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Looking Left and Right: Inspiring Different Ideas, Envisioning Better Tomorrows I remain a firm believer in late U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone's observation that "We all do better when we all do better." That objective might be worth pursuing more diligently." If we don't look for ways to tamp down the vitriol and intense hatred which members of Left and Right teams freely direct at "the opposition," we will not only foreclose whatever options might still remain to find common ground that moves us all forward. Worse still, we will eliminate both the hopes for and attainment of a better and more peaceful future. We're too close to achieving that empty triumph as it is. We might not want to acknowledge that we're all in this together, but we are. The sooner we pause for a moment and ask ourselves What Happens Then? if we continue to stoke the white-hot partisan fires, the sooner we realize that sustaining polarization is not in the best interests of anyone. If we keep doing more of the same partisan same, the answer to What Happens Then? won't be to anyone's liking--not that current antipathy is offering us much. It's actually not contributing anything other than deepening the divide. There will be harsher consequences from doing more of the same. Aren't we better than that? Shouldn't we want, expect, and deserve more? There's plenty of blame to go around, of course. But we're no closer to one side winning--whatever that might mean--than we ever have. Partisans on each side might not (or might not want to) believe that, but if Left or Right is counting on Right or Left to concede, a long and painful wait is all that's guaranteed. Sure as hell we won't experience "better" by doing more of what we're doing now".So I'm hoping to do my part by offering--from my staunchly progressive approach--a different and more meaningful perspective on our conflicted public dialogue. I invite you to join in. Who knows " we just might get to a better place after all! Richard Turcotte is a retired attorney and former financial adviser (among other professional detours) and now a writer.
OpEd News Member for 693 week(s) and 1 day(s)
117 Articles, 6 Quick Links, 72 Comments, 0 Diaries, 4 Series, 0 Polls
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Wednesday, September 10, 2014Production Details Matter The Happy Talkers like to assure the public that we have just zillions and zillions of barrels of oil just waiting out "there" for an intrepid company to yank it out of the ground (or beneath the sea) and supply it to us right quick. No fuss, no muss. No truth.
Series: Peak Oil - A Challenge Not To Be Overlooked (41 Articles, 34618 views)
Tuesday, March 4, 2014Fear & Paranoia Are Good Because - Why? Wouldn’t it be interesting if conservatives realized that progressives actually love this country just as much as they do, and strive to just make it better for more citizens?
Wednesday, April 13, 2016Peak Oil: Simplicity Isn't Always So Simple While there's surely some benefit derived in keeping things simple for readers and followers, I'm still unclear as to what the long-term benefits are for them [and the rest of us] when the full range of facts and considerations about our future energy supply are kept off of the discussion table.
Monday, April 21, 2014What To Do When The Group Expands? Those on the Right, consistent with their inherent make-up and ideology, focus their efforts on protecting those in their “group†because doing so helps preserve the beliefs and values upon which they base their moral determinations about policy-making. Inviting “outsiders†into the established affiliations exposes them to the possibilities of changing dynamics and beliefs contrary to their core principles
Sunday, June 1, 2014The New Rules? Have we become that selfish? Do we no longer possess the wisdom of generations before us who understood that governing and policy to benefit the most among us for the longest periods of time requires something much less than adherence to rigid, unthinking ideology?
Wednesday, April 27, 2016Peak Oil: We're Not That Different Pt 1 We can all insist that we're always objective and always looking at all sides of important issues, but " not really. Human nature is what it is. This is true for conservatives and progressives--denials and finger-pointing duly noted.
Wednesday, April 6, 2016Peak Oil: The Reality There are certain realities about the recent spike in U.S. fossil fuel production which can be masked or misrepresented in only so many ways. Tight oil production generated from hydraulic fracturing [fracking] has shown itself to be more expensive and not as energy "dense" or efficient, for starters.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014Glorifying Fact-Free Leadership When the "leaders" the public relies upon for guidance and information offer less than the truth, our collective understanding of the challenges we face--and thus our ability to fashion meaningful and beneficial solutions--is likewise severely damaged.
Monday, May 19, 2014A Faction, Not A Party The numbing demonstration of callous disregard for anyone not among the elite 1%-ers to which GOP pols bow down to at every turn should offend anyone with a conscience.
Thursday, May 29, 2014The Right's Gamble While more information won't necessarily change beliefs and ideologies overnight, the re-telling of the same expectations by those of us on the left will be borne out by the eventual realities not beholden to right-wing orthodoxy.
Sunday, April 13, 2014Common Threads An overburdened public ill-disposed to adding other major concerns to their full plates naturally turn to their chosen/respected go-to officials with the expectation that their interests are being addressed. They’re Right, except that in these circumstances, “their interests†are those of the chosen, not the choosers. That’s a problem.
Thursday, August 14, 2014Transportation Considerations Fuel efficiency is all fine and well, and there's no question that continuing improvements should be a staple of ongoing energy policy. But given our almost-complete dependency on fossil fuels to power our transportation needs, it's not anywhere near enough.
Series: Peak Oil - A Challenge Not To Be Overlooked (41 Articles, 34618 views)
Friday, April 4, 2014The Message Is Important A well-orchestrated messaging machine has filled the void left by those on the Left who ignore the simplest of strategies in trying to communicate their own messages.
Monday, April 28, 2014Definitions Matter In today's world, equality of opportunity has been perverted, and it seems quite clear that the few are doing whatever they need to do to preserve what they can for themselves, consequences to the many others be damne. We bleeding-heart liberals have a problem with inhumanity.
Friday, April 18, 2014Remember The Future? Connecting the dots of right-wing orthodoxy to the reality of what happens is actually a fairly easy undertaking. Introspection in advance is rarely a bad thing, and usually a better option than reflecting on what has already gone wrong.
Friday, February 7, 2014Who Is Going To Listen? That far-right extremists and Tea Party members have developed a noticeable strain of paranoia and conspiracy-laden fears about the President’s agenda is not exactly news. This response to changes over which the base feels powerless to stem or control has been a defining feature of right-wing behavior for decades.
