My frustration is the massive apathy that has so clearly taken over in our country. It's very disappointing. This is not the way that my father or grandfather talked about things and how they ought to be. But, if enough people are lulled by excessive comforts, then we can be sold a bill of goods ($13T in debt) while sitting in comfy cubicles, driving over-priced cars (ya, I've been guilty of that one too), living in nice houses, etc. etc.
To the issue of how good we have it here - globally speaking, if you make more than $34K/year, then you are in the top 4% globally. Doesn't mean things aren't tight, but most of us live with a lot of excesses we don't really actually need. We want them. We're willing to go into debt to get them...then we complain we don't have enough money.
In that whole process, we've been lulled into a false sense of stability in our country. There are people who are taking advantage of our debt - and more that that are taking advantage of kicking the U.S. while we're down which should anger us at the national level...but apathy and lethargy have taken hold. There are elected officials (many of whom have been elected with questionable election results) who are pushing more debt on the American people, liberal agendas that make the removal of Constitutional rights legal and a general reliance on government for way too much that small business can easily provide...and for a lot less.
We have it really good here. I love the country we live in. I'm sure a lot of people felt the same way in the 1700's. "Why rock the boat? Is it really that bad here?" Of course, things could be worse. I would have to say that I would agree with our Founders that life could also be better.
Taxation in our country is really more about control and greed and is sadly sugar-coated with this false idea that the bills passed are somehow good for us because Big Brother knows what's best for us and that we can't make our own intelligent decisions. John Kerry's arrogance was proof positive of this notion when he proposed that he could better provide solutions on increasing a small businesses opportunity to hire more staff. Silly me that I would think that the more money I had (thanks to lower taxes), that it would allow me to hire an assistant - thus freeing me up to pursue more business. Nope. According to people like John Kerry and Joe Biden, paying more in taxes is supposed to be patriotic and further enable me to hire people. Wrong. Dead, flat wrong. There's not an economist that would agree with that. There's not an argument anyone can present that can make that argument stand.
We The People have been pushed into a critical point. The idea of the Tea Party movement is great. But honestly, I don't believe it's enough, not by a long shot. We have made some great strides getting some better (out-of-the-Beltway) people elected. But this is an on-going, far from over battle.
Growing up, I would have thought that people would have a better idea of seeing the line that must get crossed before the People stand up and say "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!" Pushing 40, I feel like things have changed in our country and people can't see the line because it's been distorted by special interest groups and media and there's not a true moral compass that governs the majority of our republic.
Issues are right and wrong, black and white. The gray area is where people with an agenda try to put things and use phrases like "it's all relative" to manipulate the issue. There have to be people that are willing to stand up against legislated tyranny and call it out for what it is. It's an uncomfortable place to be because it puts you in the position of being the whistle-blower or the person that gets branded a radical for making right-wing extremist statements..or...in today's media terminology, a low-level terroristic threat.
So many Americans have truly forgotten (or never learned) that it was a bunch of "low-level terrorists" that helped us found this country. They stood up against excessive taxation. They stood up against a power-wielding king that told them how to run industry (EPA, FCC, etc.) and would not allow religious freedom.
We call them patriots today. Back in England, they were branded as traitors by the king.
Civil disobedience was in order. It provided great results for our country. It also took people that were willing to put their selfish interests aside for what would be in the best long-term interests of our nation.
To quote Thomas Jefferson...
"God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion. The people cannot be all, and always, well informed. The part which is wrong will be discontented, in proportion to the importance of the facts they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions, it is lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty.
And what country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not
warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to the facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two?
The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
It is its natural manure."
-Thomas Jefferson
It would be a further exercise in flapping my gums to respond to each of Jefferson's paragraphs above. He said it best, so I'm going to leave it to his wisdom.
I never thought that I might live in a time where this could be the case in the U.S. To his own words, "let them take arms." He saw it coming a long time ago. Surely he didn't think it would take 200+ years to get to this point, but he did see it would arrive again.
How do we respond? To his words, we take up arms...whatever arms are left that the rulers are trying to outlaw. They know they are pushing the American public to a point of needing to refresh the tree of liberty and they are working diligently day and night to remove our ability to do so. So diligently that Harry Reid even said he'd keep everyone in session through Jan. 4 if need be to push their agenda. The idea there that he'd keep everyone away from their homes and families during Christmas, etc.
The Founding Fathers stood up against what was wrong. They risked professional relationships and reputations. They risked family and friendships to stand up against it. They knew it was the right thing to do. Some died for that belief in what was right. It was likely a pretty tough pill for them to swallow that it fell to their generation to do such a thing.
It is my opinion that we are facing a similar, if not greater, level of tyranny from our elected officials than what faced our Founding Fathers.
How do we respond?
When do we respond?
The more disturbing question...
Do we even bother?
