Responsible Citizenship and the 2026 Midterm Elections

The mid-term elections are upon us; many are hopeful for change. I'm not given to pessimism, but I'm not sure how much difference they will make.

These days, voting feels more like an exercise in tribal affiliation than a pursuit of meaningful change. Candidates on both sides spout platitudes and vitriol, but no one addresses the real issues.

This isn’t a political blog; broaching that subject always raises hackles. But aren’t you getting tired of voting against someone rather than for someone?

Maybe things will get bad enough that the electorate one day will support a new kind of leadership.

I’m afraid that’s what it will take.

Politicians always focus on power and incumbency. To believe otherwise is naive. But we are neglecting our nation's fundamental problems. Young people are becoming disillusioned. The system feels broken.

We’ve been here before. In the aftermath of the First World War, W.B. Yeats penned these well-known lines in a poem titled The Second Coming.

Turning and turning in the widening gyre

The falcon cannot hear the falconer;

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,

The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere

The ceremony of innocence is drowned;

The best lack all conviction, while the worst

Are full of passionate intensity.

This post is about a dream that's admittedly niave. A dream that one day we will move beyond divisive political warfare and begin addressing our country’s pressing issues.

Prioritizing those issues is a first step toward acting responsibly in these divisive times.

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The Pressing Needs of America

New Leadership

Americans’ trust in government is in a freefall, and for good reason. Elected officials on both sides of the aisle lie to the public and bend to any position that keeps them in power. AI puts a turbocharger on their deceit.

Three essential characteristics are needed from a new class of leaders:

1. Personal Character- Displaying high ethical standards in all public and private actions

2. Transparency- Frequent direct and honest communication without self-serving spin

3. Vision- Setting a clear direction for our country’s future

People with these characteristics exist. We need to find them and elect them!

From there, we need broadscale resolve to address our pressing issues;

Our Nation's Pressing Issues

There are many issues I might have chosen, I settled on four structural weaknesses that if not addressed will fundamentally weaken the country.

1. Putting Our Financial House in Order

Government Debt is building at an unsustainable rate. Interest payments for the 2026 fiscal year will exceed spending on health and national defense. The high cost of debt impairs our ability to address the nation’s pressing needs. Reducing our debt burden will take a generation. That process needs to begin now if our nation is to remain strong.

2. Universal Access To Basic Medical Care

Have you been to a hospital emergency room lately? I have, on several occasions with our disabled son. Hospital emergency rooms can’t legally turn people away. As a result, they are overcrowded with desperate people waiting hours to be seen by overwhelmed medical staff.

Things will get worse as our population ages. The system is broken. Half the people in the country lack the financial resources to cover an unexpected $600 expense. Medical insurance deductables for a family can easily be ten times that. Those without insurance resort to the ER.

The United States has the most expensive medical care in the world, yet it delivers mediocre outcomes compared with other developed nations. Comprehensive reforms are needed across the board, including medical liability laws, unproductive regulations, overly restrictive college admissions standards, outdated medical licensing laws, and a broken insurance driven marketplace.

3. Comprehensive Education Reform

Our schools are deteriorating. Educational outcomes are declining vis-à-vis other advanced nations. Teachers spend too much time on classroom discipline instead of learning. The value proposition of a college degree is in question. Traditional approaches are failing us. New approaches like the SpaceX charter schools (Ad Astra) show that a new way is possible. New leadership is required.

4. Bolstering the Middle Class

Income inequality is at its highest level in a hundred years. Young people increasingly believe the American dream is no longer attainable. This might be the hardest issue to address as it results from many root causes. Failures rest on both the private and public sectors. There are no simple answers. Multidisciplinary reform in education, tax policy, business investment, hiring, and compensation practices will be required.

When a person working at the automobile factory can’t afford a new car, and the pursuit of an advanced education requires a mortgage-sized loan, something is wrong.

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These issues are beyond the powers of either political party to solve alone. It will take strong reslove and collective action over a number of political cycles to advance meaningful changes.

The often-cited quote attributed to Winston Churchill applies:

“Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing, after they have exhausted all other possibilities.”

Friends, this country needs to “get behind the mule and plow.”

I'll close with a quote from one of the great poets of our age:

“They say the darkest hour is right before the dawn.”

I hope that's true!

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