I wish I could have been so skillful to put these feeling in words.   

Senator Cindy O’Laughin’s capitol report this week is better than anything I could have written. I enjoyed reading it and I believe the good Senator has hit the nail on the head. I thought it was worth sharing.

O’Laughlin writes:

We live in a time when many people are afraid and angry; afraid for the future and angry at how we got to this place. Some feel they have the solution to this and generally it encompasses returning to smaller government and more personal responsibility. I would agree that is the goal. The real question that must be answered though, is, “How do we get there?”

How do we chart a course that can be accomplished and even more importantly how do we get others to go with us? Because without them we can’t achieve anything good. 

In my humble opinion our society has become an “instant” results society. Everything we do has picked up speed, largely due to the internet. We no longer contemplate situations and come to some form of decision; we look it up on Google or some other search engine or we instantly engage with others on our ever-present phones or social media.

Serious deliberations have gone by the wayside. Deep thinking and research are rarely employed as people feel they have all the information they need; they just need to access it. This has not served us well.

Regardless of your political leanings there’s a scale of mild to moderate to radical in your camp somewhere. And irresponsible politicians capitalize on this. Playing to people’s fear and anger solves nothing but it gets you attention and “likes” or “clicks” on social media.

Some feel it gets you increased loyalty from the voters. But let’s be clear, it does not provide a solution that can be carried out to benefit the public. It’s nothing more than self-serving promotion meant to get your attention and possibly your vote in the next election.

Real answers require a time commitment and the willingness to consider all views. Research and collaboration are helpful. Today’s world isn’t the result of changes brought about in the last few years, the changes have been happening over 50 years and the issues won’t be solved overnight.

Matt Gaetz is a perfect example of what I’m speaking of.

If you’ve been watching Congress you watched as he and a few Republicans joined with all the Democrats in the House to remove the Speaker of the House. Mind you Republicans hold the slimmest of margins. But once that happened he had not done the work it would require to put together a coalition of like-minded people to install the next Speaker.

So now Congress is tied in a knot and solutions seem elusive. This makes the Republicans in Congress appear inept whether they actually are or not. And all brought on by a very small group of people. That victory may turn out to be a wholesale defeat of the entire Republican caucus and could destroy the slim leadership margin we had. This move was sheer stupidity but some out in the “real world” cheer it as it brings that instant rush of “feel good” retribution. Take that you Rhinos is heard around the world.

But…now what?

We have witnessed this same type of thinking in Missouri. Politicians fueled by narcissistic leanings create chaos thus causing important legislation to go down in flames. Refusing to engage or compromise with their colleagues and claiming the moral “high ground” they become the very barrier to achieving what actually needs done.

But they are able to get on social media and claim they are the only real leaders and if the “others would just cooperate” then victory would be achieved. Resembling 2-year-olds who want what they want and they want it right now!

Chaos is not a strategy.

We are watching it play out in D.C. and we understand it could end in disaster. Real solutions require commitment and hard work to bring others along with you. Nobody can achieve good solutions if unwilling to work with colleagues. 

Chaos is not a strategy real leaders employ. It is a destructive cancer that only adds to further chaos. Let’s promote leaders who take the time to identify the problem, find a solution and use their skill to bring a majority along with them. This is the only way to affect positive change. 

Your comments are important to us.   My email is bruce.sassmann@house.mo.gov or if you want to share your responses with the Senator her email is cindy.o’laughin@senate.mo.gov. Our office phone is 573-751-6668.