Make America great again. What American is opposed to that idea? The disagreement is over what greatness requires, and whether our political arguments are being driven by evidence or suspicion.
Anyone with common sense should recognize that political institutions can be influenced by money, lobbying, partisan incentives, foreign interests and bad information. But acknowledging those problems doesn't mean every accusation is true, or that every institution is secretly working against the public.
We the people deserve better than political narratives that turn every disagreement into proof of corruption. Government agencies, courts, journalists, scientists and elected officials can make mistakes and deserve scrutiny.
They also produce evidence that should be examined before conclusions are reached.
Take Building 7. Its collapse understandably raised questions, but the federal investigation by the National Institute of Standards and Technology concluded that uncontrolled fires caused a progressive structural failure, and found no evidence that explosives caused the collapse. Questioning an official conclusion is legitimate; presenting an unsupported alternative as established fact is something different.
The same principle applies to elections. Noncitizens are prohibited from voting in federal elections, and legislation such as the SAVE Act has sought additional citizenship-verification requirements. But claims about widespread noncitizen voting require evidence, not assumptions about motives or political strategy.
The country also has genuine problems: high costs, housing shortages, addiction, immigration pressures, political polarization and distrust in institutions. Those problems don't belong exclusively to Democrats or Republicans, and neither party has a monopoly on corruption, competence, patriotism or common sense.
Donald Trump deserves scrutiny just as every president does. His supporters can point to policies they believe strengthened borders, energy production, manufacturing or national security. His critics can point to his convictions, his conduct surrounding elections, and the consequences of his political rhetoric.
Both sides should be willing to confront evidence that complicates their preferred story.
America does not become stronger when citizens automatically believe one political tribe and automatically distrust the other. MAGA may be a powerful political movement, but America is larger than any movement or politician.
The goal should not be to destroy our institutions. It should be to make them worthy of the people they serve.
Jay Glassman
Ridgefield
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