A Fresh Look

I love a little context now and then. I have spent a weekend in Montana. Now with a little down time in the airport I have had the opportunity to catch up on the weekend's news. Too bad for me.

We should get out of Washington more often. This is a bit of a revelation for me because I do not live anywhere near Washington, D.C. or state. However, I seem to hang on every word that comes out of our nation's capital. The campaign, the vitriol coming from each side but particularly from the right, the recent Supreme Court decision regarding the Health Care Bill and all the other noise that we think is so important. Of course it is important, but when did it become all that really mattered? If you believe everything you read and watch you would think that America was on the brink of failure and if you listened to Rance Priebus, the leader of the Republican Party you would think exactly that because that is what he said. But nothing could be further from the truth.

As the week that includes our Nation's Birthday comes to a close, I can tell you that America is bustling away from the big cities. People filled our National Parks. There were crowds everywhere as much as a National Park like Yellowstone could have crowds. There were people from all over the country and many from far off lands visiting the United States. People dressed in native clothing. Many spoke the universal language of a smile. I sometimes wish I would hear about our elected representatives visiting these parks themselves with their friends and families and maybe their perspectives would change too. It might do them some good to see things out there that are bigger than themselves.

Kids are finding jobs. I visited with young people this weekend who were not yet ready for professional positions but they were all able to find jobs that kept a few dollars in their pockets' enough for a good time and to realize how lucky they are to be able to get an education and to work at the same time. Some were even considering second jobs or public volunteer service to fill their time. They are getting good educations and many have or are considering masters' degrees. Planes are full and long haul trucks are carrying goods across the country on our nation's highways and interstates. People were buying things and the restaurants and bars were full.

I know that there are people out there who are struggling. I saw a few of them too on the side of the road asking for money or a ride. There are many more out there whose struggle for employment is far less visible. We should never lose sight of those who are less fortunate and do what is necessary to help. I also read this weekend that in North Dakota the unemployment rate is at 1%. They have 3,000 job openings there.

If you listen to Mitt Romney you would think that the sky is falling which is kind of ironic considering I am in Big Sky country. What else can he say? He is running for President. Maybe it is his lack of a real plan which shows that there would not be much more he could do as president if he were elected. Representative Allen West from Florida this weekend call Social Security a modern form of slavery. Funny how he does not mind getting his paycheck from the government. George Will called global warming "summer," choosing to ignore that 20 of the last 30 years have been the warmest on record. But none of these guys ever made a buck saying how good things really are.

If you yourself have any doubt and cannot get away for a day or two to somewhere you have not been before, take a walk, go for a bike ride. Take a friend to dinner. People watch and lose yourself in what is good about your surroundings. Turn on the TV and it is easy to find what's wrong. It takes a little more to find the good, but it is out there.