Where is the answer to this mess?

And I think you are right.
Unfortunately, I'm guilty of that triggered response too. Usually because I feel a statement is so grossly irrational or blatantly insulting to truth, but I'm guilty.

 

For many years now "bipartisan" could mean 99 of one party and one from the other party. It amazes me how loosely they define "bipartisan". As long as you can scrape up one then you can use the term. Working together has meant not compromising or meeting at the middle but convincing the other side to do things your way.

Let's look at the current infrastructure bills. You could argue that the first one was truly bipartisan, but was it really? Both sides gave and take and met in the middle to compromise on the legislation - true bipartisanship. BUT, all along, Democrats compromised on the bipartisan plan knowing full well that they were going to try pushing through everything they wanted in a separate "human infrastructure" bill anyway and, if they didn't get that, Progressives were willing to tank the "bipartisan" bill, meaning there was no bipartisan bill without the partisan bill. So, you could easily argue that there really was no bipartisanship in the first bill at all if they were going to try pushing through everything they wanted anyway because they weren't really conceding or compromising on anything. Manchin, Sinema, and a few others are the only ones saving us and, even then (when they finally agree to a plan), bipartisanship on the first bill was really thrown out the window.

 

I agree-
True bipartisan would not be conceding to avoid battle, and some will do that. True bipartisan would be working together and reasonable compromise.

 

I think there is something important here that everybody is missing- left, right, public.

From top to bottom- presidential actions, government agencies, state and local agencies, media people, down to school boards and police departments, behavior has degraded to that of unsupervised and undisciplined adolescents. That's not the intent, but it is the result. Everybody know what's wrong in terms of what offends them, and most of them want some kind of vengeance or justice for the perceived transgression- and there are plenty of transgressions to go around.

However, these endless arguments will not restore order, will not restore a mature mindset to the people or the politicians- it only gives us more of the same.
If we do not refocus on the things that are real and control the quality of life- we have no control, and we can't fix anything. This calls for a return of proper standards and values- AND, a way to insure those things are upheld without exception. ONLY when we have the ability to uphold and enforce order and integrity will we be able to deal properly and rationally with all the individual transgressions that have happened as the respect of our system. Until we have the tools to do that, we will be unable to turn this around and restore order. The individual offenses we are seeing everyday are the symptoms of another more basic problem- the lack of order, the lack of respect for the very values we all agree are critical. We need to look past these things and deal with the underlying cause which allowed this to happen- and eliminate it.

IF we can focus on that, do that- all the lesser issues it promotes will shift to a regression and fade. Find the disease, cure the disease.... the symptoms cease to exist.

 

I think there must be a balance. It takes cooperation and groups dedicated to a purpose to do big things, great things- but it also takes order. The challenge is keeping that order, and maintaining standards in the game so that the unscrupulous motives don't determine how it's played. It is human nature, there is a primitive gene in everyone. To operate above that, we have to choose to do so- and without question- we must
have a structure that requires it. Our nation has some very sound rules. Our Constitution is widely and long recognized as the finest such document ever created. Yet the first and most important principle, freedom of speech- is being attacked by people with special interests everyday- people that put their special interest above the principles that made and kept America free and a great nation. Sometimes that is as petty as being unhappy with someone's criticism.... sometimes it has far more devious motives. But- if we are to remain free, we are going to have to demand that the principles that made this nation great, be upheld without exception, and the people who will not be promptly removed from position of power.

Right now- we the people lack the power to do this. I hope that a means to change that will appear soon. We're working on it. We should all be working on it.

 

People will have opinions, and they will vary. The thing that makes the overall direction of our society is if all these people have sound basic values, and one that is critical is caring about the future- today is the future from yesterday's perspective. Fail to consider the future, and chaos is the only possible result.

It's like so many concepts of life. "Drive safely" is obviously a common value good for all. But If you will only look ahead 50 feet in front of your car- everything that happens becomes a crisis, because you were not prepared for the future even when it was only a minute or two away; and all your decisions were faulty. We obviously have people right now- In positions of power- whose vision is extremely myopic, or- they just don't care what happens to our people and our nation. Whatever the reason, this is unacceptable. The fundamental principles and values are not just opinions, they are the mechanics of a successful society. The road can take us many places- and everyone has an opinion of what's best, but only if we travel it in a safe manner. We're not doing that right now.

Leaders are supposed to have power- but with the consent of the people, and for the good of the people. That's the way the nation is designed. What we do have is a disconnect between the power of the people and leadership. Rather than a lesh, we have a long rubber band of sorts, which sounds like we have a lesh, but in fact is useless in any practical sense. IF the people had a direct voice here, things would change- quickly. Rules define required behavior, Consequences enforce the rules. No consequences- is the same as no rules. Rules become cosmetics for the appearance of orderly intent, but are never respected.

This is a fact of order everywhere. Schools, parents, businesses- any that do not enforce their rules will see those rules become meaningless, and tolerate constant chaos. It only gets worse over time- because tolerating bad conduct makes it the defacto standard of behavior. Acceptable. Everybody does it. Chaos.

 

I think we have to see two kinds of values. Some are subject to compromise- some are not. And- we have to be very careful in what we compromise. Perhaps most importantly when we do compromise, it should not be to the benefit of one group at the expense of the other. Nobody, and no system is perfect, but the objective of being the best we can is still the logical target. For instance, if you are a craftsman and you can't tolerate a lack of perfection, chances are you will never be able to approve of your own work no matter how good you get. On the other hand, if you can settle for a high level of quality and good function, you can be both satisfied with yourself and please a great many others with the quality of your workmanship. I find most of those complaining today are complaining about others, but aren't able or interested in examining themselves, nor their own motives or values. That of course is not compromise at all- it is the deeply imperfect demanding others give them a perfect world. That is adversarial.

Men (and women) of goodwill and intent can always create a harmony and winning partnership. They know that when the partnership wins- they all win, and the variations between them are adjustable to maintain the cohesion of the partnership so that can continue. That presumes that all those part of it are willing to conduct themselves as partners- and therein lies a problem. If you are an adversary person in your actions but part of a partnership, you destroy the partnership, the potential, the capacity for reasonable compromise- because as an adversary, you believe that in order for you to win.... the others must lose.

Thus, the rules that maintain order and the format as a partnership can't be compromised.