The world is dealing with a series of crises that demand action from leaders in the U.S. The Ebola virus — if left unchecked — could infect nearly half of a million people by January, threats of large-scale war loom large in the Middle East, Russia continues to be a hornet’s nest for Ukraine, and the big elephant in the room — climate change — continues to threaten the future stability of the entire globe.
One would expect so-called leaders to act to ensure the world could tackle these crises before they grow out of hand, as each of them presents a dangerous scenario that has the potential to destabilize countries, regions and much of the world.
However, amid all these raging crises, Congress has worked a grand total of eight days since late July.
After taking a lengthy recess in August, Congress returned to work for almost a week before adjourning once again to focus on the upcoming election.
Why would the legislative body of the world’s most powerful country take another break with crisis after crisis piling up?
It’s simple: They must protect the jobs they fail to take seriously by returning to their districts to prepare for the upcoming election.
While Congress has been asleep at the wheel, President Barack Obama has taken action on Ebola and worked with other world leaders to combat the threat of the Islamic State. He also plans to take on the issue of climate change when he attends a U.N. summit this week.
Regardless of your political party or ideology, one thing is clear: For the future of our country and the world, we must elect true leadership in November. We can no longer afford to let our leaders dawdle and play silly political games. They must be willing to work together, reach a compromise and act on the issues that require action.
Ironically enough, Congress did seem to agree on one issue recently. Unfortunately, the agreement was reached on the prospect of going to war.
There’s no question the Islamic State — ISIS — threatens the very fragile Middle East. The terrorist organization has claimed a significant foothold in both Syria and Iraq, and the Sunni-led group is very close to the Iraqi border with Shia-led Iran. The possibility of a catastrophic regional war is very real, and our political leaders acted accordingly.
Obama recently outlined some executive action he will take to help abate the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. These actions will hopefully help allay fears that if left unchecked, Ebola could threaten any remaining political and economic stability in West Africa. As the virus continues to mutate, the possibility that Ebola could go airborne — like the flu — remains a real and terrifying risk. If the world’s most powerful country does next to nothing, the threat of one of the world’s deadliest diseases creates a pandemic.
Studies are indicating that this summer was the hottest in history, once again demonstrating that climate change is no longer a political debate. It’s quite possibly our damnation. However, we see little — if any — action in Congress, and there’s only so much power that can be exerted by the executive branch. An estimated 310,000 people marched in New York City demanding action on climate change, but what do we hear from Congress? Silence.
Politicians on both sides constantly argue, debate and remain deadlocked on major issues like immigration, student loan reform, the NFL’s tax-exempt status and a whole host of other problems.
Unfortunately, the time for action is well overdue. If our current crop of so-called leaders refuses to act on the pressing issues of our time, we have an obligation as citizens of our great nation to fire those in charge and replace them with new leadership.
If your governor, member of Congress, state representative or local dogcatcher is more apt to play politics and act as a contrarian rather than negotiate, compromise and work with the other side, here’s some advice: Fire that elected official. Send them to the unemployment lines, and support someone who actually cares about your community, state, country and, ultimately, the world.
The crises facing humanity right now are not the types that can or will be solved overnight but demand real leadership from the world’s most powerful country. Let’s do our duty as citizens and find them.
Joel Mendelson is a UF graduate student in political campaigning. His columns appear on Wednesdays.
[A version of this story ran on page 7 on 9/24/2014]
