According to the most recent Rasmussen Poll nearly 70 percent of all likely voters believe the country is heading in the wrong direction.
As alarming as that statistic is, it is not the first time our nation has felt that we were headed in the wrong direction. In fact, the father of our country, George Washington, at one time also felt very disappointed in the direction of our newly formed nation and was not afraid to state it:
"Virtue, I fear, has, in a great degree, taken its departure from our land."
This week airing on most of our stations is my conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Edward Larson about his book The Return of George Washington.
The focus is on the role Washington played from the period between the Revolution and the forming of our Constitution.
The wisdom of Washington was that he knew to set things right we had to come together to fulfill the goals set forth in our Declaration of Independence.
"We exhibit at present the novel & astonishing Spectacle of a whole People deliberating calmly on what form of government will be most conducive to their happiness..."
Just imagine what we can accomplish if we heed his advice and begin"deliberating calmly" rather than the constant political bickering that currently dominates our government, our media, and then seeps into our own consciousness which explains those dismal polling numbers.
There may never be another Washington, but there certainly still is a whole People (us) that has the ability to pull together and create what is most conducive to our happiness.
If not, we will be heeding another warning of Washington:
"Something must be done, or we shall disappoint not only America, but the whole world."
Let's not disappoint. We have it in us; we just need to let it out.
Enjoy the show, the week, and look forward to continuing this great American experiment,
Barry