National parks offer common ground

Call it common ground - both literally and figuratively. America's first public wilderness, Yosemite, enjoys its sesquicentennial this summer.

One hundred and fifty years ago at the height of the Civil War President Lincoln signed the Yosemite Land Grant bill, introduced by California's Sen. John Conness. This law signed on June 30, 1864, was the first time the U.S. government set aside wilderness land for public use and preservation, "inalienable for all time." That was in California, but it set the stage for the creation in 1872 of America's first national park stretching from Idaho into Montana and Wyoming: Yellowstone.

With more pressing problems at hand, why did President Lincoln advocate a park in the midst of war? Hope. Perhaps the promise of peace, which human beings invariably feel when surrounded by nature's majesty. Some editorial writers through the years surmised that Mr. Lincoln wanted to establish common ground, a reminder of what all Americans shared and valued.

Common ground is more solid than national politicians and pundits imply. It seems it is not Americans, but Congress which is so hotly divided. So concludes a comprehensive study by the Program for Public Consultation affiliated with the University of Maryland, which examined responses to 338 questions in several dozen polls from various sources.

They found no political polarization on perceived thorny issues such as healthcare, immigration, Social Security, spending cuts (especially in defense), and the U.S. role in the world. "Sharp disagreement" existed in only 4 percent of poll responses (e.g., abortion and gun control). For nearly 70 percent of questions, there were "no statistically significant differences" among responses in red vs. blue districts.

"Clearly the gridlock in Congress is not driven by the people," said PPC director Steven Kull in a July 2 statement announcing the report, "A Not So Divided America."

The PPC study reinforced conclusions by another study reported by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center a month earlier, which stated,

"The majority (of Americans) do not have uniformly conservative or liberal views. Most do not see either party as a threat to the nation. And more believe their representatives in government should meet halfway to resolve contentious disputes rather than hold out for more of what they want."

Perhaps, as suggested by an editorial in the Christian Science Monitor, Congress should hold session in Yosemite to rediscover common ground.

Sholeh Patrick, J.D. is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Contact her at Sholeh@cdapress.com.