From Washington, D.C., to the Louisiana State Capitol and the Metro Council chambers, politics has become toxic, Business Report Publisher Rolfe McCollister says in his latest column.
“Rantings and ravings. Partisanship is rampant. Race is injected. There is violence in the streets. Tweeting at midnight. Civility has been lost,” McCollister writes. “Many don’t even want to speak to one another. In fact, I have heard of two elected officials who would not even shake the hand of a former friend. It’s bad. Really bad.”
McCollister notes that black elected officials walked out of the Louisiana House of Representatives last month in protest, and that was just a couple weeks after black members walked out of the Metro Council meeting, halting business.
“Feelings are running deep,” he writes. “In the nation’s capital, Democrats and Republicans eviscerate one another in the press and on the House floor. There are violent protesters in the street from both sides.”
It’s a very sad situation, McCollister says, noting many contend it is the worst they have seen in American politics.
“One wonders where it is headed and whether our ‘leaders’ will find a way to turn it around, work together respectfully and get things done for the citizens they represent,” he writes. “On the other hand, it may be our elected officials are simply reflecting the attitudes and anger of their constituents—and that is a bigger problem to solve than politics.”
Read the full column, in which McCollister also touches on free speech on our higher education campuses, and how robots and artificial intelligence are impacting our lives and economy. Send your comments to editors@businessreport.com.
