“The third-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the majority. The second-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the minority. The first-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking.” A. A. Milne

It has been some time since the last presidential election and still we are  inundated with political rhetoric, hatred, possible assassination plots, talk of impeachment and words turn into more and more of the same, getting in the way of the work that could be done.

I don’t like to bring my political feelings into my blogging, but once in a while I have to rant a little.  We’ve been dwelling so long on the negative of our current administration, (which by the way was duly elected by the American people) that none of the positive information seems to matter.  It seems to me that a large, vocal part of the population has not learned to give up.  Their words are like a constant eruption of lava oozing out of their mouths.

I understand their concerns somewhat.  For example our president is going to be making deep cuts in the federal budget – cuts that will affect the arts, help for the poor and homeless, medical assistance, and many other things that used to be funded by industry and church communities.  Unfortunately, we have become dependent on the government to help in these areas.  The arts have benefited from government involvement, but do we have to become reliant on them?

As Jesus said, the poor will always be with us.  We have a responsibility as human beings to take care of each other, but somehow that work has all been absorbed into federal departments where names turn into numbers and people get lost in a system.  What’s happened to charity within the community – within the church?  Have those requirements been squashed by government involvement?

I have a lot of friends who can’t seem to let our current administration govern.  I love these people, but I feel they’ve let this whole thing consume them.  It’s almost childlike in a way.  If they can’t have it their way, they’re going to make everyone else angry.  I feel saddened by it, because there really is no point in dragging on the negativity.

Instead, why don’t we look at the work that’s already being done – the campaign promises that have already been fulfilled.  Instead we enjoy making fun of our president or subjecting his wife and family to insults. Instead, we look for fault and errors in judgment.

The America I used to know wasn’t like this.  Have we evolved into a nation a protesters? Must our daily diet consist of fake news, biased and slanted reporting, slander and lies?  Frankly, I love my country.  I think it’s the best place in the world to live – in spite of it’s current immorality and constant put downs.  We, as the people, need to take back ownership of it by letting our elected officials do their job and get over this incessant complaining.  We need to start loving the United States again.

There, I’ve said my piece for the month.