Where Have We Been - Where Are We Going

I’ve found as I get older, I tend to reflect much on the past. Old friends, places that I’ve been, things I have done, good times and the not so good times. I remember the 50’s, I was kid and living with the carefree freedom and innocence of a child but I also remember other things from that time. Being able, as a nine or ten year old, to be a free ranging little boy, being on my bike miles from mama’s side all day long, no one ever bothering me so long as I was home before dark. Going out at night and never locking the door or taking the keys from the car was another staple from that time. I look at all the technology we have now and am awed by it all but make no mistake for all that we’ve gained, we’ve also lost precious much, maybe our very souls. We’ve bettered our schools by getting the danger of Jesus Christ and God out of them, we teach that all people are victims and deserve to be given someone’s  property in repartition. We’ve learned that sex sells, dope makes us feel good about ourselves and life is easier without those peaky Commandments. Communism is no longer something that is going on somewhere else, far removed but may be alive and well next door. We’ve sure made a lot of progress in the last sixty years but just how’s it working out for us, is our society broken? Just what can we do to restore Faith and Honor to America again?

Throughout the history of America, there have always been dangers and challenges facing the Country and there have always been Americans willing to step forward and face these threats head on. They were, for the most part, just common folks, farmers, carpenters, lawyers, bankers or ditch diggers but they saw a threat and knew it was incumbent on them to step forward and be the tip of the spear, just as those before them had done. When you are given the Blessing of Devine Providence, you protect and nurture it that you may pass it on. We know that we need to do something but what, how could we possibly make a difference? I have a few simple ideas that work for me and maybe they will help you.

Accept the fact that anything worthwhile requires time and effort.

Take the time to ask “who am I, what do I believe and why”.

If you believe in America as it was founded, educate yourself about that founding. Meet the Framers up close, get to know them and their wisdom.

Have confidence in yourself, that you have something of importance to contribute.

Hold fast to the “Protection of Devine Providence”.

If I may quote Mr. Jefferson: “Shake off all the fears of servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear.”

Become knowledgeable of the issues facing the country and be able to argue solutions to these issues.

Be ready to talk to others, friends, family or the guy behind you in the checkout line. A two minute conversation may plant a seed of enlightenment.

Understand that some won’t allow themselves to be reached. “Neither cast ye your pearls before swine”.

This is a game of changing hearts and minds, one at a time. Reach somebody in some way today.

To solve the problems that face America today, we must first understand the root cause of those problems. Our Founders established our Nation based on the principles of Personal Liberty and Freedom,” 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”. They also believed that all free people had the responsibility to be self reliant because relying on others to provide the necessities of life, negated Personal Freedom, that the only economic system that fostered Personal Liberty was Free Market Capitalism. An excellent book on this topic is “The Road To Serfdom” by F. A. Hayek, in which he explains all other economic systems (Socialism, Communism Fascism, etc) end in totalitarianism. We also have a new threat called Progressivism, while all Marxist systems are Progressive in nature we have the Progressive that embraces Capitalism and at first glance seem benign. The main thing to remember about Progressives is that they always believe that all things can be made better by government. They do this by creating bureaucracies staffed with ever larger numbers of regulation writing  bureaucrats, designed to control our economy and lives. These regulations not only kill free markets but create a highly collectivist society that allows less and less Personal Freedom. The simple truth is that a Progressive Marxist and a Progressive Capitalist both arrive at the same destination and it isn’t Freedom City.

Bureaucracies are created to control, every time one is created or expanded, a small chip is cut from the Bill of Rights and if this keeps going the Bill of Rights won’t be worth the paper it’s printed on. The Democratic party has become completely Marxist in nature and therefore Progressive but the Republican party has also become very Progressive, still praising free markets but placing more and more regulations on them. The tragedy of 9/11 was  the result, in part, of regulations preventing the FBI and CIA from sharing intelligence. Rather than modifying these regulations, the Bush Administration created another bureaucracy to oversee both of them thereby making government bigger more costly and complicated. We must find and elect leaders that will end this runaway growth in our government and begin to reduce the size of government by reducing the number of Federal employees. Why do we have a Federal Department of Education when every state has their own Department of Education. Why do we have a Department of Labor when it is just a shill for big labor. Why do we have an ATF when we have an FBI, not to mention the Fast & Furious scandal.

Just remember, every time government gets bigger the people lose power and the private sector economy gets smaller.

Jim