State of the Union – 2014

Polity: A particular form of political system or government

Well, it’s that time of year again when the President of the United States presents his state of the Union speech to the citizens of this great nation. While contemplating what President Obama might tell us Tuesday night, I reflected on the many events we have experienced over the past few years and what we might reasonably expect to see in the future. What first came to mind, of course, is the extended period of economic freefall that began with the bursting of the housing bubble that began in 2005 followed by the financial crisis in October 2008, from all of which we are only now, eight years later, beginning to slowly recover. These events, alone, could be subject to a flag for “piling on” if life were a football game. And then there is the continuing vapor lock among our duly elected representatives in Washington. But, as wrenching as these events were and continue to be, in my view, they are merely the canaries in the coal mine: symptoms of changes to the very core of American society that are truly unsettling to many of us who are paying attention. And a recent article by Matt Towery, a nationally syndicated columnist is on point.

As you know, I do not opine on partisan matters (there are plenty of others to do that) and this is no exception. In Towery’s article Putting “United” back in the United States, he begins with “What has happened to our country?” His piece is essentially a no-holds-barred, not-politically-correct, rant, seemingly borne out of utter frustration with the state of our government, the media and American society in general in this modern era. You can read his article here.