Oct 24, 2020 3 min read

Washington County Treasurer Tom Flickinger’s Oct. 8 column, “A fork in the road,” caught my eye. It emphasized the enormity of the decision facing the American public in the upcoming election.

It’s difficult to disagree with the basic supposition that when the votes are tallied, we will head down a path that is clearly divergent one from another. However, the decision points that this citizen sees are perhaps different from those of the treasurer.

A short list of examples:

Health care: The current administration has deemed the Affordable Care Act objectionable and has sought to destroy it with no means to replace it, except for the one to be announced in “two weeks,” for which we have been awaiting four years. Do we want to seriously address this issue for the betterment of our nation or simply perpetuate a grudge against the Obama administration?

International leadership: Are we happy with the increasing abdication of our role as the  leader and coordinator of alliances that have achieved a great measure of peace and prosperity around the globe for the last 75 years? Nature abhors a vacuum and China will happily fill it! Our allies will not wait forever and may see the benefit of choosing a “different side.” Is everyone OK with this America alone strategy?

Taxation and fiscal responsibility: Are we happy with the trajectory of the increased income disparity in our nation along with the escalation of our indebtedness? Those content with the current “wealth gap” and “debt accumulation” will support the current administration. Doing something about this does not have to be socialism or communism. Just realism.

Climate control: The world is burning up and the evidence is incontrovertible. Coordinated action must be taken now or we face challenges like humanity has never seen. Or do we continue the “head in the sand” routine and call it a hoax? Our choice! By the way, there is no proof “windmills cause cancer.”

Domestic terrorism: “Land of the free and home of the brave!” We must decide whether we want a leader who denounces the plot to kidnap a sitting state governor or one who makes light of it at a rally. Do we really want a leader who fails to declare the very idea as unconscionable? We cannot be greater than the aspirations that our leaders provide. If the “lock her up” chant is the best we can do, we are “cooked!”

As we stand at that “fork in the road,” these are only some of the issues before us in this election. Each represents a choice that we are privileged to make. Each has a consequence. If we make too many wrong ones, we may someday end up with no choices at all.

Jackson Milhollan

Washington