Well, I have returned after a brief hiatus to cast my bread once again upon the waters of the blogosphere. Today's question is "Where are our principled leaders?" You know, the ones willing to fall on their swords for deeply held beliefs, core values, bedrock principles. I recall that our Founding Fathers "pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor" to the cause of independence. Each election cycle brings me closer to the realization that our nation is woefully lacking in this type of individual in today's national political realm. There may be many reasons for this, but the reasons are for a later blog. Now to the matter at hand.
I grew up being taught and even believing that a man's word was his bond. Oh, and by the way, a man's word was as good as law for a long time in this great land of ours. My dad always stressed that you kept your word regardless of the cost to you personally. I guess that was his sacred honor. People used to transact business on a word and a handshake. As our nation began to slide into its present moral morass, folks could no longer rely on a man's word. They relied on their lawyers to force folks into keeping their word or to assist them in squirming out of their own word. It is so sad to say that now fewer than one in six people trust nor respect our elected "leaders", perhaps because they have become so adept at twisting out of promises, bending the truth to buoy their self-aggrandizing positions on issues of concern and slithering out of commitments they have made by parsing words to advance themselves politically (or worse, financially). They have sold their principles for temporal advancement and selfish gain.
I think the citizenry still gets it. We are longing for men and women of principle (American principles formed and fostered by those that have preceded us in this great land, those who left its care and nurture to us now living) that will truly lead by example, by sacrifice, by their sacred honor rather than for the fulfillment of their own appetites for power, money and influence. Do they not realize that leaders are effective and hold a positive place for posterity only when they are wed to their principles? May heaven break this light upon us all.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Personal Responsibility
I don't want to beat a dead horse, but the recent "Economic Rescue" package reflects how out of touch our government and its "leadership" (or lack thereof) is with mainstream Americans. Essentially, the decision makers we put into office (yes, this is what happens in a Representative Republic) decided to give hard-earned dollars from the working public that live within their means to those who are either too irresponsible to manage within their means or too ill-informed to know what their means are. Thus we have thousands of loans "guaranteed" by the Feds to limit the pain of the irresponsible.
What happened to the American virtue of personal responsibility here? The general public still get it....each is responsible for their own actions. We reap what we sow. BUT the elected officials in Washington D.C. and their appointed, often lifelong bureaucrats, want the easy way out for everyone. Since when was there no chastisement allowed for the error of our ways? Perhaps some of those who chose to limit pain of others were really covering themselves.
Regretfully, the second vote on the "bailout" passed; enough "goodies" were added in to tempt weaker legislators to forsake their principles. What a shame! I understand well the representative republic our forefathers gave us when this great nation was established, a system in which our elected representatives are trusted to use their best judgment and vote their conscience on each matter. I also understand well political alliances and loyalties to leaders and colleagues in the Congress and Administration. I will not attempt to excoriate those who voted for this travesty of capitalism for their decision to vote for the bill. The potentially disastrous eventuality of government bureaucracy managing our nation’s banking is incomprehensible at best.
The American citizenry are tired of propping up those that make poor and misguided decisions. We are losing confidence in government’s ability to provide a platform for individual achievement, flourishing private enterprise, self-sufficiency and self-reliance. We are tired of being led down a primrose path by politicians that want to build and retain their power and influence. The march toward government control of all aspects of our lives will quicken with each succeeding step made to “take care of the ill-informed, gullible and incompetent public”, as most of us are viewed by the intellectual elite that have seized our institutions and instruments of government. And then we were further insulted by socializing of our banks and now insurance by alleged conservatives? Come on now. Please wake me. I am having a terrible nightmare!
Support fully free market capitalism and strong conservative principles that were put into action at the birth of our nation and re-instilled by President Reagan. We need new and bold leadership. Be bold and be strong, banish fear and doubt, for the blessings of our Lord will be with you going in and with you going out. (Paraphrase of Joshua 1:1-8).
What happened to the American virtue of personal responsibility here? The general public still get it....each is responsible for their own actions. We reap what we sow. BUT the elected officials in Washington D.C. and their appointed, often lifelong bureaucrats, want the easy way out for everyone. Since when was there no chastisement allowed for the error of our ways? Perhaps some of those who chose to limit pain of others were really covering themselves.
Regretfully, the second vote on the "bailout" passed; enough "goodies" were added in to tempt weaker legislators to forsake their principles. What a shame! I understand well the representative republic our forefathers gave us when this great nation was established, a system in which our elected representatives are trusted to use their best judgment and vote their conscience on each matter. I also understand well political alliances and loyalties to leaders and colleagues in the Congress and Administration. I will not attempt to excoriate those who voted for this travesty of capitalism for their decision to vote for the bill. The potentially disastrous eventuality of government bureaucracy managing our nation’s banking is incomprehensible at best.
The American citizenry are tired of propping up those that make poor and misguided decisions. We are losing confidence in government’s ability to provide a platform for individual achievement, flourishing private enterprise, self-sufficiency and self-reliance. We are tired of being led down a primrose path by politicians that want to build and retain their power and influence. The march toward government control of all aspects of our lives will quicken with each succeeding step made to “take care of the ill-informed, gullible and incompetent public”, as most of us are viewed by the intellectual elite that have seized our institutions and instruments of government. And then we were further insulted by socializing of our banks and now insurance by alleged conservatives? Come on now. Please wake me. I am having a terrible nightmare!
Support fully free market capitalism and strong conservative principles that were put into action at the birth of our nation and re-instilled by President Reagan. We need new and bold leadership. Be bold and be strong, banish fear and doubt, for the blessings of our Lord will be with you going in and with you going out. (Paraphrase of Joshua 1:1-8).
Friday, November 7, 2008
Democracy?
This post was meant for November 7, but was inadvertently published only in part due to a computer outage that occurred simultaneous to its initial posting. Please accept my apologies.
As I watched news coverage of the 2008 U.S. elections, I became very intrigued with the apparent lack of knowledge of the American form of government. Person after person, regardless of whether they were for the winning candidate, appeared on screen praising the wonders of our Democracy and how our form of government allowed for a smooth transition of power. All these well-positioned "experts" were from supposedly educated and informed circles with respect to government and civic action. Finally, I could take no more and caught myself shrieking at the television .... "What Democracy? We live in a Representative Republic"!
Ah, the genius of our Founding Fathers. They realized that if decisions were to be made on the basis of democracy, very few things would ever get done. On second thought.......... But seriously, the ability to go to the polls and elect someone to represent our views and values, our principles and preferences, has fostered a great and flexible system of governing has rested solidly on principles of faith, selflessness and personal responsibility tied to unique privilege. We select fellow citizens based upon their knowledge, character, tenacity and wisdom and trust them to vote their conscience and judgement; if, in our estimation, they fail us in carrying this solemn duty entrusted to them, we can fire them at the next election by voting for someone in their stead. And these citizens should not, must not, be reliant on "public opinion and sentiment" to make their decisions. After all, they are representatives, not messengers of the masses.
And, what if we, as citizens on the "losing" side of this electoral process, are dissatisfied with the outcome of decisions made by the duly elected representatives? Why, what else? In true capitalist fashion, we survey the marketplace for new representatives that may be hired next time round when we may fire those currently in office. Yes, our Founding Fathers were truly geniuses.
As I watched news coverage of the 2008 U.S. elections, I became very intrigued with the apparent lack of knowledge of the American form of government. Person after person, regardless of whether they were for the winning candidate, appeared on screen praising the wonders of our Democracy and how our form of government allowed for a smooth transition of power. All these well-positioned "experts" were from supposedly educated and informed circles with respect to government and civic action. Finally, I could take no more and caught myself shrieking at the television .... "What Democracy? We live in a Representative Republic"!
Ah, the genius of our Founding Fathers. They realized that if decisions were to be made on the basis of democracy, very few things would ever get done. On second thought.......... But seriously, the ability to go to the polls and elect someone to represent our views and values, our principles and preferences, has fostered a great and flexible system of governing has rested solidly on principles of faith, selflessness and personal responsibility tied to unique privilege. We select fellow citizens based upon their knowledge, character, tenacity and wisdom and trust them to vote their conscience and judgement; if, in our estimation, they fail us in carrying this solemn duty entrusted to them, we can fire them at the next election by voting for someone in their stead. And these citizens should not, must not, be reliant on "public opinion and sentiment" to make their decisions. After all, they are representatives, not messengers of the masses.
And, what if we, as citizens on the "losing" side of this electoral process, are dissatisfied with the outcome of decisions made by the duly elected representatives? Why, what else? In true capitalist fashion, we survey the marketplace for new representatives that may be hired next time round when we may fire those currently in office. Yes, our Founding Fathers were truly geniuses.
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