30 Sep 2005 @ 10:11 PM 

Something which strikes me on occasion is how, when I speak to my coworkers or others with any brains at all, and the topic drifts to politics or economics, there is a sameness. Almost everyone I converse with is generally reasonable, with a few blind spots (we all have them). Almost nobody claims that Tom DeLay is a good example, and almost nobody claims that Mike Moore is anything but a self-aggrandizing propagandist. Nearly everyone agrees that the unfettered capitalism of the late 19th century which led to the Robber Barons was a bad idea, and almost everyone also agrees that the total socialism practiced in Cuba is not exactly an economic boom.

Yet, all these reasonable people go to the polls every two to four years and vote for people who are anything but reasonable. How in the world do we get ideologues and idiots in office, when most people are basically decent human beings, with the minor difference in opinion about things like the proper role of government in our lives? It’s astounding, especially when you consider that the American governmental process is remarkably transparent compared to many other countries. If this is the best of all possible systems, I’m glad to be living in it.

Of course, another issue which recurs is a growing lack of personal responsibility among individuals. Blaming the government for the failures of the past month is easy. Now, what is that pesky phrase in the Constitution? Oh, right – We the People. We, the people, are considered to be the sovereign rulers of the United States. We, the people, should not be waiting for the government to Do Something when things go awry. We, the people, comprise the country and if our elected representatives aren’t doing something, we need to. This lack of personal responsibility spreads through the public school system as well, with the consequence that parents seem too willing to abdicate all requirements that they raise their own darned kids, preferring the strangers of a major institution to take care of that rather personal issue. Mystifying.

Good night.

Posted By: Gary
Last Edit: 30 Sep 2005 @ 10:11 PM

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Responses to this post » (3 Total)

 
  1. Kit says:

    “We, the people, are considered to be the sovereign rulers of the United States. We, the people, should not be waiting for the government to Do Something when things go awry.”

    Amen. Great post.

  2. Rosanne says:

    I agree, however the guy that’s voicing his opinion on the KGKL call-in survey this week is really torquing me off… constant repetition of “why didn’t they help themselves, like the Amerikun peepul are supposed to do… why do they keep asking the government for help?”

    The impression I get is that he would have been part of the Gretna gauntlet… “go home, lift yourself by your bootstraps above the flood line, and don’t impose your problem on me”.

    I suppose he’s got funds in place and ready to go, when the tornado wipes away his livelihood. If it takes his family with it, well, he shouldn’t impose his grief and hardship on me. >:-(

    Grrrr.

  3. Gary says:

    What really struck me, in several of the stories from people actually on the ground in New Orleans, is how the government (at all levels) seemed to actually be a hindrance many times. Lots of people were willing and able to walk out of the basin, but were forced back into the cesspool by Authority with guns.

    Sure, there are many people who need help. As a society, we cannot in good conscience tell the weak and powerless and infirm and elderly that they should just buck up and take care of themselves. But, if you look at that photolog of the hotel worker who hotwired a friend’s truck to get out of New Orleans, you see what he saw at the Convention Center. People, most of whom were able-bodied, waited for the gummint to come and help them. They didn’t even consider that the government could fail them. Considering the economic status of most of that city, you’d think they’d know better by now.

    Off to read Ayn Rand.


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