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We all read the headlines every day. Our economy in shambles, enemies at the gates, and an uncertain future awaiting with jaws wide open. Is this all just doomsaying, or a harsh reality many of us have yet to face? Does the familiar comfort of the American Dream still keep you warm at night in the face of all this adversity? I have to ask myself this question every day, and the answer I get grips my stomach in a constant nervous tension. I look outward to a government that We the People created, and wonder if it has become the monster so many feared it would one day be. Healthcare reform presses down on us with its veiled promises to the weak and weary as governments abroad pick the bones of our once great nation clean and horde more dollars than ever before. Less and less money in the pockets of her citizens, less and less money in the coffers of her treasury, yet more and more of it is flowing freely from D.C. like a never ending tide of cheap glue and tape to hold us together. With our allies eyeing us warily, and our enemies hungrily, where does this leave the Great US of A?
Unfortunately most of us don't even know and are afraid to ask.
So we do what we always have, we put our faith in our leaders, hoping that they have our best interests in mind, but the more I see, the less I feel that faith being returned. I see enemies when I look at capitol hill. I see people willing to put their own interests above the greater good, and play on our emotions to silence a nervous population. Behind closed doors, they work to secure for themselves the future they envision, but the vision of the people, of the heart of our country, goes largely unrealized. Many voices shout into the wind, only to echo back unanswered, and all the while we are comforted with easy words from the mouths of people we have always known to be snakes and thieves, but what other choice do we have? The answer to that question is even more scary.
We have far and long seen ourselves in a glorified light. The pinnacle of civilization, technology, culture, and enlightenment. We boldly reach for ideals, and in our overwhelming sentiment of compassion we feel ourselves untouchable and our motives pure. How much is too much? What can we sustain while still achieving the dreams we once had? Progress, freedom, justice for all, responsible government, and the pursuit of happiness is quickly becoming a memory of better days. Many people cry for the hurting, and for the helpless, but when it comes to social programs, who really wins? A warm place in your heart is a poor substitute for security and a full stomach, but that is what we trade for when a shaky economy takes on the burdens of the lowest rungs on our economic ladder. Yes it is an ideal to strive for, but at the same time will we survive our own compassion? If the US cannot afford this step, if we are not ready, it is all of us who will pay, and all of us will be poor and unfortunate. If we falter, who will catch us? There is no one. No one but our enemies, who will devour us given the chance in a moment of weakness.
Healthcare isn't the only weapon on the battlefield, but all of your private lives are at risk. Already the government makes plans and signs forms to take away retirement plans... IRA's and 401K's, all the money you have saved during your lives as citizens of a capitalist country. They ARE planning on governing your money. They ARE planning on taking control of your assets for "safe keeping". What makes everyone so sure they can manage our money better than we can? After all, they did so well with social security. An endless string of government IOU's and a polite letter to tell you that you cannot access your funds for a few more years later than they previously thought will be your reward for complacency. The price you pay to be lead by the nose into socialism. Get ready America, because here it comes.
Everyone has seen the polls, and no one is fooled that this is what the American People want, but what is the cost of rising up and saying "NO MORE!"? When will enough be enough? At what point does the off-chance that we will come out of this alive get overshadowed by the creeping feeling that maybe... just maybe... we won't? A populist president sweeps in on a wave of discontent in the midst of a recession with promises of change and open government, but now where is this open door policy? Shut and locked behind a door with the rest of our legislative body making decisions for the people, but against the people, and with only a few words of comfort and "trust me" to keep us from panicking in the darkness. Where is the righteous anger of the American people? Have we been so cowed by the promises of an easy life that we can no longer see tyranny when it presents itself? Has it been so long that we cannot recognize the same enemy we feared throughout the history of our Great Nation? The hold of the government will be strong. It will be absolute. Your lives will be in their hands as both your health and your wealth come under their direct control. Those of us who call for reform must be very resolute in their trust of a government that has been anything but honest with us. You put your faith, and your lives, to one man. Many countries have taken that path before in uncertain times, and those countries paid the price for their blind faith with ruin and genocide. Will America be next? The truth may be that you cannot yet see the truth. If we are wrong, and the trust is abused, and the man is not righteous, then it will spell the end of our reign, and the triumph of our enemies.
Responsible government control can be a great thing, but the American government has been many things, and responsible has not been one of them. They have been the opposite, blaming past mistakes on other administrations, shirking their own blame, and abdicating all responsibility. They take what they need from the people, and give back only promises, and ideals that warm the heart. Ideals are rarely realized, and previous social programs should be enough to prove that even with the best intentions, the worst will come. Welfare, Medicare, and other social programs that started with these great intentions are now rife with corruption, greed, and burgeoned to the point of collapse. Generations ahead will suffer for our missteps, just as the generations now suffer. Social Security is over, and I do not think anyone is illusioned to the contrary. Welfare and Medicare is broken and abused, bleeding millions of hard working tax dollars to thieves and curs who manipulate the system to their own devices. Now we stand on the brink of the biggest socialist program of all, and millions stare helpless into the maw of chaos and lament their seemingly inevitable fate. What course of action is there, if the government ignores us? We sit in a position many have sat in before, under the shadow of a government whom we see tightening their grip on its people. The question is, will the people who speak so loudly and proudly of freedom and tout our glory to the world lay down and give up the liberties we have held so dear? Will we trade our freedom for the new Motherland, an overseer that knows what is best for us? Will we set aside our free will and "Trust" that the government will not oppress us when we hand them the whip and the chain? I for one have a heavy heart, as I do not see democracy, or even much of a republic anymore. I see an Authoritarian state dictating their will on us, a will that some people agree with, and some people don't, but the point still stands... it is being dictated to you, not FROM you. Remember the difference in the future when you don't agree with the next plan, and they tell you to "trust them" again. Remember when they use your emotions to further their own goals, and you feel that pang of regret for all the good intentions that you had, and how wrong they turned out.
