Walking through the newer, more beautiful side of our campus, past Baird Point and Lake LaSalle, past the South Lake Apartments and down Saint Ritas Lane, I came to a place where the road was blocked off. Just past the barriers, a bridge goes over the scenic, meandering Ellicott Creek.
However much I'd like to say that I made this one-mile walk from NSC to the creek on my own accord, that wouldn't be true; the trek was for a geology lab activity to test the water of the creek.
When our class reached the testing area past the Oozfest courts, I observed a park-like haven, full of ducks, cattails, little fish and joggers using the adjacent path. For once I could hear the fall leaves rustling in the wind. The water was shallow enough to wade in, each step scattering the na??ve fish.
With each test I entered the water with waders up to my hips, I could see the blocked off bridge that was only usable for pedestrians. I realize now why the bridge is blocked off: it is probably unusable for cars. The decomposing support pillars should have been my first clue.
This bridge, while it may not cause any great inconvenience to the locals, fits into a much broader schematic of domestic shortcomings around the US. The government seems to be forgetting that our tax dollars are meant to support our country, to give our country the infrastructure that it needs, to make our country what it's supposed to be; the place where the streets are paved with gold.
Instead, it seems that the streets in this great nation matter less and less in favor of the global cause of democracy. "My son has spent the last 18 months bringing democracy to a shithole" (In the Valley of Elah).
With almost $460 billion spent in Iraq, what could have been done in this country to make life better for everyone? And the answer is simple: everything could have been done with an astronomical amount of money like that. From education to health care, the people of this country would have felt the change.
In place of the optimistic feedback I speak of, Americans are witnessing the fall of their country. American hegemonic power has ended. Two millennia from now, someone will write a book called The Fall of America, in which George W. Bush will be liable for the collapse of the US, and September 11, 2001 will be when the decline began.
But this doesn't have to be so - the beauty of democracy is that it can adapt to situations of dire need; it can be reformed. The bridge can be fixed.
To error on the extreme side, it's amazing to think that our streets could be paved with gold, or even platinum with $460 billion. But keeping my feet firmly on the ground, I'd love to be able to drive from my house to Wegmans without swerving to avoid a pothole.
I don't care whether you think the war in Iraq was justified or unjustified, moral or immoral. Our country is beyond the point of political dispute; we have suffered, we suffer and we will continue to suffer unless we come together in compromise now.
Those of you who can't see that a fundamental problem exists within our borders are just as blind as most of our leaders. Yes, the grass will still grow, streetlights will still glow and streams will still flow. The system half works, but we shouldn't strive for mediocrity.
The fact is that my bridge won't be fixed for a long time. Next semester, a geology class will go back to the same area to do the same lab and at least one student will see what I saw. They will wonder where this country is headed - we need to save ourselves before we try to save the world.
The objective should be to reach the best of all possible societies for Americans. When and only when that is achieved, then our country will be the house on the hill that the world looks to for idealism.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
