OPINION: Taking a break from the news

Even with concern over what we’ve gotten ourselves into in Iran, I find I must give myself an occasional break from the news. Sometimes it’s just too much to deal with.

I’ll still check for breaking news alerts to make sure we haven’t attacked another country overnight, but I’m avoiding most of the regular newscasts and press briefings. They are too frustrating and disturbing to listen to, especially when much of the information shared by the White House and Pentagon is either inadequate, false or both.

The news of the day is dominated by the war, but I’ve been frustrated for a long time with the lack of helpful information on many issues. There’s rarely any progress to report on anything. Conflicts never get resolved. Problems never get solved. Congress is in gridlock most of the time.

The four-year war in Ukraine drags on, and the four-week war in the Middle East simply continues hostilities that began in 1948. There’s been resentment from day one when Israel was established in the middle of Arab countries.

The never-ending saga of Jeffrey Epstein remains at the top of the news cycle, despite periodic distractions like Venezuela and Iran. Any hope held by the Trump administration that bombing other countries will distract anyone from the Epstein files is wishful thinking. The Department of Justice and White House continue to stonewall on releasing the files, in effect, perpetuating the scandal with their foot-dragging.

Atrocities committed by ICE still occur unabated, and the reality of our failing economy is finally beginning to register with the people as the pain deepens.

It would be gratifying to have an occasional problem solved - for instance, completing the nation’s budget for a whole year, instead of passing “continuing resolutions” that essentially kick the can down the road.

It would be wonderful to pass a bill with lasting solutions for our immigration problems, and put an end to the reign of terror ICE is inflicting on America. It would be great if Republicans in Congress would restore subsidies they cut from the Affordable Care program that caused two million people to lose their health insurance.

Our elections must remain free and fair. Sore losers always claim the elections they lost were rigged, but numerous studies have proven there’s very little fraud. And, according to the conservative Heritage Foundation, undocumented immigrants are not voting in our elections, either. They’ve always been banned from voting by law.

Trying to limit voter participation with unfair and discriminatory schemes like the “Save America Act” is the brainchild of Trump and Republicans in Congress who fear losing this fall.

Trump says America is no longer great and needs fixing. America doesn’t need fixing as much as it needs good people to practice good government. America is great when high-minded leaders who put the best interests of their constituents at heart are in office.

America has proven to be a magnificent experiment. The fact we’ve managed not only to survive as a democracy for 250 years, but also to flourish, is miraculous. Hopefully, we are still managing and surviving three years from now.

There are good reasons to grow tired of the news. It’s tough consuming a steady diet of turmoil, of worrying about the questionable decisions being made by this administration and stressing about what’s happening to our country and how it’s going to affect us personally.

Honestly, I don’t know how news reporters do it. It can’t be pleasant reporting and analyzing chaos and corruption every day - 24/7 just in D.C. alone. I would be seeking the name of a good therapist if I were a national reporter.

For sure, it’s difficult to escape the constant onslaught of bad news. Everything going on in our world affects most of us to some degree. Our stress is real because the stressors are real. All the political in-fighting, corruption, tragedy, failure, bad decision-making, etc., brings us down. We would have to be the most cynical people in the world not to be affected.

So, every once in a while, I change the channel, stop checking my phone for updates, tune into a movie or a ballgame and lose the news. It helps rest me and re-energizes me.

And it prepares me to face the breaking news headlines that invariably appeared on the TV screen while I was tuned out.