Archive for July 22, 2012

Here, And Gone, And Here, And Gone Again, And Here Again, And…

by John Weckerle

Those of our readers who are still tuned in most likely noticed that there was a nearly two-month hiatus in our coverage of – well, everything.  This is probably the longest break in our commentary since we started up, and we’re still not sure just how often we’ll be posting, although we’re pretty sure it will be more often than once every couple of months.

There are two major reasons for our absence.  First, your editor has experienced a reconfiguration of professional activities, and this change, while a very good one, has included both a great deal of being very busy and an unavailability of access to the blog.  Second, quite simply, we got tired of being angry.

Let’s face it; when you’re spending a substantial amount of time investigating corruption and debunking politically motivated falsehoods, bigotry, and other nastiness, you run the risk of having it get to you.  It can be very labor-intensive, especially for those of us who actually try to research and fact-check the things we produce, and the risk of doing so is that it typically involves immersing oneself in a rather unpleasant stew of unsavory material.  Indignation, anger, and similar emotions can be a drain on one’s energies.

During a trip to Washington, D.C. last week, I had a discussion touching on this with a colleague.  We both probably fall within the “more or less centrist” realm, although we are likely on different sides of the theoretical political mean.  One of the many things we agreed upon was that the fringe groups are co-opting the political discourse, and in a destructive manner.  The problem is that a lot of the rest of us appear to be either falling for it or bowing out, and the result has been a prolonged economic downturn, the appearance of a negative national attitude, and a dubious future.  We’re stuck with a legislature that cannot seem to make progress on what should be sensible national priorities because it is mired in ideological conflict, and hardly a half-year goes by without Congress flirting with national financial disaster over some dearly held, all-or-nothing political position that is probably not held as an absolute necessity by most of us.

It is time for line-in-the-sand politics to come to an end.  The nation faces serious problems that need attention and action, and opportunities that should be seized.  If we turn our attention to what works rather than what we believe (as opposed to what we can demonstrate), we can make headway and not only bring our economy back from the brink, but set it on a course to reach new heights that include opportunities for all – and we can do it without destroying the environment or leaving people behind.  To accomplish this, however, we’re going to have to take the spotlight off the fringes, get it on center stage, and let the bitter, anti-government extremists wail alone in the darkness.

At this point, we’ve pointed out enough dishonesty and prejudice on the part of the fringes to make it clear that these are the hallmarks of their efforts.  At this point, anybody who’s still taking them seriously is probably going to continue to do so, regardless of what we demonstrate concerning their credibility, and we’re tired of sounding like a broken record.  We’ll probably take aim once in a while, but likely with far less frequency.  Instead, we may wish to bring out information that will shine a light under the rocks, so to speak, and counter the disinformation being circulated by special interests masquerading as grass-roots movements with actual information that has at least some support from the world of facts and real analysis.

In short – it’s time for us to move on – and by “us,” we don’t just mean those of us at New Mexico Central headquarters, but all of us who can.  Let those of us who can come together do so, and let the others remain apart if they must.