America; Formerly known as the “Land of the Free”
Understanding the cause of our nation’s current economic meltdown does not require a Harvard MBA. America’s jobless crisis and housing crash is not the fault of our corporations or the so called “evil rich” being too greedy. Additionally, our problems cannot be laid fully at the doorstep of a single political party. The problems we face today are the direct result of a broken system of government that for many years has been chipping away at the stable and predictable foundation upon which our country was founded. Our elected officials have finally chipped away enough that the America we know is beginning to teeter under the weight of unpredictable regulation, reckless spending and massive debt.
Disagreement on the function of government is nothing new. Compared to times past, today’s legislative process might seem fairly calm considering that on the floor of the House of Representatives, fist fights were once relatively common as debate over what was best for the country became heated. The key phrase is, “what is best for the country”. Fights between principled men who were willing to defend their belief that their plan was best for America starkly contrasts today’s politician who is thinking, “What will get me reelected”.
Statesmen have been replaced by sound bites that tell us little about a candidate’s agenda. Modern politicians have little regard for substantive debate since this would expose the shallowness of their arguments and threaten their grasp on power. Using media to attack opponents and candidates surrounding themselves with children to show us that “they really care” has replaced heartfelt conviction and true patriotism.
Many who work hard to support their families have become disenchanted with the political process, simply giving up their right to vote. Frustration leads to a belief that there is nothing we can do to fight back. Each time an American gives up on their right to vote, the number of voters a politician must convince to cast a ballot for them is reduced. Few understand that the theory of negative campaigning is not based on hurting opponents as much as it is designed to turn away voters.
Our Founding Fathers often warned of allowing government to step outside of its limited purpose carefully outlined in the Constitution. Perhaps the greatest warning to the American people was penned in 1835 by French historian, Alexis de Tocqueville in his two part work, ‘Democracy in America’. Tocqueville warned of what he called “soft despotism” or a government that takes all responsibility for everyone’s happiness so long as the government remained “sole agent and judge of it”. He wrote that “this power would resemble parental authority attempting to keep people in perpetual childhood by relieving people from all the trouble of thinking and all the cares of living”.
Tocqueville further described that the “softness” of this despotism consists of people’s voluntary surrender of their liberty and their tendency to look habitually to the state for their needs. Citizens vote for those politicians who promise to use the state to provide for their needs and politicians deliver as long as citizens do whatever is necessary to provide for everyone’s desires.
These ideas are not lost on today’s political elite. Every new bill that creates a new entitlement brings us one step closer to the very system Tocqueville warned us of. Those accepting the entitlement whether by choice or circumstance surrender their liberty since now it is the government that controls their very existence.
The decay of liberty is always blanketed in the name of helping a disadvantaged class. Those brave enough to offer opposition are cast as heartless villains who would just as soon throw people onto the street to starve. Political courage is a rare commodity these days leading many elected officials away from their own conscious to the detriment of all.
Saving America from ourselves will be neither easy nor painless. The momentum toward a “nanny state” can only be stopped if enough voters wake up to the fact that we are quickly approaching the point of no return for our republic. We have to, as voters, restore patriotism and pride in the American spirit by electing representatives that place America ahead of political expediency. Each of us has the responsibility to sound the alarm that liberty and freedom in America is being attacked under the guise of providing everything for everyone.
There is a groundswell revolution sweeping the nation evidenced by the tea party movement leaving it up to us to make sure that this movement does not die. Everyday Americans are waking up to the tyranny and corruption of a government that is destroying the freedoms and liberties that made America the greatest nation in the history of the world. We are the people who can stop the march to socialism by supporting and electing people who have the boldness and courage to fight for what’s best for America instead of what is best for themselves.
The choice is simple; “Surrender or fight”. I choose to fight.
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