Neither Candidate can deliever

No! That’s the short answer to Harlan Ullman’s “Reform and change” bi-line question “Can either candidate deliver?” And, to make matters even worse the ‘daunting challenges and seemingly insurmountable obstacles” before us are even greater than the “dysfunctional government” and the toxic and misguided partisanship that Ullman sees dominating it.

I believe our greatest obstacle to making the change needed is our unexamined/unquestioned ‘American’ mindset that we are ‘independent’. In reality, our world is entirely interdependent. And our words and our actions have consequences. Far too often our words and actions have unintended global consequences that affect our security, prosperity and freedom to travel safely or pursue our own domestic happiness.

Politicans from both partys now pander to Americans who clamor for lower gas prices. The fact is we drive too much, exercise too little and ignore the national security linkages between our dependence on oil and our war against terrorism. And, you won’t see the bumper sticker “Burn oil- Fuel terrorism” because there aren’t any electric cars to put them on.

As Ullman states “Irrespective of who wins in November, 80 percent of the public believes that the country is on the wrong track” and “bold thinking is crucial”. Ullman’s solutions are bold thinking but they don’t go far enough. Making “Congress” “accountable” for reading and understanding bills via threat of impeachment and conviction is warranted, but the same level of accountability should be applied to the unelected member states on the UN Security Council. Each should be impeached and convicted for allowing the genocide in Darfur to continue. And, mandatory US voting won’t solve any problem if the majority of American’s remain so misinformed or simply ignorant on vital issues.

Our nation is at a critical junction. The creative and destructive power of most technologies are increasing exponentially and becoming available and affordable globally. Unfortunately, our minds think linearly. And changes in our thinking and acting, and our governments capacity for reasoned response is basically flat lined. If either candidate really told us what we needed to do and proposed the changes in government that we really need…they wouldn’t be elected.

The shock of September 11^th, didn’t move us in the right direction. It took us deeper into the failed policies and thinking that brought such horrific violence back to our shores. It’s time we try another path. But like Ullman, I’m not optimistic either Candidate will take it…and then gain the votes to win.