September 11

“Are you watching TV right now?” It was my wife on the phone, just before 9:00 on the morning of September 11, 2001.

“No, I’m working on some paperwork for the Census Bureau, then I’m off to the city.” In fact, I should have been on a ferry into NYC by this time, but I’d procrastinated completing a Census Bureau survey on small business until the last possible moment.

“Turn on the news. A plane just hit the World Trade Center.”

I grabbed the remote and asked my wife “What kind of plane?” At this point, I assumed it was a private plane, and that the pilot experienced a medical emergency in flight.

“I don’t know. They’re speculating that it was an airliner.”

I turned on the news just in time to see the second plane hit the south tower. A chill went up my spine, and it was immediately clear that the events were no accident. If we weren’t prepared for what had already happened, was the worst yet to come? I remember asking my wife to get out of work as soon as she could, and even offered to drive down and get her.

“The company wants us to stay put until we know more of what’s going on. I’ll be home when I can.” Lincoln Park, NJ, wasn’t exactly a high profile target for terrorists, but I still wanted her home.

The rest of that day is a blur of memories. Phone calls from loved ones, who were lucky enough to get a connection instead of a busy signal. News reports from Washington and from Shanksville, PA. Endless looped video of the towers falling.

By nightfall, the damage was done. In one twelve hour period, we had gone from a nation of proud, confident citizens to a nation of terrified victims. What was next, we wondered. Who were the bad guys, how many of them were there and what other targets would be hit? No one knew, and we all held our breath.

The remains of the World Trade Center smoldered for two weeks, and I remember seeing the plumes of gray smoke on the horizon as I drove to the ferry. The sound of fighter jets circling overhead became routine, even reassuring. Navy and Coast Guard patrols ran up and down the Hudson and East rivers, and you could feel the increased police presence. New York was a city on edge.

I remember high-fiving a friend when we went into Afghanistan on October 7, 2001 in Operation Enduring Freedom. Surely, I thought, we’d soon have Bin Laden dead or alive, and life would begin a gradual return to normalcy. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

In the eight years since the attacks of September 11, we’ve given up many things previously taken for granted. Long security screening lines at airports are now just another cost of doing business. Free speech is still possible, but God help you if your idea of free speech doesn’t correspond with the government’s. From an international perspective, America has gone from a nation almost universally respected to one that is reviled, even by former allies. We’ve become the schoolyard bully, and it’s hard to portray us as the cowboy in the white hat anymore.

The invasion of Iraq was totally unnecessary and wholly unrelated to the search for Osama Bin Laden. We continue to pour money we don’t have into the action in Iraq, all to bring democracy to a populace that, for the most part, neither understands nor wants it. What happens when we finally pull out? How long before Iraq erupts in civil war? Weeks? Months? You cannot undo centuries of internal hatred with a hastily elected government, nor can you enforce laws when the loyalty of your military and police is tied to tribal or religious affiliations.

By now, we should have learned that imposing our will and values on other cultures simply does not work. The British have learned this lesson, as have the Russians and the Japanese. Our cost to take and hold Iraq and Afghanistan, both in monetary terms and in the number of ongoing casualties, is simply too high.

The damage done that September morning eight years ago continues to wreak havoc on our country. We’ve become a nation divided among political lines, and the fringe element on both the left and the right continues to grow in size. Our economy is in ruins and the unemployment ranks continue to grow month on month. Families are losing homes at rates never before seen, and our government has done little to stop the bleeding.

I’m no expert, but I believe we can fix what’s gone wrong. Here’s how:

1) Devise a clear, concise plan to pull out of Iraq and Afghanistan within six months. Yes, Iraq will erupt into civil war and will quite possibly be invaded by Iran. Yes, this means we abandon the search for Osama Bin Laden; if we haven’t had any luck in eight years, what’s going to change in the future? Quite frankly, we’ve got bigger concerns on our own soil that need to be addressed.

2) Shelve the healthcare debate for the time being. Yes, it’s a tragedy that 15% of Americans lack healthcare coverage. It’s a bigger tragedy that roughly 20% of Americans are either unemployed or grossly underemployed.

3) Draft a new, comprehensive stimulus plan aimed at small business. The only way to reduce unemployment is to grow small business. How? Tax free government loans, subsidized start up costs and pressure on states and municipalities to provide additional support. Further incentivize small businesses that focus on manufacturing goods.

4) Fund infrastructure renewal projects. Our interstate highways and national parks are crumbling, yet funding seems to decline year on year.

Ultimately, the goal of the Islamic extremists who struck our country on that September morning was to weaken our country and impact our way of life. Eight years later, from where I sit, they’ve done a good job of this. The ball is in our court, so I’ll ask the question: what are we going to do to reverse this?