My grandfather used to say, “If you want to live like a Republican, vote Democrat.” God bless his dear, departed soul but I don’t think he foresaw American society becoming so entrenched in a Democratic party “step down” into entitlement. Back when my grandfather voted regularly, Democrats were seen to provide opportunity so it makes sense that if you voted for them, you’d get more opportunity to advance your situation.
For my grandfather and the rest of his generation, those opportunities meant advancement by dint of hard work. Work, entrepreneurship; through your sweat came rewards.
But with the boom of technology and the mantra of “better living through chemistry” society has somehow changed and the rugged individualist is no longer the norm. Instead we’ve become a society of Little Orphan Annies, blind and unable to function without a continuing stream of pablum from Daddy Warbucks. (The irony of that analogy should not escape you.) And now we’ve put Robin Hood and His Merry Band in charge and they are taking from the “rich” as fast as they can to give to the alleged “poor”. But while Robin Hood’s mission was actually rather noble, in that it was cheats he put in his sights, this Democratic administration IS the cheats, and there is nothing noble whatsoever in their cause.
Our government was founded “of the people, by the people, for the people”. Our elected representatives serve – a privilege, mind you – at the people’s pleasure. The current state of government – trillion dollar deficits spinning further and further out of control, special interests, millions spent on lobbying, etc. – speaks volumes about the dangerously slacking mindset of our society. There is so much blatant hypocrisy in government today I am at a loss to understand the lack of equally blatant outcry, both through our free press and through our votes. This complacence is not the America envisioned 222 years ago, nor is this complacence part and parcel of the America in which I grew up.
Again and again I find myself returning to the Founding Fathers. Returning to the documents that birthed a country once seen as the light of the entire world. I do not claim to be as wise as those who risked everything to give life to such a dream, but I am wise enough to understand that to sustain that dream means we must cleave to it with all our might. We do not toss it in the trash simply because it wasn’t created to provide instant gratification for some overblown ego.
Indeed, one of the most remarkable things one finds in the origins of America is the inherent ideology of checks and balances. The Founding Fathers knew only too well the consequences of concentrating power in the hands of a few and at every turn they moved to keep the power of this country in the hands of its people. Their dream was for an independent people where the government oversaw only the minimums needed to benefit the collective. It was never their intention that government be the sole provider of…everything. I believe Thomas Jefferson when he said, “I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.”
Yet that has, for all intents and purposes, become the role of the America’s government. Part Daddy making sure the children have toys, part Mommy refereeing every little squabble in the sandbox; handing out allowances and timeouts because we – we, the people – seem to no longer be able to think for ourselves.
Yes, I’m painting with a broad brush. But nitpick all you want, the net result remains the same. Instead of demanding that government perform only its intended, limited role and no more, by our individual vote we have, collectively, chosen to hand over our power to a few and it is most apparent they do not have the best interests of this country at heart. We have elected a President who does not believe in the basic tenets of this country and we – we, the people – have given him and others like him our collective nod to make a mockery of those tenets. Indeed, we have collectively given them the nod to take this country straight into the arms of fascism.
The problems that we, as a people, face today are really no different than those that faced the Founding Fathers 222 years ago. But there is a deep and painful irony in the realization that the enemy is no longer without; today the enemy is within and as deeply entrenched as the tyrannical monarchy that spurred the birth of this nation.
I, for one, did not sign up for this little trip to hell in a “hope and change” handbasket. I know there are many others who feel the same way but the question becomes: are there enough of us left to make a difference? I choose to make my voice heard, by writing here and by writing my elected representatives and questioning them at every turn. I vote regularly, both at the polls and with my dollars. I take responsibility for the choices I make and accept the consequences of my actions. Do you? Or do you find it all too much a bother and just assume someone else will take care of it for you, thereby fulfilling that ironic definition: “ass – u – me”?
Silence is no longer an option. We, the people, must insist – loud and long – for a return to basic principles. It is no longer as simple as making a choice between Democrat and Republican, the choice is now for the existence of America herself.
Bravo! Well said indeed. There is a strange social disconnect going on and it is very frightening.