Many people were disappointed last week when William Barr’s four page summary of the Mueller report was made public. The theory that there was Russian collusion during the 2016 election has been around since before the election of President Donald Trump. The Mueller report summary seems to indicate that President Trump and his campaign organizers did not conspire with the Russian government during the 2016 election. This was a shocking blow to many members of the Democratic party, who were hoping that this report would prove that the President participated in some sort of collusion with the Russians. Such a revelation would be a quick way to get President Trump impeached. The Republicans, on the other hand, were glad that the whole scandal was “over with.” Now that the summary has been made public, it seems that the media is clinging to the story, attempting to claim that there must still be more to be told and causing Republicans to just turn off their TVs.
This is a great example of a recurring trend in America. It seems that more and more people are looking for a quick solution to problems: those that require the minimum amount of time and the least amount of effort. This can be seen with the rising obesity epidemic in our country. People seem to think that their problems will be solved by a fitness plan that doesn’t require any actual commitment, or by a surgery that taxpayers will pay for. Instead of evaluating their lives and recognizing the complex health problems they are facing, there are morbidly obese citizens who choose not to grapple with complexity and ignore long term solutions. More and more do we see ads that promise quick results or instant solutions to problems. All you have to do is provide your credit number and they will send you a quick fix via Amazon; you can keep still in front of your screen while you wait!
Politicians have always promised the people happiness pills. This is shown both by Trump and by Elizabeth Warren. Warren is proposing that reparations will make up for the centuries-old legacy of slavery. The President, on the other hand, has promised a border wall as the solution to all of our immigration woes. Even economists, who are supposed to be objective, are transfixed with one number: the Gross Domestic Product percentage. They see any growth of the GDP as the most important talking point, even though it may have little to do with an increase in living quality for the average American. For too many pundits, “growth” is the golden fleece, whereas what we really need is sturdy wool.
There is no happiness pill, but that does not mean there is not an optimistic future to look forward to. We just can’t do it with with a spoonful of sugar. We have to take real medicine sometimes.