About a month ago, I stumbled onto Scott Stewart's Facebook wall, where he asked a question about some current topic of interest. Since that time, he has followed that question with several more, and I have avidly read all of the comments posted in answer to his questions. The topics have varied, ranging from the building of a mosque in New York to taxation, health care, term limits, immigration reform, corporations, welfare and government in general.
For the most part, the commentary has been serious and well thought out, and leading in many cases to further questions. People seem to be well aware that the issues are complex,and often interdependent. "If you pick a blade of grass, you move a star." Representing a fairly wide spectrum of opinion, the participants in this dialogue all appear to be serious in their concern for America, and in their willingness to contribute to its well-being.
I have now seen so many questions that I am getting truly confused. I'm asking myself if these questions aren't the trees, and if we aren't overlooking the forest in which they exist.
Is the basic issue that America is no longer what it was, and that ordinary citizens, scientists, engineers, lawyers and the like, are realizing that fact and getting concerned, very concerned, about it?
America used to be a country that could do anything, from evicting the English to becoming an industrial giant, to saving Europe, to putting a man on the moon. Now, we can't build a border fence, plug an oil leak or keep our major companies solvent, not to mention the fact that we can't seem to win a war anymore.
Is it that we have become too immersed in leading our own lives, enjoying the fruit of our labor, and leaving the responsibility of running the country to politicians, with almost no oversight? It wasn't meant to be that way. The founding fathers made it clear that an enlightened and active citizenry was a necessary part of preserving the republic which they worked so hard and risked so much to achieve.
Is it that we are becoming totally frustrated with government, as it exists today? We are no longer a two-party system. We have one party, the Incumbency Party. There is little real difference between Democrats and Republicans. Is Barrack Obama that different from George Bush? Really?
In my opinion, it's not that America has more and bigger problems than in the past, although it does have some major problems. America has always had problems, and it used to bite the bullet and solve them, no matter what it took. It entered World War II from a period of isolationism with almost no military force and no existing capacity to churn out the necessary military hardware to wage a two-front war. It landed a man on the moon in a space capsule that by today's standards was a tin can.
Part of the problem seems to be that our government has totally lost touch with the people that it is supposed to represent. It does as it seems fit, and in many cases what it does is based on personal or political considerations. Have you tried talking to your Congressman? Were you able to? Was he responsive to your concerns? Does he know what people think outside of the Beltway? In my experience, he is most deeply concerned about his re-election, and therefoe more than willing to sacrifice any of his ideals in return for political support from any interest group that will have him.
America has more well-educated and competent people than any country on Earth, yet most of us are like sheep, following questionable leaders into oblivion. Scott's questions are a start. Dialogue between opposing points of view is healthy, and questioning is an absolute necessity. But is that it? Where does it go next?
I think that the first step is to make the government responsive to the wants and needs of the people. They must be told what the people want, and if they won't listen, they must be replaced. You can't do this only from your laptop. Anyone can run for office in America, whether it be for Congress or city councilman. And everyone can vote. Maybe that's the starting point. We are less than two months from Election Day, and maybe it's time for Congress to hear from its constituency.
