At this time we honor the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.- the leader of the civil rights movement to end racial segregation. Inspired by his non-violent efforts, many seminal accomplishments were achieved that provided much needed rights for a minority class of Americans who were unjustly penalized based on the color of their skin. Today we face a similar challenge to end a form of segregation based on economic factors.

Apartheid was created by the Afrikaans National Party (ANP) in 1948. Apartheid is an Afrikaans word that literally means “to stand apart.” This unjust practice of forced segregation was enforced and systematically expanded by the ANP for the next forty-six years. During this era the rights of a vast majority of Africans, the non-whites, were oppressed by the tyranny of a small minority of South Africans, the white ruling class. The dismantling of apartheid was a long and horrific process, one in which many lives were lost during a long period of epic unrest. Of course, an integral component of this historic shift in policy was the need for the exploitation of power to be recognized. In South Africa, the domination of the small ruling class at the expense of the vast majority of South Africans was as clear as “black and white.” More precisely, it was distinguished in terms of white and non-white. 

In the United States a similar form of tragic exploitation of power at the expense of the vast majority of Americans has yet to be fully acknowledged. The disparity of wealth in the United States has dramatically increased in magnitude over the past few decades. A recent Pew Research Center analysis found that the “wealth gaps between the upper-income families and lower and middle-income families in 2016 were at the highest levels recorded.” 

Racial segregation was the form of apartheid enforced in South Africa. In the United States, economic policies unjustly favor a very small minority of the population, commonly referred to as “the 1%.” It is evident that the vast majority of Americans are monetarily segregated by an unjust form of economic apartheid. 

There is now an imminent need for the vast majority of Americans to awaken to the economic injustice we continue to endure. Only then, will we be able to unite in defiance of a system that unjustly rewards a very small minority of the population. Unified actions will provide us, the vast majority of Americans, a greater share of the prosperity that our great country has to offer. 

January 19, 2019

Jim Coddington III

Carbondale, Colorado

January 6, 2021 will remain one of the darkest days in the history of our country. Many of us watched in disgust while horrific events unfolded that day. A violent mob stormed the United States Capitol building to prevent a joint session of Congress to formalize the victory of President-elect Joe Biden.  Earlier in the day at a "Save America" rally, then President Donald Trump repeated false claims of election irregularities. More than 2,000 rioters forcibly entered the Capital. Many of them assaulted Capitol Police officers and others, vandalized the building, and attempted to locate lawmakers to capture and harm them. A gallows was erected west of the Capital. Many of the rioters chanted "Hang Mike Pence." Deaths occurred and many were injured during numerous acts of lawlessness and incredulous behavior. Sadly, a number of Americans including members of the media and some elected officials continue to minimize and justify such a disgraceful act of insurrection- "a violent uprising against an authority or government."


President George Washington in a letter he wrote about the founding of America as "the establishment of our new Government seemed to be the last great experiment, for promoting human happiness, by reasonable compact, in civil Society." President Abraham Lincoln was concerned about current acts of mob violence and prophetically warned us as stated in his Lyceum Address on January 27,1838. "At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.


Clearly our country continues to endure an increasingly tumultuous period of internal conflict that tragically polarizes a "Not So United States."  If current increasingly divisive tendencies continue we are clearly in danger of having "the last great experiment" implode. If we are to "Save America" we must put aside our divisive political and ideological beliefs and focus on the common good. The importance of the common good is prominently addressed in the Preamble to the United States Constitution- "We the People." This concept of popular sovereignty- power to the people- is the foundation upon which the entire Constitution depends. Unifying efforts must be made to peacefully defend and maintain our democracy. 

“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to” acknowledge and embrace our interdependence at this time. There is a human desire and need for individuals to strive for independence - a state of being self-reliant. 

Striving towards personal independence - a worthy pursuit can overshadow the need to act in ways that honor our interdependence - the state of being dependent upon one another.  From a higher perspective it becomes apparent none of us are as independent as we may think. The simple act of preparing a meal exhibits the extent of our reliance on others. It takes the coordinated efforts of countless individuals over an extended period of time to supply the necessary ingredients to provide adequate nourishment. 

We are endowed by our birthright to pursue “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Each of us will attempt to fulfill an inherent need to pursue freedom and personal liberties. The pursuit of personal freedoms and liberties will affect a multitude of others. Ideally, the impact will enhance the lives of others. However, the pursuit of certain personal liberties can and will directly infringe upon and may oppress the liberties of a greater number of people. This signifies the importance of recognizing our interdependence and acting in ways that support others for a greater good.  

We are social beings. We are genetically wired to connect with others. A greater sense of empathy can be felt as we awaken to the transformative importance of our interdependence. This maturation process can naturally progress to heartfelt feelings of compassion that will inspire additional acts of loving kindness. Such acts will help reduce the suffering of others and ourselves. Ultimately, as we make additional mutually beneficial choices that transcend our individual desires, this will create a more “need satisfying” life for a myriad of others. 

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. As we do our part to transcend separation and self-limitation we will share more fully in our prosperity to unite a painfully conflicted and divided world.  

 Post Independent

 Glenwood Springs, CO

August 2, 2021

Jim Coddington III

Carbondale, Colorado 

“Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.” 

These inspirational words were presented in 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln during his historic Gettysburg Address.

President Lincoln is commonly referred to as one of the greatest presidents in American history. His leadership during the Civil War (1861 – 1865) has much to do with him being bestowed with such a worthy tribute. This was an unprecedented and crippling event in American history that threatened our unity and could have permanently torn our country apart. During this tumultuous time President Lincoln signed The Pacific Railway Act of 1862. A long held dream, President Lincoln believed the 1,912 continuous miles of transcontinental railway would geographically unite us as a country and also unite us as a people.

Currently our country is going through a challenging time that is increasingly dividing an already disturbingly divided America. The COVID-19 pandemic is crippling the health and economic prosperity of our country and the world. The staggering number of confirmed COVID-19 cases continues to accumulate, and the death toll tragically continues to rise.

A bipartisan $2 trillion stimulus relief package was signed earlier this year. Currently, additional short-term relief efforts are being pursued by Congress. There is now an imminent need to enact long-term measures that transcend unemployment benefits and create jobs. Our country’s infrastructure is severely antiquated and has been in need of repair for decades. In “Losing Our Way” Bob Herbert cites the benefits created by investing in an infrastructure renewal project. Such an investment would generate much-needed jobs, increase GDP and provide a financial return.

Let us follow in the footsteps of President Lincoln — invest in our nation’s infrastructure and help unite us as a country.

Post Independent                         

Glenwood Springs, CO

May 18, 2020

Jim Coddington III

Carbondale, Colorado

I take issue with many of the presumptions presented by Bryan Whiting in his article, "We shouldn't eliminate income inequality." Due to editorial requirements I will limit my objections to the following statements made by Mr. Whiting: First, he starts with the belief “The American economic system provides unlimited opportunity for income advancement.” He continues his course of reasoning with, “This opportunity is available for everyone” and continues by writing, “It requires taking personal responsibility by choosing to take command of our own life instead of using circumstance as an excuse.”

Countless reputable studies have documented the increasing economic hardships faced by a tragically large number of hard-working Americans. According to the Pew Research Center, “the wealth gap between America’s high income group and everyone else has reached record high levels since the economic recovery from the Great Recession of 2007-09, with a clear trajectory of increasing wealth for the upper-income families and no wealth growth for the middle- and lower-income families.” In 2013 “the gap between America’s upper-income and middle-income families has reached its highest level on record” (December 17, 2014).

Similar findings are shared by Forbes Magazine (April 23, 2016) in the article, “Lost Dream: 90% of American are Worse off Than They Were in the Early 1970's.” These and similar findings confirm the frustration felt by many working Americans, many of us who still continue to live paycheck to paycheck. Mr. Whiting believes that economic prosperity “is available for everyone” and that all we need to do is work harder and be smarter.

I agree with his statement that we need to work harder and and smarter. We, the vast majority of Americans, need to work harder and smarter, and not continue to allow a small segment of the population to impose an economic system that fails to share the economic prosperity our great country has to offer. We, the vast majority of Americans, need to unite and utilize the democratic process to systematically implement measures that will benefit the vast majority of Americans.

Independent Post

Glenwood Springs, CO

May 14, 2016

Jim Coddington III

Carbondale, Colorado