Mr. Shaughnessy’s recent letter to the editor is a vivid example of why we can’t come together and fix what is wrong with America. We are so busy playing the blame game that we just don’t have time to clearly identify or prioritize the significant problems we face or to devise workable options for their correction.

Both political parties constantly make decisions and adopt positions that play to their base rather than doing what is best for America. Staying in office and holding on to the political power is the No. 1 priority of all politicians. Their loyalty is to the party and not to their country. Many citizens like Mr. Shaughnessy are opinionated to such a degree they are incapable of listening to or considering proposals put forth by a different political party and instead regurgitate the same old tired party propaganda that blames the other political party for America’s ills.

Mr. Shaughnessy is telling us to wake up and get informed. Well I suggest that he should, like Rip Van Winkle, wake up from his long sleep and be in 2012 rather than be stuck in the Depression days of the 1930s, which occurred well before he was born. If Mr. Shaughnessy was a rational individual, whose judgment was not clouded by his strong opinions, he would realize he is embracing the concept and principles of socialism and is slamming capitalism. I can’t think of one country who has adopted the socialistic model and made it work.

Greece, Spain, Italy and France are all having significant problems brought about by their socialist programs. When benefits are cut the people riot; what will they do when the money runs out and there are no benefits? We have about 50 million people on food stamps, 35 million on disability, 47 percent of the population pays no taxes and God knows how many are on welfare. If we took all the money away from the rich we couldn’t fund these programs for six months. Our system is quickly degrading as our youth haven’t a good work ethic and they are receiving a third-rate education.

More importantly, the vast majority of Americans couldn’t care less about our country’s future and are only concerned about their own needs today. Less than 1 percent of our own population are in the military and they are fighting all our battles to keep us free, and the politicians seek to drastically cut their budget and thereby reduce their capabilities and impose hardships on them. The savings from defense will be spent on social programs.

I hope that Mr. Shaughnessy and all the other rabid political idealists in both parties will wake up and smell the coffee before it is too late. It is time to eliminate outdated opinions and to work together to solve the critical problems we face. I would love to hear Mr. Shaughnessy’s ideas on how to stop the ever-increasing national debt, which is past $16 trillion, and put America back on a sound financial track.

Heller is a resident of Lakeside