A Letter to the Residents of the North and South Pole

I know many of you are sick of political talk, and I understand, so here is your warning - political speak ahead - leave now or forever hold your peace. You might also heed before you read on, that if you are extreme in your political views either left or right, I am about to reprimand you (so perhaps it is best that you do not continue reading if you have thin skin).

First, to the liberals out on the far left saying we have come to a new dawn of liberal awakening in this country: Stop. Please just stop and think before you go on anymore. While there is certainly a shift to the left - this is hardly a mandate to impose a liberal agenda on the American people. Let’s be grateful for this shift in our direction, yes, but mandate? Really? Remember where we were just 2 years ago on these issues? You can’t all have amnesia, seems more like a case of selective memory to me. If anything, there has a been a mandate to move to the center and be reasonable, responsible human beings. Can you say Tea Party? You know, the massive movement that assumed a mandate 2 years ago? I know it might be hard to remember since they were rarely mentioned, if at all, in this election cycle; but there is a lesson in their being left out of the conversation. They assumed more support than what they really had, let’s not repeat their history by overstating a 3 point margin on the national vote. Speaking of The Right, as for you, my fellow Americans - holding onto the house is also NOT a mandate by the American people to be uncooperative. Holding onto the position of no new taxes as though taxes are the only problem plaguing America is tantamount to delusional thinking. No new taxes? Ever? Really? Come on.

My plea to my friends, family, acquaintances, and people I don’t even know who reside in the figurative poles of the political spectrum is this: Move! It’s cold and lonely in both the North and South Pole, and might I add you can get little done in the name of even the best of causes from either place. Communications are unstable in these barren and cold destinations. When seen from this light, it does however make sense that you resort to shouting in order to be heard - the simplicity of the enormous distance between you dictates that you must. But, I would advise, there is a better way. Sure you can keep your igloo there in the poles where you live; but you may want to consider getting a second home somewhere closer to the equator, if you truly believe in your cause the way your fervor indicates.

Real progress is made in the small steps we take toward each other each day, each moment. There are so many things we can agree on when we go to the equator. First, the weather is nicer there, I think we can all agree on that (or are we that far gone?). Second, it's a scientific fact that people are happier when they have a little sun shining down on them. Think about that person you love who resides in the pole opposite of yours, when you strip away their differentness and see them there standing in the light of day - don’t you still love them? Aren’t they still human? Is it possible that some of what they are saying has some merit? Where can you meet them? Maybe the 45th parallel is as far as you can go - but understand, that leaves your loved one traveling a much farther distance to see you, and hence decreases the chances of them doing so.

Let me be clear, moving to the middle does not entail handing the other side a list so they can move closer to you. You must review the issues most important to you and prioritize them. Perhaps there are some you are unwilling to budge on, and that is okay, like I said, keep your igloo if you want, and maybe just take a vacation at the equator for a bit. Move down your list of priorities to number three and four and five and six - can you budge there? And if not, if it must be all or nothing for you, if you like living in the arctic, remember this - people vacation in The Bahamas for a reason.

How can we expect our politicians to move toward one another if the people who elected them are permanently located in the North and South poles? We are the real leaders - not the people we elect. Aren’t we their bosses? Don’t we elect them to follow us? And isn’t the best way to lead by example? They are called representatives because they represent the makeup of this country. If you feel like the politicians are sick, you cannot and must not remove yourself from that diagnosis, what symptoms might you be causing? One of the few things universally agreed upon is that we are all tired of the bickering, and yet we do nothing but complain from our igloos, criticizing those who believe different from us for not coming to visit our pole.

As I watch the news about the impending financial cliff, I am cautiously optimistic when I see two sides reaching their hands out toward one another to solve a problem that could hurt us all equally. My real concern lies in our reaction to their willingness to compromise. Will we reward them for their efforts? Or will we the people continue our unhealthy, bipolar, and often delusional swings from one opinion to the other? Let us all pray for our leaders to take it upon themselves to visit in the warmth of the equator for these upcoming discussions, our sanity just may depend on it.