For lack of any reason, other than I have not written in a long time, I write this blog. Like many Americans I am about as numb as you can be to anything that is going on in this country. I am not excited about the upcoming election, because we are back to voting for the least of two evils.
I do not believe that John McCain will make a great president. Will he be a lowsy president? No, he will just pretty much exist in the office. Much like President Bush has over the last year. Reason for his ineffectiveness will be that he did not do enough to rally the American people behind the Republican party, and win back the House and Senate. Instead, what will occur is the deadlock we have now.
I believe that the President (no matter who he/she is or what party he/she is) if he/she has the best interest of the American people at heart, can achieve great things. However, he/she has to inspire the American people, and their representatives to achieve such goals. That being said, it will be a long time before that will happen. Why? Because the division that runs rampant in this country today.
Our division is not anyone's fault but our own. As a country we have traded our identity in for the false promise of diversity and fainess. We have sold ourselves short by believing that the government is here to take care of us if something goes wrong. We have lost our identity in our pursuit of being more European in our policies. Yet, there is hope. If we grab ahold of the real American identity, and reject these false identities that have been forced upon us all in the name of "fairness".
The American Identity is one of rugged individualism. There was a time in our not too distant past that we celebrated the rugged pioneer, or the rough and tumble cowboy. They were symbols of the American ideal. That every man and woman, with enough grit, could hack out a place for themselves in the harsh world. Men and Women in the prairies helped each other out, because they wanted to or needed to. Not because men sitting in a limestone building several thousand miles away said they had too. They did it because it was the "Christian" thing to do. Charity, justice and fairness were a way of life at one time in America, but somewhere we allowed the government to take it from us, and for what? The comfort of nice roads, or a bigger refund check at the end of tax season?
I believe if Americans would tap into the "spirit" of the pioneer once again we would see past the petty differences over policy (because they wouldn't matter anymore), and unite once again under the only banner that ever mattered; being American.
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I understand what you are saying and where it is coming from. I agree that we all should believe in pulling ourselves up from our bootsteps. There has been a "pussification" of our society. That being said, our society is more complicated now than it was in the prairie days. The intent and desires of people are the same but the way to go about it are different. Used to, if you were dirt poor, you could grow your own food, set up a shack and live-not a great life-but survive. Now that is not so easy. Also, this country has more resources to help out the people who can't help themselves.
We complain about people "living off the system" and that can be a problem. But that is a price that we have to pay to be able to help the people that truly need help. I don't know if there is a perfect system where only the people that truly need help get it. But I feel like it is the governments role to help people if it is in their control. I pay taxes, you pay taxes, we all pay taxes...even the person with a family making $5 an hour living below the poverty line. That money must go somewhere. We are putting into the system so, if we need some assistance, we should be able to recieve it. If that means we have to end a trillion dollar war to take care of our own, we should do that.
As far as your feelings of the presidential race, I'm sorry you feel that way. You know my thoughts on it and everything you described as missing this year, I feel the opposite way.
This is the first time I've been passionate about somebody. This is the first time I feel like we have somebody that talks about tough issues in a grown up way...that's why he is not good at providing 10 second soundbites. I feel like Obama inspires people to be better. Yes he promises government help but he also says we have to do it ourselves as well.
I like John McCain. I don't believe in a lot of what he does but I actually wish he would go back to being more of a maverick instead of feeling like he has to kiss up to the Rush Limbaugh's of the world. His "maverickness" is what this country needs more of.
What I see in Obama is that, even if you don't agree what he stands for, he can move people to action to make this country greater. As hard as that will be after the past 8 years.
Peace!
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