Our nation has once again entered a period of mourning following a mass shooting, an unfortunate reality that has become fairly routine in the United States every few months.
The President has called for a greater emphasis on “mental health” in the aftermath of the shooting, which is likely a part of the solution to this unfortunate problem.
Sadly, his administration’s actions reflect otherwise. He signed a bill last year rescinding an Obama-era policy requiring mental health checks prior to gun purchases. And, Trump’s 2018 budget significantly cuts federal funding for mental health programs.
It seems, then, that change in the form of mental health or gun control (even at the most basic levels — increased screening prior to firearms purchases) legislation is unlikely, though I hope my prediction is wrong.
But, more broadly, a failure to act following this tragedy is reflective of the moral paralysis affecting our nation’s leaders in recent years. This applies to no single issue and no single party; at times, Republicans are guilty and at others the Democrats.
I do not doubt many lawmakers on both sides of the aisle genuinely have the intention of wanting to do what’s best to help those in need in the ways they can both at home and abroad.
The polarization has become suffocating.
Nothing has yet been done in the aftermath of this shooting, nor the numerous ones prior to it. Republicans, controlling both Congress and the White House, have complete control, but because of an unwillingness to deviate at all from the party line of “no gun control,” nothing gets done. As a result, children and other innocents continue to unnecessarily die.
Maybe increased background checks and restricting the supply of guns will be a fruitless change in our society’s laws. But, doing nothing leaves us responsible for the failure to act, to make a change on a problem we see exists on a regular basis — premeditated mass shootings.
Similarly, after the events of Charlottesville in August, many Republicans were hesitant to condemn the President’s equivocation of white supremacist groups. Even though many privately felt disturbed by the remarks, out of duty to their party, they refused to speak out. Shame on them.
But, Democrats are not free of blame either.
An unwillingness to negotiate and compromise over immigration leaves DREAMers in limbo, although the White House has agreed to legalize 1.8 million in exchange for changes to the immigration system hopefully reducing future issues with illegal immigration in this country. Desires to pass a ‘clean DREAM Act’ fail to acknowledge that we need a long-term solution to our country’s immigration issues. After decades of inaction, we cannot continue to push off this problem.
President Obama’s refusal to enforce his own “red line” in Syria has led to the continued use of chemical weapons in Syria. The current administration has previously attempted to deter future attacks and has promised further action if their use continues in the coming weeks, but we will have to see how it decides to respond.
I could continue to list example after example of both parties refusing to compromise (or even negotiate) in recent years and the damage this has caused. Clearly, both parties have failed to come to the table with the desire to solve problems rather than pleasing their bases.
If we begin to pressure our elected officials (on both sides of the aisle) to come to some solution on these problems rather than stubbornly remaining at the extremes of our positions, our country and our world will continue to stagnate. The victims in Florida, the DREAMers, and others will continue to be hurt by government inaction.
Let our voices be heard. But, stop trying to get the most politically pure result from our leaders. Instead, let’s push them to get something done.