Knowing our own limitations
Listening
to the presidential candidates as they stump on the campaign trail, it’s easy
to get the impression that they think they have the answers to every major
problem confronting America. And
sometimes the less they appear to know, the more readily they seem to make
judgments about issues that have enormous consequences, not only for Americans
but for the entire world.
I
know, I know, it’s a political campaign, and candidates are supposed to have a
position on every issue and solutions to all the concerns that bedevil us.
That’s
absurd. Not just that they can’t admit
they don’t know everything but that the public, led by the candidates
themselves along with the political pundits, immediately pounce on every
misstep or misstatement as if they themselves had all the answers.
Here
are just some of the things that seem to be expected of presidential candidates
in order to qualify for the job of leading our nation:
•
Keep us safe: There is no such thing as
total security, nor can there ever be, no matter what we do.
•
End the war in Iraq: How to accomplish this without any negative consequences
is the question. There is no simple
solution to this situation, and it’s disingenuous at best to expect or pretend
that there is.
•
Resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: No one can do this but the Arabs and
the Israelis themselves, and that’s not going to happen as long as the
Palestinians adhere to the position that Israel must be wiped off the map and
the Jews must be driven into the sea.
•
Provide affordable health care for every person in America: Many people believe
this can be accomplished by nationalizing health care. That may be possible, but the evidence is
that it would also seriously diminish the quality of health care in this
country.
•
Manage the economy so effectively that jobs are continuously produced for
everyone, especially high paying ones, forever: The idea that this is possible
ignores basic economic realities. There
have always been and always will be economic highs and lows. It’s a fact of life in every society, no
matter what type of system they may have — capitalism, socialism or
communism.
•
Prevent global warming: So far, in spite
of Al Gore’s grandstanding, no one has the answer to this problem. Not yet; perhaps never.
•
Eliminate poverty: Depends on the definition of poverty. In many societies, people survive on around a
dollar a day, and we may be able to do something significant about their
plight. However, if the goal is to raise
the standard of living throughout the entire world to equal ours, that’s not
very realistic.
•
Candidates must agree with everything we may personally believe. Not only is that impossible, but a great many
people are not exactly clear about what they themselves believe, or they may
hold positions on different issues that are contradictory.
What
I have not been hearing in the presidential campaign is any sense of humility
from most of the candidates themselves.
To me, that’s dangerous. In my
experience, the most worrisome people are often those who have no appreciation
of what they don’t know, presuming instead to have the solution to any and all
problems.
Finally,
probably like most people, I know one thing for sure: I have never been and am
not now qualified to be president of the United States, and I wouldn’t accept
the job if it were suddenly bestowed or thrust upon me. How about you?
But,
that’s just my opinion.
© 2007 Harris R. Sherlline
All Rights Reserved
NOTE: Read more of Harris Sherline’s
commentaries at opinionfest.com.