Real Solutions for Real Americans

Let me start this post with a question: what has happened to the "can-do" spirit of the American people? It seems that everyone is so hell bent on dissenting, or pointing out flaws in ideas of progress, that we have gotten ourselves into a cycle of thinking that amounts to little more thank spinning our wheels in the mud. I think that we all realize that we're stuck--most rational Americans (so this obviously discludes all supporters and members of the Republican party, who are little more than an angry group of mentally challenged nihilists) understand that our economy, our schools, and our health care system are deeply flawed; yet we are so focused on the potential problems that change presents that we forget that the real problem is the status quo.
Now, obviously, for the sake of our nation's prosperity and survival, this metacognitive trap has to change in order for any real progress to occur, so here is what I propose: we have to start holding each other accountable, and we have to do so by simply not allowing people to dissent to a transformative idea without proposing an alternative solution. Here is how a hypothetical conversation with someone who opposes health care reform should work:
RP (rational person): what we ought to do is have some kind of public option that competes with private insurance in order to keep costs low and ensure competent service.
M (moron): I don't want the government running my health care.
RP: Why? What is wrong with the government insuring people if it means you get better and cheaper coverage?
M: Well Rush Limbaugh says...
RP: Well, clearly you are letting a fat, corpulently rich, drug addict think for you, but fine, if you don't want to have a public option, what do you then propose we do?
M: I don't know...nothing.
RP: To do nothing is innately irrational. The average cost of insurance premiums has gone up by 50% in the last eight years, we continue to have more than 40 million people that have no insurance coverage at all, the health care industry comprises nearly 20% of our GDP, and all forcasts suggest that all of these numbers are going to rise if we do nothing. So if you don't agree with what Obama is proposing, then what do you propose as an alternative?
If the person continues to waffle, then continue to press them for solutions. This will accomplish two things: 1) it will force the person to wrestle with the foolishness of their position, and to perhaps at least dabble with the idea of thinking creatively about change, because you are simply asking for a solution, which is non-partisan and inviting in nature. 2) It underlines the fact that the status quo is untenable, and rather than doing this in a way that leaves the person defensive, it leaves them feeling stupid and unprepared by their respective pundit. Stupid people, most of whom are Republican, like to begin statements about polity by prefacing them with, "I believe..." because this allows them to disassociate themselves with facts and rationality. By essentially asking them what they believe in a solution oriented way, they can neither refuse to answer the question, nor can they really answer it, because their entire political stance is based on believing certain things that they then define themselves with personally. The key is to hammer on the point that doing nothing is not an option. Once they concede this, they have to answer the question, or else concede that they have no standing whatsoever. And who knows: maybe the conversation will produce a thoughtful solution.
Ultimately, it is becoming painfully clear that our Congress is bought and sold, and that reform, especially health care reform, faces huge hurdles in the vast sums of money, media, and resources lined up against it. These are problems that are going to have to be overcome through campaign finance reform, and a concerted effort by voters to oust members of the good old boy network that currently exists in Washington. But until we have a rational, solutions oriented dialogue about the problems that face our country, nothing is going to get done. So please, make every effort to force opponents of reform to offer up solutions if they are going to bitch about change; do not let any email, co-worker, friend, or family member go unchallenged--we need to force everyone to start thinking about solutions, because if we don't, the seemingly docile status quo will eventually bury us.