Collegiate Times

Americans have little difficulty dealing with problems that require immediate attention. Most people like to hear good news in the face of difficulty and adversity. By and large, the most common good news we receive is when a large problem facing the nation arises quickly, and is defeated just as quickly. We are living in the years of ?first response? U.S. People want action from their government on problems where quick and efficient action is required beyond a shadow of a doubt. Within days or possibly weeks, the public expects results and resolutions. If war is declared, major operations should be done within a year at the latest ? it shouldn?t drag on forever because it proved to more difficult than expected. If a terrorist cell attacks us, the people responsible should be captured in a timely (and preferably heroic) fashion, so the public, still fresh with rage, can let it all out on the guilty party. But when Osama Bin Laden goes uncaptured and virtually unseen for years, many begin to forget the terrible atrocities caused by him and his ilk. He becomes a ?hey, whatever happened to ?? type of anti-celebrity, instead of what he is ? the most dangerous man alive.

The government and the country tend to get high marks overall when it comes to responding to urgent threats, namely terrorism. Much of the success in that area can be attributed to the work of our relentless overseas military operations and the anti-terrorism measures taken at home from the Department of Homeland Security. But terrorism is not a wholly tangible foe easily found and eliminated. Some of what was supposed to help eliminate the threat is now viewed by a number of people as threats themselves. Reactionary strategies like continuing to fight for freedom in Iraq and the implementation of the Patriot Act have run into a great deal of criticism. Yet there is no denying that at the inception of both, the people saw them as strong, quick ways to fight against a very real threat.

Hurricane Katrina, despite all of the irrevocable damage it caused, did manage to ensure that the government would be on the ball in cases of future natural disasters. The people held the government specifically accountable when it was unable to combat the hurricane successfully. Katrina, like all disasters, attacks and scandals alike, took away public attention from other problems that have always been present, but aren?t nearly as immediate. Mounting national debt, problems with jobs, immigration, overseas trade values, protecting the environment and securing alternate forms of energy are all examples of crucial long-term problems that require solutions as soon as possible. Most of these haven?t a prayer of being solved in a few years, if ever. So they go essentially unmentioned beyond typical doom and gloom predictions. We know that the country will face an economical crisis if we keep spending at our current rate, but instead of trying to solve it now, do we secretly want to wait until it moves beyond the warning phase? Do Americans only act when it?s crunch time, like a student who pulls all-nighters to study for tests and write papers? We may be successful the next day, but what happens when the workload becomes too much and we buckle under the pressure?

There?s no reason to feel guilty about expecting quick results. If mistakes are made in our hasty actions, they are forgivable. We can always excuse ourselves by saying we only acted as we did out of the urgent necessity of the situation. But the majority of the time, quick solutions aren?t feasible. Often it is those solutions that come from months and years of preparation, combined with a determination to finish the job no matter the kind of time frame the public expects, that end up doing the most good. The government moves slowly for the majority of its existence, so when the opportunity comes to act fast, it is more than welcomed. But we need to stop pointing fingers and getting frustrated when something that was supposed to be solved quickly takes a little or a lot longer than expected. Patience and persistence are both virtues that we as Americans could benefit from, to help us change from a ?first reaction? country into a ?best reaction? country.