The Two Americas in 2018

The two Americas was something Vice President Al Gore proposed during his Presidential run back in 2000. Of course he failed to win and George W. Bush became our 43 President and the rest is history.

In 2018, we had experience 9/11, a deep recession in 2008, election of the first black President Obama and now election of Trump as the 45th President.

We are more divided than ever.

- Sept. 2018

• Immigration
• Economy
• Climate Change
• Taxes
• News Media and Fake News
• Just Do It and Race Relations
• AI
• Deep State and Insider politics
• Healthcare
• National Defense

On illegal immigration and the wall and ICE, we seem to have two sides. On the right, the people wanted to build the wall on our southern borders, and enforce the laws that are on the books. On the left, they want ICE disbanded, and created sanctuary cities and called the other side racist for defending our borders and our sovereignty. The two sides cannot be farther apart. It defies logic or common sense.

On the economy, the two sides are also at odds. On the one side, the Democrats claim the latest economic boom is the result and continuation of the Obama recovery. The Republicans say it is a boom as a result of the tax reform and reduction of business regulations. Democratic candidates are pushing a socialist agenda while Republicans want a free market solution. Again, these are very different realities. Only one scenario can be right. Which is it?

On climate change, there is one side who believes it is the most dangerous threat to our survival as a species while skeptics believe it is an exaggerated problem that has been hijacked by environmental extremists. Luckily in this case, we have time on our side. In a few more years, this issue will be proven one way or another. The proof of the pudding is in the reality of hard data.

On one side, some believe the rich and large corporations should pay more taxes to help pay for our deficits and many social programs which are unfunded liabilities. On the other side, some believe a tax cut across the board will help stimulate our economy and lead to more jobs and more revenues to the treasury and less dependency on governmental social safety net.

On the main stream media, there are some who believe they are the gate keeper of news. Too many alternative media outlets are motivated by bias and create a distrust of hard news. There are some who believe the main stream media is the problem. They have foresaken their Constitutional duty and leaned left and now instead of reporting on the news, have become activists and promotes one agenda. They have been accused of presenting “fake news” to advance that progressive agenda.

Race relations has been put on top of the limelight during the Obama Administration. A few high profile cases such as Tryvon Martin, and Michael Brown in Ferguson and Freddie Gray in Baltimore, has been politicized and lead to the BLM and Just Do It movement. All under the Obama Administration, the first black President. Instead of helping to improve race relations, it has polarized our nation. Our national past time the NFL is now dividing our country with the protest of a few players during our national anthem. Some believe it is their first Amendment right and others believe it to be a disrespect of our veterans.

The AI invasion is feared by some and cheered by others. Why is that? There seems to be a technological knowledge gap. There is one group that believe technology is the answer to all our problems. Another thinks some technology, if unchecked, could be the end of our species. AI is one of those technology that not many understand. Artificial Intelligence sounds so smart. What is it? So far, there is no such thing. There is only human intelligence. There may be extraterrestrial intelligence? But so far, there is no artificial intelligence. It is just computers mimicking our behavior. I personally am not worried about the singularity.

Deep State is something whose existence is even in debate. Some on the right believe it exist while others on the left think it is totally made up. What is a deep state? There are people who serves in our federal government in various agencies who has an agenda. They are unelected officials in high places who are political appointees. They may work behind the scenes colllectively to stop a current administration of implementing changes. Especially one that wants to shake up Washington DC and the halls of power.

Healthcare - is it a right? Or a privilege? Some believe universal healthcare is the responsibility of a caring government. Others believe it is the individual who must care for their own health. It came down to who pays. In one case, the government pays through taxation. In the other, the individual pay the insurance which covers the healthcare needs. The ACA was passed in 2010 and we ended up with a mixed bag.

National defense is one of the few items mentioned specifically as the primary responsibility of a federal government. We need a secure environment to pursue our dreams. Without it, we may as well be just any territory. Waiting to be annexed or invaded or conquered just as so many other places around the world. Yet, we have some citizens that believe we should not spend so much on our national defense. Given the choice, they will always vote for more social programs over guns and tanks and missiles. They are the party of peace.

In 2018, there are two Americas. Two very different visions. Two very different interpretations of our Constitution. Two opposites in many aspects. That is why, we are a divided nation. Even our Supreme courts are evenly divided and many cases are settled by only a 5-4 majority. Some elections are so close, a winner is decided by only a handful of votes.

Our challenges going forward is bridging this gap. This is a real divide and one that can only be settled by some major shifts in our collective conscience.