I do not have too many breaks during the day. But when I do, I try to keep myself informed of current events. Maybe it's not the best way to relax my mind while I draft a post-conviction brief, since, more often than not, I just want to get back to work. It seems the news has been the same for awhile now. Congress is dysfunctional and compromise is a thing of the past.
Social media is not much better. My conservative friends express disdain over how the President is handling things, and my liberal friends express their frustration with the majority opposition in the House of Representatives. We are deeply divided. That much has been represented by our elected officials when they accomplish little in our capital.
All of this partisanship rancor has got me thinking: how did we get here and how do we get out of it.
Believe it or not, there is strong evidence that income inequality has a direct correlation with political polarization. When there is a growing gap between the rich and poor, you can bet that there will be more ideological purists on capital hill. This bitter partisanship also undermines our national security; we have to try to do something about it.
Even with confronted with this evidence, I know that people of different political beliefs will interpret the facts differently and propose clashing policies in confronting our fiscal challenges.
Take for example, the financial news of the past week. One of our stock market indices, the Dow, reached its highest nominal amount ever in its history.
The employment numbers have also been improving. 236,000 jobs were added in February, which helped lower the unemployment rate to its lowest level since December 2008. The United States is creating wealth, but not everyone is sharing in the bliss. All of the positive gains in the economy are going to the wealthiest individuals.
Conservatives will still argue that the Government is too bloated and there needs to be "market-friendly" adjustments in the budget battles ahead. They will take the viewpoint that government dependency, via the national debt, is the main problem in decreasing the opportunities for low and middle-income people. It would be foolish to raise taxes again so that we can spend more, they will say.
I also know that liberals, and myself, will diametrically oppose these propositions. There can still be more government intervention in a responsible way to curb income inequality. For one, we could raise taxes on the wealthiest individuals and businesses because they can afford it. There are a number of fiscal policies that can be implemented to help everyone, rich and poor.
And now we are back at square one, two political viewpoints, which cannot be bridged.
The political scientists and sociologists may be right. Perhaps we are too different in how we perceive the world and how we think society should be structured. Some psychologists think that our political differences are ingrained in our brains, while others think that the beliefs are formed when our parents raise us in a particular way. It probably is a combination of the two.
No matter the foundation for how we form our beliefs, it does not help that we seek validation from people who share our beliefs, while drowning out opposing viewpoints. A University of Kentucky study showed that people will (1) tend to make a political judgment first, and then attempt to rationalize it. (2) Next, they will search for facts that will support that judgment; and (3) attack anyone's rationale if it challenges their assumptions.
The study stated that both conservatives and liberals engage in these unconscious biases.
Our country faces unprecedented political deadlock that will hurt our economy and our national defense. Income inequality is a real problem and it could be fueling the partisan divide.
Let's do something different when it comes to political dialogue. Let's reach out with less preconceived notions. Maybe our elected officials will do the same and solve our fiscal challenges ahead.
It's time to get back to work; I hope that the next time I read the news something will be different. Maybe compromise will be the way of the future.
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