Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Thai Fighter Jet Bombs Cambodian Targets as Border Battle Escalates

8 hours ago

California Cannot Require Background Checks to Buy Ammunition, US Appeals Court Rules

10 hours ago

Wrestling Legend Hulk Hogan Dies at 71, TMZ Reports

11 hours ago

TikTok Will Go Dark in US Without Chinese Approval of Sale Deal, Lutnick Says

12 hours ago

Meme Stock Surge Underlines Market Froth, Mostly Centered on Retail Investors

12 hours ago

Fresno County Authorities Still Searching for Missing Mother and Infant

12 hours ago

California Releases Teacher Data. It Shows Big Rise in Hispanic Teachers

12 hours ago

Biting a Bat and 5 Other Wild Moments From Ozzy Osbourne’s Life

13 hours ago

Henry Thompson Did Wonders for Fresno Airport, Leaves ‘Incredibly Big Shoes to Fill’

1 day ago
Bill McEwen: Five Steps to Heal America Under Biden
Bill McEwen updated website photo 2024
By Bill McEwen, News Director
Published 5 years ago on
January 19, 2021

Share

Our nation’s capital looks like a far-away authoritarian land with 25,000 National Guard soldiers and thousands of police officers deployed to keep Joe Biden safe for his presidential inauguration on Wednesday.

Portrait of GV Wire News Director Bill McEwen

Bill McEwen

Opinion

America hasn’t been this divided since the Civil War, and the immediate future is filled with huge challenges that include the COVID-19 pandemic and the recession it birthed.

Thanks to President Trump’s Operation Warp Speed, we now have the vaccines to corral the pandemic and kick-start the economy.

The question is, will Americans regain their political equilibrium and end the hyperpartisanship and extremism dividing our country?

Or, will we take things even further to the extremes, fulfilling the observation of our third president, John Adams, that “there hasn’t yet been a democracy that didn’t die by suicide”?

Here are five difficult steps — among many — we should take to save our republic:

Condemn Violence When You See It

The day after the deadly Capitol riot, a YouGov poll indicated that 21% of Americans and 45% of Republicans said they supported the actions of pro-Trump supporters who overpowered the police and entered the halls of Congress in a failed attempt to block certification of Biden’s victory.

Violence must not be a substitute for democracy. It doesn’t matter if the violence is at a Stop the Steal protest or a Black Lives Matter demonstration. Unfortunately, there are people who excuse or try to explain away the burning of buildings, the looting of stores, and the armed storming of state and U.S. capitol buildings.

To heal, we must denounce all violence and hold accountable the people who participate in it, as well as leaders who defend it.

Will we take things even further to the extremes, fulfilling the observation of our third president, John Adams, that “there hasn’t yet been a democracy that didn’t die by suicide”?

End the Pandemic ASAP

More than 400,000 Americans have died and many others face compromised health for the rest of their lives after contracting COVID-19.

Social isolationism has stressed us all and, despite the stimulus checks and loan programs, many Americans have lost their jobs or businesses. Food insecurity is rampant.

Yes, Trump could have done a much better job. But that is yesterday’s news. Our concern should be about what’s ahead.

It’s incumbent that Congress pass Biden’s $1.9 trillion plan to administer 100 million COVID-19 vaccines in 100 days and provide $1,400 checks to Americans to stimulate the economy.

Members of Congress have a duty to debate the details and challenge anything they find fuzzy or out of line.

But the quicker we put the pandemic behind us, the quicker we can heal — physically and emotionally.

Coronavirus vaccines are prepared for drive-thru serving residents 65 and older in northeast Fresno on Jan. 14, 2021. (GV Wire/Jahz Tello)

Reject Extremism and Partisanship

Two years ago, political scientists Nathan P. Kalmoe of Louisiana State and Lilliana Mason of the University of Maryland published a paper titled “Lethal Mass Partisanship.”

Their findings revealed that among Democrats and Republicans about 42% of people view the opposing party as “downright evil.”

Scarier still were responses to this question: “Do you ever think: ‘we’d be better off as a country if large numbers of the opposing party in the public today just died’?”

About 20% of Democrats said that they did think that; 16% of Republicans agreed.

The professors, at that time, also looked ahead to the 2020 presidential election.

About 18% of Democrats said that “violence would be justified” if their candidate lost; nearly 14% of Republicans agreed.

During World War II and through the early 1990s, we saw many members of Congress dedicate themselves to doing the people’s business — not merely advancing party goals. Since then, Republicans and Democrats have moved farther to the right and left, respectively. As a result, they work against each other instead of with each other.

The solution: abandon party-line voting and base your vote on the character of the candidates and the quality of their ideas. End the purity tests and support lawmakers who focus on solutions instead of demonizing opponents. Expand your boundaries and interact with people who are different than you.

Admittedly, none of this is easy. In our yearning for simple answers to complicated challenges, we often split into “us vs. them” tribes. Some scientists say our brains are hard-wired that way.

About 18% of Democrats said that “violence would be justified” if their candidate lost the 2020 presidential election; nearly 14% of Republicans agreed.

Demand Immigration Reform

The truth is, both parties raise tons of money and win elections by maintaining the status quo on immigration. Thus neither Republicans nor Democrats are motivated to settle their differences and move forward with sound policies that lift up people and the economy.

The American economy needs immigrants. Our birth rate is so low that it’s a ticking time bomb for our financial well-being. Certainly, we should make it less expensive for young couples to have babies while establishing their careers. One way to do that is by government investment in childcare. But we also need immigrants who will do the jobs Americans are reluctant to perform. We need the specialized skills and entrepreneurial spirit that immigrants bring, too.

Immigration is fairly easy to fix. Here are the basics. Start with the tight borders that nearly all Americans want. Then Congress provides the funding to fully vet anyone coming into this country legally and to nab those entering illegally. Provide a path to citizenship for those who have been here illegally for a decade or more but haven’t committed serious crimes.

The challenge here is purely political. Solving the problem eliminates a hot-button issue both parties capitalize on.

Elect Leaders at All Levels Who Support Smart Police Reform

The bad cops and the well-intentioned cops who simply don’t have the chops for one of society’s most important jobs must be weeded out.

The “defund the police” mantra from the left after the killing of George Floyd and other Blacks is an example of emotion sabotaging the clear-headed thinking needed to improve things.

So must the politicians who fail to recognize — or don’t care — that people of color are disproportionately killed, injured, and arrested by police.

But any solutions must be grounded in the reality that police work is dangerous. There are many bad actors who don’t think twice about shooting officers in a nation where it’s ridiculously easy to get guns.

The “defund the police” mantra from the left after the killing of George Floyd and other Blacks is an example of emotion sabotaging the clear-headed thinking needed to improve things.

Doing police work right is expensive. And, given the recent scapegoating of police officers, it’s going to be difficult to recruit people with the emotional intelligence and passion for public service to do the job right.

Let’s end racial profiling and unjustified shootings without further endangering the lives of those entrusted with keeping the peace.

[activecampaign form=19]

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

The Entz Era Begins at Fresno State With QB Job Up for Grabs

DON'T MISS

Hoover High School Coach Arrested on Child Pornography Charges

DON'T MISS

Hulk Hogan Is Gone, but Hulkamania Rolls On in Fresno and Around the Globe

DON'T MISS

Fresno Brewery Teams With Japanese Sister City on Rice Lager Release

DON'T MISS

US Justice Department Official Meets Epstein Associate Maxwell

DON'T MISS

Clovis Police Arrest Two in Mail Theft During Organized Retail Crime Detail

DON'T MISS

California Political Lobbying Firm Agrees to Settle Federal Fraud Allegations

DON'T MISS

Lara Trump Skips North Carolina US Senate Race, Clears Way for Cooper Versus Whatley

DON'T MISS

Madera County Authorities Dismantle Illegal Marijuana Grow Operation

DON'T MISS

Israel and US Recall Teams From Gaza Truce Talks, US Says Hamas Not Showing Good Faith

UP NEXT

A Pro-Trump Community Reckons With Losing a Beloved Immigrant Neighbor

UP NEXT

Why American Jews No Longer Understand One Another

UP NEXT

Masked Raids and Impersonators Driving Force Behind Terror Campaign Across Nation

UP NEXT

I’m Not Leaving Measure C and COG Can’t Make Me: Brooke Ashjian

UP NEXT

I’m a Genocide Scholar. I Know It When I See It.

UP NEXT

California Is Finally Adopting Phonics, Fulfilling a Grandmother’s Dream

UP NEXT

New CA Budget Papers Over $20 Billion Deficit, Ignores Day of Reckoning

UP NEXT

Trump Is Winning the Race to the Bottom

UP NEXT

Why California Ag Is at Odds Over Converting Land to Solar Farms

UP NEXT

Federal Immigration Crackdown Threatens California’s Historic Housing Reforms

Bill McEwen,
News Director
Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email

Fresno Brewery Teams With Japanese Sister City on Rice Lager Release

5 hours ago

US Justice Department Official Meets Epstein Associate Maxwell

5 hours ago

Clovis Police Arrest Two in Mail Theft During Organized Retail Crime Detail

6 hours ago

California Political Lobbying Firm Agrees to Settle Federal Fraud Allegations

6 hours ago

Lara Trump Skips North Carolina US Senate Race, Clears Way for Cooper Versus Whatley

6 hours ago

Madera County Authorities Dismantle Illegal Marijuana Grow Operation

6 hours ago

Israel and US Recall Teams From Gaza Truce Talks, US Says Hamas Not Showing Good Faith

7 hours ago

How Long Will Fresno’s Resort-Like Summer Weather Continue?

7 hours ago

Tulare County Judge Reduces Sentence for Teen Convicted in Killing Orosi Teacher

8 hours ago

Thai Fighter Jet Bombs Cambodian Targets as Border Battle Escalates

8 hours ago

The Entz Era Begins at Fresno State With QB Job Up for Grabs

Fresno State’s first football practice of 2025 began with a flyover. While the military jet’s path may have been coincidental, t...

3 hours ago

3 hours ago

The Entz Era Begins at Fresno State With QB Job Up for Grabs

Miguel Lara, a Hoover High School soccer coach, was arrested Thursday for possessing child sexual abuse material, authorities said.
3 hours ago

Hoover High School Coach Arrested on Child Pornography Charges

3 hours ago

Hulk Hogan Is Gone, but Hulkamania Rolls On in Fresno and Around the Globe

5 hours ago

Fresno Brewery Teams With Japanese Sister City on Rice Lager Release

Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell stands at the podium to address Judge Alison Nathan during her sentencing in a courtroom sketch in New York City, U.S. June 28, 2022. (Reuters File)
5 hours ago

US Justice Department Official Meets Epstein Associate Maxwell

6 hours ago

Clovis Police Arrest Two in Mail Theft During Organized Retail Crime Detail

6 hours ago

California Political Lobbying Firm Agrees to Settle Federal Fraud Allegations

Lara Trump, daughter-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, looks on, before President Trump signs the "Genius Act", which will develop regulatory framework for stablecoin cryptocurrencies and expand oversight of the industry, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 18, 2025. (Reuters File)
6 hours ago

Lara Trump Skips North Carolina US Senate Race, Clears Way for Cooper Versus Whatley

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend