FAIRMONT PREPARATORY ACADEMY, ANAHEIM, CA
NOVEMBER 2013
A Perspective from
Kayla Bach
We live in a time when politics is a
theatrical production. As we observe the
endless banter of our legislators that
usually leads to more patchwork than
productivity, it is easy to point fingers and
place blame. However, to truly understand
the situation, we must trace action to
motive.
The centerpiece legislation of President
Obama’s first term was the Affordable
Care Act. It was pushed through Congress
thanks to Democrat majorities in both the
House and Senate. Because of this display
of partisanship, the 2010 elections did not
bode well for the Democrats, as they lost
60 seats in the House of Representatives to
the Republicans. Ironically, the seats they
lost because of the ACA are now being
used to attempt to delay certain
components of the law. This may not be
such a bad idea, even for the Democrats.
According to Forbes Magazine on October
6, 2013, “Recent polls show that a majority
of Americans would prefer to delay or
terminate implementation of the
Affordable Care Act.” However, the
Democrats remain unwilling to negotiate. I
had the opportunity to discuss this issue
with Kevin Kennedy, an Aerospace
Engineer for the U.S. Army Aviation and
Missile Command. He poignantly
identified one of our key problems: “It is
very difficult to ask over 500 Senators and
Representatives to agree on anything. That
is why we need a leader.” More
specifically, a leader who listens, considers,
and communicates clearly.
The greatest political problem today is the
lack of an effective leadership figure. To be
blatantly honest, this is not a problem that
can be attributed to one party or the other.
It is an “across-the-board” issue, and it has
never put us in more peril than it does
now. Our government is distant,
distracted, and divided. At a time when
strength is needed, it shows weakness.
From Syria to spending, our government
has acted indecisively and immaturely.
I suggest our government take a lesson
from the Husky Howl Current Events teammy co-writer Michelle and myself. We did
not save the world, but we did manage to
bring you this current events section,
simply by working together. She is a
Democrat, and I am a Republican. Our
points of view may be different, but our
goals are the same: share knowledge,
promote perspective, and effectively
communicate.