I was a little bored at work, so I decided to vent:
I get most of my news from CNN, FOX, CNN Online, Drudge, & AM Radio…at least try to get a blend. I have tried NPR, but the program I always find in the morning is some monotone ramblings about relatively unimportant topics. I may be just hitting them at the wrong time, but I can’t appreciate the format…makes me want to sleep instead of think. Truthfully, I listen to Neil Boortz frequently, whose Libertarian views resonate closely with my own.
Growing up, I was what many would call a bleeding-heart liberal. After recent conversations with each of my parents, it’s easy to understand why. Both my Mom and my Dad are very much to the left, but for different reasons. My Dad is the eternal victim that believes the dark empire (rich) is out to completely screw the rest of us. My Mom is more aligned on the side of the basic sense of entitlement that is rampant in our country.
As you can tell by my dialog, I have changed my views a bit over the years. Growing up in that environment (home & New England), those Democratic punch lines were passionately drilled into my head. I, in turn, would blindly spew the rhetoric to everyone that would listen. The problem that I would encounter is the fact that some of my conservative buddies would continually take me to the cleaners when we engaged in political discussions. I found myself doing what I now find to be a frustrating element of liberalism (some, not all). Whenever I tried to argue a given point, I would argue using heaping amounts of passion and little more than sound-bytes. I quickly realized that the key to making an effective argument is having the necessary facts to support your position…something I later would try to instill in my Geometry students when discussion the idea of proof.
Many years later, I have done enough reading and listening to better understand the world and all of its complexities. Idealism has given way to realism. I’ve peeled back the onion enough to see that my original premises were without substance, driven more by compassionate idealism and not by a true understanding of the political and economic system in which we live.
Now that you know my life’s history, I’ll get to the good stuff:
1. I think that space exploration must continue. I don’t know enough about the funding structure, but I would like to see more private sector support. As many have said, innovation and advancement arises from exploration (and war). Also, as a species, we need to stop thinking of ourselves as the center of the universe.
2. I am mixed about the war with Iraq. I did not care for Bush’s timing and his methodology. I believe that the Iraq needed to be addressed, but I think that it could have been handled differently. I would have rathered we had better UN support, but not in the way that most advocate. Based upon what we know about the motives of the major UN powers, in relation to Iraq, it is obvious that we were not going to easily obtain their support for our actions. However, I think that Bush missed an opportunity to call the UN out and force their hand. Instead of taking NO for an answer and going it alone, he should have forced their hands based upon the fact that they must follow through with their own resolutions if they are to maintain any credibility in the world community. Since we are the biggest financial contributor to the UN, I think that we could have pounded on them a bit harder than we did. Then, when the evidence of their interactions with Iraq came to light, we would be in a better position to perhaps demand reform in the UN structure.
3. I think that we are indeed in the middle of world war with us on one side and radical Islam on the other. This is not a war of religion for us; it’s a war for survival. I think that we have forgotten the horror of 9/11, which is understandable, to an extent. We are so wrapped up in our own little worlds to pay attention to the bigger picture…However, the terrorists are still out there planning ways to kill YOU. No matter what we do, they want us dead. 9/11 was a wake-up call, but it didn’t last long enough. We’ve settled right back into our normal day-to-day life and lost sight of the underlying fact that the adversary in this situation does not forget, does not get back to normal life, does not have a change of heart. He wants us dead no matter what. The next time we hear from them on American soil, it might be when they vaporize 10 million people with a nuclear device. That day is coming…mark my words. This fact alone should keep you up at night. So, when you are standing at that ballot box, keep this in mind. We need strong leadership right now that is willing to speak in their language. George W Bush might be a moron to some degree, but he is the one that scares our enemies, not John Kerry.
4. I truly believe that our society is being overrun with a severe entitlement complex. Somewhere along the line, we lost sight of the basic tenet of capitalism that each member of society needs to contribute in order to obtain his piece of that ever-expanding pie. Yes, the pie is not finite….the beauty of the system. Everyone can succeed as long as they step up and do what it takes to get their piece. Everyone does not deserve a house and a nice car. Everyone doesn’t deserve economic security. Everyone doesn’t deserve financial stability. Our system in its basic construction does not guarantee that for anyone. Our system does, however, guarantee that those things can be obtained if you work hard and contribute to the system. We all want these things, but many of us somewhere along the line began to think that these are things that we are entitled to, which is a very dangerous thought process. The blood that fills the veins of this economy is laced with sweat from the brow of those making their way.
5. Our government is in dire need of an overhaul. Both parties are dead-set on spending us into oblivion (yes, both parties pmbuko). The only solution is to turn off the faucet. The only solution is to reduce taxation and force them to cut excess spending. Unfortunately, I think that we have gone too far down the line and given the government too much power. Like rats following the piper, the average public views government as the solution to all of society’s ills and are therefore willing to surrender more and more of their personal earnings to the cause. If they don’t, then the IRS thugs come knee-cap them. But, prior to that, they will be labeled as the greedy “rich” for not wanting to pay taxes, for not wanted to foot the bill for every subsidy/entitlement program that they come up with. God forbid the top 2% get back a portion of the well over 50% of the load that they pay for.
6. At the inner layers of this onion is the biggest problem with our government. As with most political bodies (similar to labor unions), the original intent is honorable and worthy, but our government now exists for it’s own existence. Politicians seek only to maintain their own power. They do so by keeping the flock at odds with each other. Using divisive and often unsolvable issues such as abortion and gay marriage, politicians herd the sheep into battle with each other to avoid being seen for what they are. Instead of digging deep into the real and complex issues that affect our daily lives, they keep us sparring over the sound-byte issues that fuel the passion. In doing so, they keep us from uniting (to some degree) behind the more pertinent cause of reforming the institution in which they serve.
Sermon Complete!….As you can see, I’m a bit jaded about politics and the state of the union. The one problem with pulling back the veil of ignorance is the recognition of the true state of affairs and how far things are out of control. When you really start to get a grasp on the system, you begin to wish that you had taken the blue pill.
