To my Rotary International colleagues

 

Our nation is again at a debt default cliff.  If we go off, the consequences to every person in the world will be dire. As “Dirty Harry” once said “Feel lucky punk?”

Our nation's $30+ trillion in debt (and growing) is directly tied to the reactionary responses of our democratically elected officials.  Elected by us (voters and non-voters).  Our species appears to be hardwired to reactionary thinking.  But we are also capable of the deeper systemic thinking now needed.

There isn't enough money or Rotary club projects in the world to address primary root causes of humanities problems.  And the concept of prevention appears unamerican.  As our nation’s party politics increasingly favors extreme candidates with conspiracy theories and a ‘no-compromise’ attitude there appears to be no stopping our nation’s hyperpolarized dive into unsustainable chaos impacting every sector (economic, environmental, health, foreign policy...).  And after Covid19, it appears we don’t even learn from our mistakes. 

When will Rotary International lead the way in waking people up to the global reality that “everything is connected, interdependent, and vulnerable...and a global approach is needed”.  In the early 1980s one Rotary group in Indonesia sparked the global campaign to eradicate Polio.  Unfortunately, wars and revolutions stalled Polio’s target date for eradication several times (2000, to 2003, to 2015, and now??) 

Why can’t RI adopt the target date of achieving the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals by the year 2030?  This already approved global plan to address the root causes of almost every existential threat humanity faces today was established in 2015.  And it is not on course.   This December 10^th will be the 75^th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The world won’t come together anytime soon to make this list of God given rights to every human but achieving the 17 SDGs could. And they are measurable, achievable, affordable, and the best investment of time and money the world has ever known.  

This is TRUE, Fair to all concerned, will build Goodwill and Better Friendships globally, and be Beneficial to all concerned.

Unless you see a better way of debt reduction and achieving “Life...liberty and justice for all” ... Why not?