Americas leadership system and the wealthy patrons of gridlocked politicians exist within an alternate reality that is no longer tenable. Two parties purport a struggle between irreconcilable ideologies, but in truth, big money controls Washington, DC, lobbyists. Billionaires and pigs at the trough of our tax revenue set the agenda in Washington. While can-do innovation and productivity is evident on Main Street America, refusal to collaborate on national goals paralyzes our capital. Professionalism must replace the adversarial culture of our partisan system. Bad governance is made inevitable by pay-to-play politics, the elephant in the room that streetwise voters must push aside. But voters are confused or polarized. Finding the real story behind surface media reports is unnecessarily difficult today. The critical issues facing our society are ignored or deferred unconscionably by politicians. Lacking insights into this negligence, jeopardy for citizens grows more real day by day. We require understanding.
Citizens must demand two overarching reforms to create a more vibrant, secure America: (1) rational governance through professionalism replacing our divisive partisan system, and (2) reformed mainstream media by FCC edict to provide voters with abundant, intelligent coverage of election issues, unimpeded by advertisers. A sophisticated electorate requires intellectual stimulation. Citizens need a forum for collaborative information activism, where voter understanding is facilitated by digital technology. Social media offers the opportunity to compare insights within a growing citizen community. Objective evidence disseminated over a cutting-edge website can revitalize Americas representative democracy. The power of knowledge in the hands of voters can compel politicians to start working professionally for rational governance and real progress in our capital. There is no time to waste.
Michael P. Fangman, MD, FACP, is a working physician. He is trained in internal medicine, medical oncology, hematology, and is board certified in internal medicine and medical oncology. He is a fellow of the ACP and a member of ASCO from the 80s. He is a veteran who volunteered in the US Public Health Service and the Indian Health Service. He held clinical professorships in medical oncology at the University of California and the University of Colorado. He founded the cancer and blood disease programs in Fort Collins, Colorado, and headed up Cancer Center of the Rockies for decades. For him, work now includes locum tenens coverage at underserved hospitals and clinics, in oncology/hematology as well as hospital medicine / internal medicine. His children, grandchildren, family life, the courage of his patients—their grace under fire—and working to make a difference give him satisfaction.
