Continental Divide

The divisive political climate today is like the Continental Divide along the Rockies - impassable until Jefferson finessed political opposition to fund an expedition charged with finding a route to the Pacific for commerce & trade. Lewis & Clark - assisted by Sacagawea (aka Sacajewea), a Shonone Indian woman - explored the wild West & native tribes while finding a route through the Divide. Hopefully, we will rise above today's political Divide! "The divide between conservatives and liberals, locked for years in their respective echo chambers in talk radio, cable television and elsewhere in the media and on the Internet, presents no less of a challenge today to the promise of America than the question of race did yesterday." - Editorial in the Athens Banner-Herald on Jan 21. An echo of this concern: "The Nation's fatigue with negative, divisive politics...." was posted in Comments. We should heed Washington's warnings in his Farewell Address that ideological division would undermine & eventually destroy our Nation's unity. The level of civil discussion about government has sunk among people of all walks of life, even highly educated citizens, causing our great nation to become mired in political gridlock at all levels, resulting in HUGE COSTS to us all. These political "bookends" are visual proof we have lost our focus as a nation: New Orleans was & remains a wake-up call -- Ground Zero remains an eyesore 7 years after 9-11. The nation's immense infrastructure - water, rail, tunnels, bridges, ports, air traffic - while hidden from view, is sorely in need of rebuilding. U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Report & Plan to Rebuild America's Infrastructure was presented to Congress in 2007. Meanwhile China built the equivalent of several World Trade Centers plus high-speed railways. Washington's wisdom is echoed by Obama's call for everyone to set aside ideologies. Much like a large boisterous family, we may disagree on many ideas, but countries that remain focused & concentrate on solidly building & rebuilding infrastructure for future generations are economically rewarded.