The problems in the United States today can be traced more to how issues are discussed rather than the problems themselves, according to a national political columnist.
George F. Will spoke Tuesday night at the Holiday Inn on The University of Memphis campus, and his topics ranged from the struggles of the Chicago Cubs and to those of America's poor.
The event was a fund-raiser dinner for The Salvation Army and the title of the night was "A Whole New Ballgame."
"We do have a problem, and we have a problem because we're not defining it correctly," he said. "Our problem is that we don't talk sensibly."
Will spoke about the problems hurting the country such as social security and Medicare, and then commented on how everyday people discuss these problems.
He said many people just make assumptions in dealing with politics and society, even when dealing with simple things like discussing other cities.
Pittsburgh and Cleveland are so often thought of as steel towns, he said, but in reality major hospitals are the top employers in those areas.
He related steel with today's technology.
"We make the same amount of steel now, but with less people," he said. "We are so big we sometimes forget our strength."
Will introduced The Salvation Army as part of his solution to the problems in society, saying they do what many others don't.
"Do what The Salvation Army does, and that is take seriously culture," he said.
Earlier in the day, the group received a $48 million grant from the Kroc family for a new center in Memphis. Brad Champlin, chairman of the fund-raiser, made the announcement before the dinner.
James Davis, director and CFO for the Stanford Financial Group, made an emotional statement while introducing Will.
"It is difficult to give and give consistently today," he said. Davis spoke about this especially in terms of Hurricane Katrina and other problems that happen, but do not always stay in the forefront of people's minds.
Will talked about Hurricane Katrina, too, saying it was an important event that should not be lost.
"Katrina was a seminar on how society really is," he said.
Will also talked about the South in terms of its political importance in America today. He noted that over the past 40 years of the U.S. presidency, presidents have come from either Texas, Arkansas, Georgia or California.
"The South has become the tone-setter of this country," he said. "This is because the South takes the value issues very seriously."
Near the end of his speech, Will told a story about a phrase Abraham Lincoln used. The quote was the famous, "And this too shall pass us," cited in times of grief and disaster.
This phrase obviously applies well in the weeks after Hurricane Katrina and for the never-ending needs of The Salvation Army.
