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often confusing rhetoric.
    That is why you often hear politicians discuss the economy in terms of jobs; jobs lost since their opponent took office and the unemployment rate are two favorites. "Jobs" is a label that appeals to people on a personal and emotional level. While the employment rate is in reality an outcome of a healthy economy, and not necessarily an indicator of economic growth in all sectors, Gross Domestic Product and the Consumer Confidence Index are obscure terms to those not familiar with the dynamics of the economy.
    Still, in every election cycle political candidates intentionally instill confusion and spin the status of the economy to make their economic plans look superior to those of their opponent. The result is an electorate uninformed of the most reliable and descriptive economic indicators. Even worse, continued abuse and distortion of these terms perpetuate a growing sense of racial, economic, and social divisiveness. We have to use the correct language every day in our political discourse, or we will perpetuate label confusion and abuse.

    The Great Divides
    The polarizing labels and phrases used by our political leaders and elected officials cause confusion over the details of policy issues and contribute to long-term discord between people and groups with opposing political views. This sustained polarization has created three profound divisions throughout our country that I call the great divides. They are the party divide , the racial divide , and the economic divide .
    The first great divide is the party divide . The party divide is represented by the extreme partisanship that exists between Republicans and Democrats in Washington, D.C., and throughout our country. Three factors have contributed to the growing party divide: differences in party ideology, the political parties' key goals, and the public's apathetic attitude about the activities in the political arena.
    The first factor contributing to the party divide is ideological differences (see definitions of Republican and Democrat in the glossary on the previous pages) between the parties concerning the issues most important to the country and the proper solutions needed to address the issues. Ideological differences and healthy debate on the issues go back to the founding of the United States. Our Founding Fathers debated vigorously over the proper size and influence of the central government and the proper role of the United States in the affairs of foreign countries. Two prominent politicians of that time, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, even settled a dispute with a now-famous duel. Though we no longer settle political disputes with pistols at thirty paces, the current political climate is as divided as any era in our history. A unique characteristic of today's political climate is that we are fighting wars against terror abroad and against our economic infrastructure at home.
    We face the reality today that the three pillars of our economic infrastructure--the tax code, Social Security, and Medicare, which also happen to be the biggest domestic challenges we face--are in danger of collapse. At the same time, we are fighting an enemy abroad who seeks to completely destroy our freedoms and way of life. You should have no doubt in your mind that this is one of the most significant times in our nation's history. The fact that we are confronted by this many critical challenges at one time ensures that we will also face intense debate regarding their proper solutions.
    The second factor contributing to the party divide concerns the goals of the two major political parties. Both parties want to pass legislation favorable to their overall ideologies and policy agendas. As stated in the introduction, however, neither party has a clear agenda for advocating aggressive policy change. Absent an aggressive agenda, the parties' current goals are often merely winning elections and winning the perceptions war, which is waged with the ammunition of