Lately I’ve been hearing a lot of complaints from the ordinary folks of America. We have many reasons to complain, just as we have reasons to be grateful. It’s just difficult to remain grateful when we are being beaten – however metaphorical it may be – so often.
The good people of this nation have always just rolled with the punches with our famous grace and stout heartedness. These are two of our greatest qualities. Sure, we can handle it; we’re the backbone of this nation, but our inherent ability to field the ball is also part of the problem. These days, we’re being given more and more to deal with. Most of what was and is great in this country was born from hard work and prudent defiance, the desire to get a fair shake influenced by our sense of fair play, and birthed by our willingness to suffer, work, and sacrifice for it. The mixers holler that the billionaires worked for their gains whilst ignoring that we have all worked for our gains, and we are all victims of the small faction of parasites who siphon from us by using the system without effort. Let’s remember though, many who siphon from the worker bees are those same billionaires who point fingers downward.
The largest portion of our population lives from the middle down, and it is unfortunate that we are, now more than ever, purposely being stripped of even little perks in daily life that help us manage. Life for the middle incomers was never easy, but it’s been going in the wrong direction for the last 40 years or so. Business is business and business keeps the nations running, but the people are the rails which keep any nation on track. The importance of providing a political climate that enhances life for any national population is one which keeps a country solvent. Let’s never forget that or allow that to be undermined.
As the people of this nation feel the chokehold closing, those at the top add and pad for themselves. Worse, as legislators become the pool-boys for private interest, we the people won’t be able to work hard enough to be able to provide for ourselves.
Worst for all, our leadership fails to realize that only so much wealth can be removed from circulation before a nation collapses. We’ve all played Jenga; we all know the story – and we should all know the history as well.
In one of my earliest columns, I talked about Erma Bombeck, how she wrote her humorous columns and books, and kept the people laughing. Even through hard times, when America didn’t necessarily mean to be laughing, Erma’s humor ushered us through difficult times. I admitted then, I’m no Erma Bombeck, but I would love to use this precious space every week to bring joy and light. Still, the issues that have been delivered upon America, right now, are some of the most critical in our history, and must be addressed until remedied. In my humble opinion, we have not, since the Civil War, been faced with such dangerous, imperative issues as we are now. Even civil rights and Vietnam weren’t concealing the surreptitious undermining of our legislative process. The control of our most precious democracy, the greatest in the eyes of the world, has been systematically and patiently usurped by private business. The chances of particular members of our governing body getting themselves back on keel, while under the influence of, or promise of, great power and wealth are pretty slim.
If those of us who challenge such affected corruption growing among our leadership seem overzealous, it’s because “desperate times call for desperate measures.” This is our country’s sovereignty we are bobbling around. Without dedicated, solid, unimpeded and prudent legislation from incorruptible and principled legislators, America can’t survive as any form of democracy.
Power is a very enticing, corruptive, addictive thing. Time and history’s single greatest seduction is the wealth, exclusivity, ability to be self-indulgent, ease of achieving success, accomplishment and simplicity of living luxuriously that such power entitles its holders to. Once its entitlement and privilege is experienced, few can turn around and walk away. Sadly, as we can see in historical leaders who became dictators, and dictators who became madmen, power in government and being able to control the people and the purse of any single nation is the ultimate in such pursuits.
Still, “A house divided against itself shall not stand.” We’ve got that one on very good authority.
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