Voice of the People: All nations have a breaking point with government – Kankakee Daily Journal

Recently there seems to be a great deal of rhetoric about how politically diverse our nation has become. Yet, a study of our history, both prior to and many decades after our becoming a nation, indicates that divisiveness is the expected, rather than the exception.

It seems as if every nation contains an element of disagreement. Even the smallest of communities has its "ins" and its "outs." Human behavior throughout the world indicates a need to gravitate to those who are like-minded, whether it be political, religious, ethnicity, or racial, and differences become accentuated.

While divisiveness can many times be a problem, there are occasions in which it can be helpful. The biggest problem is how extreme or physical those divisions are carried out. Strong vocal opinions should be able to be expressed in a somewhat tactful manner without the threat of court action. We are not a democratic nation if opinions are muted for fear of reprisal.

More than a few of our founding fathers did not want to break off the colonies' relationship with England. However, an arrogant and misguided English government foisted its problems onto the colonies in a manner which necessitated the colonies to gradually resort to physical steps to assure their not being taxed to the point of being slaves.

In my opinion, our current Congress is on its way to driving the citizenry to the point of feeling like the colonists of yore. Heavy taxation and nonsensical rules, laws and mandates can eventually precipitate divisiveness. Sometimes that divisiveness becomes physical. Leaders need to be careful what they sow.

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Voice of the People: All nations have a breaking point with government - Kankakee Daily Journal

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