Too Many Complaints, Too Few Solutions

Articles

Too Many Complaints, Too Few Solutions

By Max Burns
May 30, 2006

It is a truly American endeavor to complain about the problems that flood the halls of power. It is less prevalent to actually provide workable solutions that not only address how we ought to be but give realistic methods for explaining how we will get there. The few of us who are given voices through the written word carry a duty and responsibility to not only complain about the events of our time but provide solutions so that those in power may attempt to change things for the better. Without a road map, the destination is simply a blip on a sea of blank paper.

I am in strong disagreement with anyone who seeks to tell me – or through a high post influence others into thinking – that the U.S. is nothing but a corrupt, soulless, self-serving institution devoid of compassion for the public. To say that our government is built on the shoulders of endemic corruption is to slight statesmen like Robert Byrd, George H.W. Bush, John Murtha and countless others. Not only does it display a woefully pessimistic view of our nation, it destroys the one thing this country needs to survive: hope.

To preach from the exalted pulpit that comes with a public voice is a profound responsibility. A litany of complaints and blanket accusations against a system so large as the entirety of the U.S. government accomplishes nothing if no solutions are provided, no ideas presented, no hope given. When tens of thousands are paying attention to the words written or said in the realm of public opinion, the goal ought to always be to provide hope to the hopeless, a voice to the voiceless and the feeling that someone somewhere has at least an idea of how to make things better.

The surest way to invoke the ire and contempt of the American public is to say that they are nothing but self-deceiving fools, idiots who have no understanding of the system, pawns in the game of politics. To so bluntly say that any American who votes for a candidate of which a pundit does not approve is somehow damaging the government and contributing to its corruption and downfall is a reckless misuse of the power of public voice.

The voice of authority should be used to build up the public and show them alternatives, not condemn them as idiots and unpatriotic puppets of politicians. That is not what people want or need to hear, and after so many insults they will certainly begin to turn away in droves.

There are many honest, public-minded politicians in this country. Some of them reside in local offices, some on the national level. They have insights and ideas for how to make life better for the less fortunate, and they deserve to be supported however possible. It is the responsibility of any public voice, from the high school journalist to the editorial board of The New York Times, to make sure the people always have hope.

If a complaint is to be launched, a possible solution ought to be given. Sometimes the only thing a person needs to step up and shine is the feeling that hope is out there.

If political discourse devolves into a litany of complaints and grumbling, there may finally be too much of nothing.

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About the author: Max Burns is a 19-year-old moderate Democrat from Indianapolis. He has been moved from the Hoosier Heartland to the moral void that is Washington D.C. to study Government & International Politics at George Mason University. He is also the author of the fantasy novel Alcardia.

Email: mburns6@gmu.edu

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