Our health care system is broken, with costs spiraling out of control. A universal basic care model, offering essential services while allowing supplemental private insurance, could mirror successful systems in other nations. This approach defines just how much health care expense every American is entitled to (as is done in most countries in the West), but allows everyone access to care without dismantling innovation.
Our society has drifted from virtues like modesty, humility and service. Instead, we’ve become a nation of victims, fixated on entitlements. Fiscal irresponsibility has deepened this crisis, with our national debt threatening future generations. As John F. Kennedy so powerfully urged, we must shift our focus from what the country can do for us to what we can do for the country.
In my decades of political engagement, I’ve seen statesmanship replaced by self-serving partisanship. Leaders now prioritize power over progress, enforcing rigid ideological purity. What lesson does this teach future generations? Tribalism is a destructive force.
Let’s look for the values that can unite us. These values are not a sign of weakness, but the foundation of a functioning democracy – and are most likely to a robust shared future. It’s time to step back from the brink. Let’s stop screaming past one another and embrace the timeless principles of tolerance, cooperation and compromise.
I’m not necessarily advocating for blanket centrism, but rather believe that only by bringing the best ideas from each side into constructive collaboration can we heal our fractured nation. I know that compromise is not easy and takes commitment, courage and requires seeking to understand before being understood. It also requires trusted relationships.
A few years ago, I was in a prayer meeting with eight U.S. Senators in the Capitol. Half were Republicans and half Democrats. I floated the idea of passing a law that would mandate that each member would have to vote against their party lines at least 10% of the time.