I care much too much about politics. And tonight I'm watching the news through the cracks in my hand held over my face. I can't stay away from it, but I can hardly watch the news because I don't like what I am seeing.
To me, the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are inspired documents--the men who wrote and shaped them were directed, led and inspired by God. I value and treasure the freedoms I enjoy daily because of the inspired words and ideas of these documents.
Such as:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the consent of the governed. (Declaration of Independence)
Or this one:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances (1st Amendment)
I believe in the idea that our founding fathers had--that the power lies in the people and that any power held by the "government" is given to it by the people. In fact, many of the founding fathers were concerned about conceding any individual rights/power to a federal government. Of course I want to give power to the government to raise up armies to protect the nation. I am willing to pay the government to provide fire service, police protection, and even to make the city where I live look beautiful with trees, grass (a little bit here in good ol' AZ) and parks.
But my skin starts to itch and the hair on my neck stands straight up when I hear politicians promising that the government will take care of every problem I have or may ever have. Are they saying that the government can solve all my problems? That a government program can help me to have more patience with my three little ones or give me more energy so that I can do the best I can each day to provide fun, positive, learning experiences for my kids? That I am not capable of getting through hard times without help from the government?
I know that many people seem to feel like life is very hard for them. And I know that although I have my pity-party moments when life can feel hard for me too, I do feel very blessed with a nice home, a good husband, a safe neighborhood, an education, a strong moral code, even a mom and dad that are still happily married, and I guess the list could go on. But how can the government be the answer to hard things? How can people feel inspired by someone who is saying, "I know you can't do it on your own and you don't have to...give us your money and the ok, and we'll do everything for you?"
To me, the inspiring thing to hear is, "You can do it. You live in a land of unlimited opportunities. There is nothing that you can't do if you set your mind to it. Hard things will not get in your way, they will make you stronger, more compassionate. You will have a unique perspective because of your difficult experiences. And I will make sure the government does not get in your way. A large government can never make as good decisions for you as you can make for yourself. And as you become more compassionate through your struggles, look around and help your neighbor if you see that he or she is in need of a helping hand."
It seems that the "populist" rhetoric is sounding pretty good to a lot of people during these primaries. People like hearing that the government will "tax the rich" or make sure they never have to pay a mortgage payment again. They like feeling that they don't have to do it "alone." And these "populists" are viewed as compassionate. But how can somebody really be generous or compassionate with somebody else's money? And isn't that what money from taxpayers is? Isn't it my money and your money? I really enjoyed
this account. I feel that we are slowly inching away from feeling any individual responsibility for helping those in need because we expect that the government will take care of everyone. And those who receive help from the government are starting to feel entitled to that help; are becoming dependent on that help; and are missing out on the feeling of gratitude for the help because the faces of all the donors (the taxpayers) are hidden behind the government label. People forget that somebody...not the government...is paying for all the programs.
Aside from the issue of the money spent, it is the entitlement mentality that is slowly eroding the character of the current generations (yes, me included!) It seems that those of us living in the United States feel that we should be entitled to happiness, ease of living, cable tv, high speed internet, and did I mention happiness? And hard work has been erased from the definition of happiness.
I love to read. And many of the books I am drawn to and think about over and over again are those in which the main character does not have an ideal life. In fact, life is really hard. By today's standards, the character should need years of therapy to overcome the hardships he or she had to deal with. However, in these books, it is the hard experiences of life that result in the success and the formation of character.
For example, in "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" (SPOILER warning if you haven't read the book) the main character grows up in poverty in New York. She has to fight for an education, her father is a drunk, she goes to work at an early age. It seems that life is not fair to her (it seems that her situation is a hard one). However, she works hard, her experiences give her a unique writing style and material to write about, she learns many valuable things from her mother who taught her to work and save money, and even from her father who really loved and understood her in his own way, and in the end her success is even more sweet because of what she has been through to get there.
Do we want to be robbed of that feeling of real success? Because I believe that is what happens when the government steps in and tries to "fix" all your problems and hard things.
Also, in "Team of Rivals" which is a biography of Abraham Lincoln, we read about the men who were competing with Lincoln for the Republican nomination and then later became members of Lincoln's cabinet. All of them had experienced very hard things in their lives, including always the death of at least one person very close to them. Lincoln lived in poverty and he lost his mother, his sister, a woman he probably would have married and children. He had a poor relationship with his father and his wife had some pretty major issues as well. But Lincoln, the amazing leader, scholar, person of great compassion was created by each of his difficult experiences. Would we dare rob him of any of his hard things? Because maybe he would not have been fit for the great responsibility he had to hold this country together while ridding it of slavery if he had not had each of his difficult experiences.
As I stood in line today to vote, I looked around at the people waiting to vote. I saw large ones, skinny ones, short ones, tall ones. Some had a lot of hair, some were bald. Some had permed hair, some wore it straight. I looked around and wondered what each of those people felt. What were their "hard things." Was the woman three people in front of me a single mom? Was the man across the way struggling to make ends meet? Did the large man have a job? I felt a desire to sit down and really find out what they were experiencing day-to-day.
And I wanted to find out if they were voting for someone they felt would somehow make their life easier. And if so, why? Why would they trust a stranger to take care of them?
And then I wanted to tell them that if it was hard, they could do it. That if it seemed black today, it would be better tomorrow. That they had the ability to make it work. That all of these experiences would make them better in the long run.
I wish there were more candidates out there who had the courage to steer clear of promises of additional government intervention and help and programs and instead could instill a sense of power into each person that would help them to reach their potential. I mean, it's the same with my kids. If I give them everything they want, with no consequences and no expectations, they will most likely have a hard time learning self-mastery and will have a hard time reaching their highest potential.
Maybe this is getting a little hokey, and a lot long. But I just had to get some of my conservative rantings out because looking at the primary results so far, I feel like nobody is listening!!
