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Commentary

By Liz Quirin

Drawing Lines in the Sand for Children

Children draw in the sand at the beach or in the sandbox in the backyard. Why is it we keep hearing about politicians drawing lines in the sand. It would be better for all of us if they worked and played better together. While they are posturing and prognosticating before the cameras, the rest of us are waiting for them to wake up and see that people are losing their livelihoods while they dither around in Washington trying to see which side will hold out the longest.
Oh, they’re meeting and talking, but they all seem to subscribe to 11th-hour politics, i.e., wait until the last minute and do something.

When I was covering the city council of a local community more years ago than I care to remember, the council members were wrangling over, what else, the budget. Each one took a turn at talking about what should be cut and which district should “bite the bullet,” etc. You can imagine how the conversation went. Finally, after way too much discussion, they decided to take a vote, knowing that even after all their rhetoric and posturing the budget would pass and we could all go home.

However, more of them were listening to themselves talk than paying attention to the vote because the council members seemed clearly surprised when the council president announced the budget failed to pass, and they would have to continue to discuss it on into the night.

The city’s attorney, looked at all of them and said: “You did it to yourselves.” Well, here we sit again, in our national “sandbox” with people pointing fingers, drawing their lines, refusing to cooperate and throwing words around like so much chaff in the wheat. While the politicians speak from what they see as their “bully pulpits,” the rest of us are watching the stockmarket teeter, our savings being jeopardized, our neighbors, friends and relatives lose their jobs and in some cases their homes.

Each day that they fail to act positively and decisively, they bring us closer to disaster, and not just a financial one. Consider our position as a world leader: What does the rest of the world see when they look to America? A strong, intelligent and compassionate nation or a large group of 12-year-olds vying for their place at the power table regardless of what person or persons they must step on and step over to get to that table.

It’s past time to stop arguing, stop pointing fingers at someone else and look in the mirror to see who should be acting responsibly. At this point, the whole situation is truly embarrassing for everyone: the haves and have nots. We truly can’t afford to watch or listen to more bickering about lines being drawn. The adults need to leave drawing in the sand to the children, accept their responsibility and act on it.