also wondered about the validity.

Most Americans feel our health system is the best in the world.

I would challenge that statement. Health care in most of western Europe is certainly on par with our healthcare system. It is also more readily available through socialistic funding. The same is true in eastern Asia.

If you measure healthcare by life expectancy, we are not even in the top 30 countries. So anyone who claims we have the best healthcare system in the world is repeating “false” information.

Freedom of Speech.

I believe in freedom of speech. More than any right, education and freedom of speech has driven our international rankings. This freedom in what makes the statement that the United States is the greatest country reasonable. Of course many western European countries also embrace this freedom.

Democracy.

I find it interesting that the same people who champion the United States as the greatest nation in the world, also champion Donald Trump as president. The man who attempted a coup, for as we now know January 6th was an attempt to overturn an election.

It is clear, in my opinion that to vote for Donald Trump, is a vote to erode our democracy. Loyalty can be a good thing. To our constitution is commendable. But loyalty to an individual with disregard for the constitution is treason. This is the loyalty Donald Trump requires.

We can not be a great country without honoring our constitution. Donald Trump is and never was about making upholding our constitution. January 6th provided that beyond a shadow of a doubt. Hence instead of running for president, Donald Trump should be in prison as a traitor to his oath.

Work Place Safety.

Unions pushed for a better work place. Labor agreements increased pay and improved benefits. A large middle class developed.

Work conditions improved. With science we learned more about how to handle toxic substances. This knowledge was imported into our workplace. The work place is safer for everyone.

This helps make America great. We learned from our mistakes and improved our future.

The Environment.

Science and what we learned and implemented, helped us clean our rivers and air. We have a huge park system where we can go and enjoy the beauty of our country. This is possible because of the increased income and time available to the middle class. This makes us great.

Global warming is a threat to our environment. We will remain great by using science to combat this threat. This is a major threat to our future. We can not ignore it and expect it to go away.

Social Security and Medicare.

Our seniors are now able to retire and enjoy their old age. Social Security and Medicare are both part of the retirement support system. It is a leg which builds our greatness. This socialistic programs our in jeopardy in the future.

Rather than work together as a country, both political parties would rather disagree than work on solutions. The points that the parties make by disagreeing are more valuable than a solution. These disagreements are only valuable in a great country if the discussion leads to a solution.

Immigration Reform.

The desire to move the United States is an indication of greatness. That said the mistreatment of those less fortunate, who approach our borders, is not an attribute of greatness, but of weakness.

I often think the parties in this discussion are shouting out how much they agree on and how important the differences are. The failure to act leave individuals with valid reasons to come to our country as pawns in a game.

Game playing does not make us great. Legislation on immigration reform is long overdue.

Education.

Joe Biden often describes the United States as a land of opportunity in various ways. A sound public school system has driven opportunity since colonial days. Public education, while local in nature has always been the responsibility of the government. Hence a form of socialism at work.

Good teachers encourage students to expand their minds. Challenging students opinions is a major aspect of this encouragement. A good teacher not only asks for a students opinion, but must also demand that the student support the opinion. Often this requires the teacher to express the alternative view. In Florida, if the student goes home an expresses that the teacher made the student uncomfortable, a complaint can be filed which can lead to dismissal. The mistreatment of slaves and native Americans is never emphasized. Minority viewpoints are often undiscussed.

Ron DeSantis and His Attack on WOKE.

Over the last couple of years, Florida at the direction of Ron DeSantis passed a series of what can be taught in can be taught in Florida schools. A female teacher can nolonger mention going to dinner with her wife.

The current argument over an Advance Placement course on black History is another example.

Book banning in Florida schools is based on sexual orientation and pointing out discrimination. Mathematics books are banned based on graphs which describe polls about how different ethnic groups respond to questions of discrimination. While I understand why people might say this is the wrong venue for this discussion, I would like to point out that by being relevant it improves the understanding of what the graph represents. Banning books is a direct attack on freedom of speech and in no way a path forward which will improve our future. The whole truth matters.

To continue as a great nation, we must face our weaknesses as well as our strengths. Teaching only the best parts of our history, masks our failures. Those of us attempting to create our future by recreating our past are blind to the full truth.

Demonstration.

New rules on demonstration make it much easier for police to arrest protesters. If our country is so strong and good, we must be willing to hear alternative views. Peaceful protest is a major part of this. We can not grow as a country without the ability for people to peacefully demonstrate against our failures.

The truth is the past is not all greatness.

Historically we have disrespected minorities. For many this continues to be a truth. To create a future which is fair to all requires us to understand the truth. We can not mask the failures of the past and expect improved outcomes in the future.

While many are too old to change their views, it is in our youth that we depend on to mold our future. Public education is the tool for this. There are topics or presentations which are not appropriate. So some guidance is necessary. But we need to encourage open discussion, and not stifle debate.

Greatest is not a given.

We must develop our future not by trying to recreate the past, but learning from it. A great future is not in the past. Greatest in the future depends on us learning and understanding past mistakes and correcting past failures for all and not just the chosen.