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SS United States |
The following essay is by
Ms. Susan Gibbs, Executive Director of the SS United States
Conservancy.
With the
government shutdown having sent Washington into a tailspin and validating
Americans’ disdain for beltway politics, you can’t help but think about a time
in our history when people believed government actually worked. It may be
difficult to harken back to those days, but there was a time when Washington
actually got things done. Our national government set goals, established
bold visions of the future and the nation lurched forward making great
leaps.
The
historical record is filled with examples of when U.S. government funding and
vision made global progress a reality. Railing against government spending and
investment in research and new technologies simply cuts against a long record
of Washington actually leading the way for the world to see in a variety of
areas.
It went far
beyond the now seemingly extinct collegiality between Senators or the
Reagan-Tip O’Neal relationship. When Washington faced a crisis, it
leveraged the apparatus of government putting partisanship aside, to solve a
problem.
The
microchip, computer, internet, modern highway systems, aerospace technology,
rocket technology, the modern electrical grid, and plastics, right down to the
disposable razor were all innovations spurred on by the federal
government. True, many of these, including Eisenhower’s Interstate
Highway System were in fact borne out of some military purpose. That,
however, does not negate the fact that bold ideas and real needs could
galvanize Washington toward action.
In the days
after World War II when the Cold War was in its infancy, Washington also helped
give rise to the concept of the Public Private Partnership. Back then
before the jet age, America needed the fastest, most advanced ship ever
constructed to move more troops farther and faster than any nation. After
contentious debate, our leadership in Washington responded by partnering with
the United States Lines to design, build and launch America’s Flagship, the SS United States.
Like the 747, the Space Shuttle and the iPhone that followed, the United
States became a symbol of American innovation and resolve.
She was the
epitome of her namesake nation on the high seas. On her maiden voyage she
shattered speed records across the Atlantic. Those records are still
unbroken.
When
President Kennedy challenged us to go to the moon before the 1960’s came to a
close, Americans and their government rallied to the cause. That doesn’t mean
there wasn’t doubt and dissention. Debate is part of our system.
But we drove hard to achieve an historic goal for our nation and humanity that
has not been duplicated.
It’s hard to
imagine such lofty accomplishments emerging from today’s Washington. Today,
with the Space Shuttle fleet a series of museum exhibits, we wonder if our
quest for bold innovation has permanently taken a back seat to special interest
politics and partisan gridlock.
The
Obamacare and debt ceiling debates is a sideshow to the larger problem of
government dysfunction that is impacting Americans’ faith and confidence in the
system. Some blame Republicans, some the Democrats, still others the Tea
Party or Liberal ideologues. The simple truth is people don’t live on the
set of a Sunday talk show. They live in communities all across the
country and they want to be proud again in a nation that can set its sights on
building great things, doing what was previously thought impossible and being
the nation of bold action it once was.
People are
waiting for a new sign of American greatness. Perhaps they should look to
the fate of an old one as a barometer of whether Washington is ready to get
things done again.
Still the
only object in America named for our great nation, America’s flagship the SS United
States, sits waiting for renewal at a Philadelphia pier. This great
American symbol has been abandoned by the government whose vision and foresight
made her an icon of her age.
The ship
could be a half a million square feet of mixed-use waterfront development
wrapped in an historic structure that is the last of its kind. It could
create thousands of jobs and produce needed tax revenue. It could house a
world class museum and educational center that celebrates America’s history as
well as our enduring quest for technological innovation. It could be a
place visited and enjoyed by countless Americans who want to experience a part
of their past while enjoying modern amenities.
That’s a
bold vision and one worth achieving. Of course, no one in Congress or at the
White House seems interested. They’re too busy slinging insults at one
another to care about the United States or other important causes.
It’s time we
showed the world that our government can get things done again. If it
doesn’t, we risk being little more than a shadow of our former selves.
Opportunities will pass us by as a nation. We will lose touch with our
history and spirit of innovation. We risk being like our great, rusting
flagship - a reminder of a time long gone.
Susan Gibbs is the Executive Director of the SS United
States Conservancy and granddaughter of William Francis Gibbs, designer of
America’s Flagship. Learn more about how you can help save the United
States at www.SSUSC.org.
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