The time for action in America is now

Editor's note: The following column originally appeared in the Sept. 21 edition of the Sikeston Standard Democrat.

Despite efforts to the contrary, I am a worrier. I know we're told to leave our worries to a higher power. And though I believe with all my heart that this is the best approach, human nature kicks in and I find myself worrying.

As my life's calendar keeps moving at breakneck speed, I worry about health care especially in the new environment of Obamacare.

We're just now hearing about "end-of-life care" under Obamacare that will provide limited resources for the elderly as they enter the final chapter of their life. And the new definition of elderly and, thus limited care, is now 75.

And so I worry.

I worry about the Mideast mess because I have friends who are serving to protect this great country. And I worry that those concerns will someday strike our homeland.

I worry about the ongoing crisis on our southern borders not out of prejudice but out of a sincere concern that American values and culture will be eroded.

I worry about the growing racial division that is being promoted by far too many "leaders" who seem unfazed on how this turmoil will impact the country.

But interestingly, and sadly, a new study released this week shows that when most people worry about these and other issues, their first reaction is to "tune out" those concerns because they are thought to be beyond our control and they are simply overwhelming.

And that perhaps is the central issue in the problems of this country.

I would think that these worries or concerns would motivate people into action. I would think that these mounting concerns would provide a call to action.

Apparently, I am wrong.

We're told that we won't be handed more burdens than we can handle, but far too often we find ourselves overburdened -- even if those burdens are of our own making.

I worry about the economy because -- despite what the federal government tells me -- I can balance a checkbook. And the rosy picture painted last week by the president is starkly different from the picture I see and feel each and every day.

I am far from alone in my concerns and worries. A strong majority of Americans are equally as worried and concerned because they, too, see something different from what our government would have us believe.

In short, the American people have by and large lost their faith and trust in the institutions that we once held dear.

But if this latest study is correct, most people suppress those worries and "tune out" the issues that are too large for them to imagine.

And that lack of activism breeds a complacent and silent public. Without strong voices opposing these worrisome trends, nothing will change.

I think it's fair to say that those in this country who see through rose-colored glasses, who find no concern or worry over an expanded government and a loss of freedoms, are the voices speaking the loudest.

Those who yearn for a return to more traditional values are much more subdued and much less vocal.

Well, that must change.

Worrying should breed action and a demand that these changes be reversed. And it begins with each individual channeling those concerns into creating the best world for future generations so they don't have to worry about these issues.

I may worry, but I also know it's not too late to return sanity to the public debate.

But it begins with you!

Michael Jensen is the publisher of the Sikeston Standard Democrat.