America is in a world of hurt economically, politically, culturally and spiritually and it is officially and collectively our own fault. It is not the fault of Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, George W. Bush, Karl Rove, evil bank CEO's, or purveyors of fast food, cigarettes and other vices.
It is Joe and Jane's fault. And, by Joe and Jane, I mean go look in the mirror.
In a representative republic we get the government that we deserve. The sad truth of today's America is...we deserve this. And, by this, I mean pain. Humans react any number of ways to emotions like grief, sadness, anxiety and fear. But, America is not being emotional right now. America is in pain, and pain has a way of simplifying processes.
We obey pain. The more intense it gets...the more we seek a way to get rid of it. And therein lies America's problem. I worry that Joe and Jane have bought the lie that the best approach to national healing is to numb the pain, and wait for it to eventually go away. History demonstrates that numbing the kind of pain that America is in only leads to more severe pain. This kind of pain is indicative of a chronic injury. Chronic injuries are meant to be faced and overcome...not numbed.
With that as a basic premise, my supposition on how we achieved this pain is predicated on the idea that we haven't done the work necessary in order to make informed decisions. And, in not doing that work, we have created a scenario where no one remembers the lessons from our past on how to alleviate said pain.
Instead of taking the time to focus on what our history tells us about getting rid of pain, we've bought into the notion that there must be an easier and better way. No one reads beyond the headlines anymore. The pyramid has become so inverted that Joe and Jane America believe almost anything you throw at them...as long as:
(a) It isn't boring and...
(b) It sounds right to them.
And far worse, any enterprising mind with an ax to grind and a decent publicist can become a foremost authority on redefining basic American fundamentals (like the free market and the constitution) as long as he or she:
(a) Is good at sounding right and...
(b) Is not boring.
I fear that our nation's worldview is in danger of becoming what America spent the first two hundred and thirty two years of our history fighting against. And, far worse, those forces that seek to destroy what made this nation great are doing it from within our Republic.
James Madison warned that faction from within would be the biggest enemy to this, the greatest economic and political experiment known to mankind. I fear that his prediction has come dangerously close reality.
It is Joe and Jane's fault. And, by Joe and Jane, I mean go look in the mirror.
There is probably no bigger divide in America ideologically than the argument regarding big government or small government. Should we be spending more on social programs? Is it appropriate to tax the wealthy more in order to pay for those programs? What about Healthcare Reform?
How much do Joe and Jane actually know about any of those issues? Have they read anything that would give them the foundation to render a just decision on matters like these? Regarding taxes and the re-distribution of wealth, where are they getting their information? An unbridled desire for the latest, hottest juiciest information has placed TMZ ahead of the Wall Street Journal...or God forbid an actual legitimate history book. Don't believe me? Go to your facebook page right now and ask how many of your friends have read Common Sense.
Let's not pull any punches here either...
How about the furor surrounding the definition of marriage? Other than an emotional, visceral reaction, whether fueled by religious fervor or sentimental cultural drivel, how many have actually studied the issue? Have Joe and Jane taken the time to read what religious figures like Jesus or Muhammad actually taught about the institution of marriage? And, if Joe and Jane are atheists...have they read the well-documented record of all of the great Republics throughout history and what happened to them soon after they bent politically towards a more culturally tolerant national policy as it pertains to the marriage of one man and one woman?
No.
A faction from within the republic has wiped all of this information from the history books, brainwashed at least 3 generations of Americans and made traditional American family values the most controversial concept in the eyes of Madison Avenue (who control the flow of information in this country).
It is Joe and Jane's fault. And, by Joe and Jane, I mean go look in the mirror.
Exacerbating our collective ignorance is the fact that somewhere along the way Joe and Jane lost the spirit to pick themselves up by their own bootstraps.
Americans are angry over what they perceive is being done to them. If they lost their job, then somebody else caused the malady. If they can't pay their mortgage, the fat cats on Wall Street are the source of their pain. If their credit card bills are straining their budgets, then the card issuing banks are to blame. The slow creep of the progressive faction's efforts to marginalize our traditional Judeo-Christian worldview has redefined the ethic upon which our forefathers built this great democracy. And, in doing so, we have de-stabilized the foundation of The United States of America.
That foundation is hope. Hope that tomorrow will be better than today. Hope that inspires this generation and the next to never lose sight of our dreams...no matter how much pain we experience.
We have replaced this hope with entitlement. Entitlement is societal ether, numbing the pain and deadening the pursuit of happiness.
Folks, it is a simple equation. If you take away Joe and Jane's ability to reach for their dreams, then you have taken away their life and their liberty. The Second Continental Congress knew that these three fundamental "inalienable rights" do not work independently. And, so do those in government today who would forsake these rights in order to create a more "equitable" and "tolerant" society.
I believe that the root problem is a systemic laziness fueled by the fact that Joe and Jane would rather get their information from the internet and TMZ, than take the time necessary in order to understand the tyrannical nature of the progressive faction and their desire to centralize this economy. Don't believe me? Go to your facebook page and ask your friends if it is possible to acquire a student loan from a private lending institution.
But Joe and Jane don't really care too much about all of that anymore. Joe and Jane, in all of their soaring rhetoric about serving those who have the least, have become so self-serving and ego-centric that if something does not directly impact their narrow self-interests then they choose not to focus on it. In time, the natural byproduct to this is a nation of infants who lack the maturity or humility to accept what experience teaches is best for our nation, and instead cry when they see others with something that they do not have. A progressive would have you believe that in that situation, government should play the role of parent, and has the responsibility to see to it that there are no unhappy babies. Anyone who has been the parent of multiple children knows that all this will accomplish is stifling the growth and maturation of the upset baby, and probably make the other baby angry.
The solution to all of this is simple. You allow Joe and Jane the opportunity to grow up. Teach them to make decisions for themselves, and reward those Joes and Janes who actually do something with their lives. The problem with the presentation of this solution is that liberal progressives have raised a generation of Joes and Janes who now have a stranglehold on government, education, and the media...faction.
Rather than manage by what is right based on our traditional core values, they choose to manage by the litmus test of what:
(a) Sounds right and...
(b) Is not boring.
Don't believe me? Go to your facebook page and ask if anyone has a problem with an oil company or bank turning a profit this year?
If I contend that government is not the solution to our situation in life; then, Joe and Jane owe me an explanation as to why that cannot be. That solution must be centered on something more than "because that is the way I feel." That is an infantile defense of one's position and not worthy of credence when discussing matters of the common defense, the general Welfare and the Blessings of Liberty. Here is the reality facing each and every one of us; it should no longer be good enough to attribute solutions to massive problems to those that:
(a) Sound right and...
(b) Are not boring.
That is how we got into this mess in the first place.
Joe and Jane are the solution. And, by Joe and Jane, I mean go look in the mirror.
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