Oddballs

“In order for America to be great, she has to be good” Author unknown

To some, this may seem academic, a no brainer. To others though, it may seem almost comedic, a throwback to a bygone era. But ask yourselves this question: why does this matter and should it in this day and age?

The answer, at least from my perspective, is an unqualified yes. How did we get to where we are today? The worst recession since the Great Depression, a federal budget and national debt that is on the verge of overwhelming our fragile economic recovery; federal laws that have thwarted the will of the people and contain provisions that can only be construed as well placed landmines. It isn’t a pretty picture.

Our current federal budget weighs in at over three trillion dollars, with about two thirds of that going to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. The rest is split amongst various programs with Defense drawing a rather healthy share. For those who think that getting out of the Middle East will free up enough money to do other things, I’ll leave you with this little morsel to digest: U.S. involvement in Iraq, Afghanistan and other areas where we’re involved in operations formerly known as “the Global War on Terror”, cumulatively hit the one trillion dollar mark last year (after 9 plus years). Yet, you have a triumvirate of programs that are set to almost double that amount in just this fiscal year alone.

We’ve all heard about what the original intent of Social Security was and how most Americans at the time didn’t live long enough to enjoy the benefit. We know that our life-spans have greatly improved to the point where we live into our eighties or beyond which is putting a tax on the system. Additionally, when Social Security was running a surplus (receipts vs outlays), Congress enjoyed going to its favorite piggy bank for various unfunded mandates or pork barrel projects. Any attempts to reform the system were met with campaigns to shout down or ridicule the louts who would do away with granny’s retirement money. What was really happening though was a well orchestrated effort to retain control over an already broken system, lest the truth get out about how dicey things were.

Before there were any government social safety nets in this country, Americans somehow managed getting by on their own. The Greatest Generation was among the most patriotic, energetic, and productive groups in American history, sadly though, they were among the last of the spendthrifts/savers. The idea that you were responsible for yourself, whether it meant your day to day dealings, putting enough away for a rainy day, saving for college, or the golden years, meant something back then. Government played no central role in anyone’s lives, nor did it need to. The Libertarian train of thought has long espoused this view, but rather than embrace these ideals, both political parties have “cherry picked” what they wanted and then branded those subscribing to the Libertarian mindset as a bunch of oddballs.

 The Republicans will champion the fact that they are the party of limited government and unfettered capitalism and free markets. They pillory the Democrats for their “big government” stance on various economic and social issues. The truth be known, they are just as bad. Their ideas on how to prioritize government spending may differ significantly from those of the Dems, but they plan on spending your money as well.

The Democrats are into the whole civil liberties thing. They want government to stay out of our personal lives, but believe that government can cure all of the social and economic ills that plague us. They have yet to figure out that once you open the door and government gets its foot in, it’s only a matter of time before it insinuates itself into every aspect of our lives (personal and otherwise).

We’ve been conditioned to believe what one side of the aisle or the other is saying, it all depends upon timing and the situation at hand. We tend to focus on the messenger and not the message, all the while lamenting the fact that no one seems capable of doing the right thing. Why? The answer is as simple or as complicated as we want to make it. It depends on our perspective.

We’re told by one side that corporations and the rich are to blame for our current state of affairs. They don’t pay their fair share in taxes and exploit loopholes to get out of paying taxes whenever possible. If it weren’t for the intervention of government, these folks would have destroyed the environment. If it weren’t for unions, they would have plundered the wealth of the land and exploited the working stiffs who toil at their behest.

The other side would have us believe that unions are a plague that are bleeding this country dry with their demands for unsustainable pay, perks and benefits for their membership. We’re told that rules or laws governing how companies conduct their business have done nothing but make them uncompetitive in the global marketplace and will drive them out of the country or out of business.

As with most things in this world, the truth lies somewhere in between. A good case in point would be the analogy below:

1. Unions serve a purpose, but we deal with union leadership that is self serving.
2. Corporations serve a purpose, but we deal with corporate leadership that is self serving.
3. Government serves a purpose, but we put up with bureaucrats and politicians who are self serving.

Anyone notice a pattern here?

It’s the folks we’ve left in charge who are part of the problem. The other side of that equation is who put them there in the first place, meaning us, we the people. Catchy phrase that “we the people”, no wonder the founding fathers used it in the Preamble to the Constitution, but what does that have to do with this diatribe?

Well, let’s see. For starters, we do have a government that is supposed to be “of, by, and for the people”, meaning that we need to take an active part in its administration. I’ll even extend this past government to other organizations such as unions and corporations, because good governance is really at the heart of the matter. Active participation and good governance go hand in hand, in fact, I daresay that they are inseparable and provide a synergistic effect when it comes to guaranteeing the successful operations of any organization. Without it, organizations become dysfunctional and are at risk of, or (in some cases) are already in various stages of decay.

The founding fathers envisioned a society where its citizens saw service to their fellows (public service) as a higher calling and as such required individuals who were virtuous and moral. Now by virtuous and moral does that mean that one has to be a saint and live the life of a priest? Certainly not, but having a strong moral compass to point one in the right direction, especially during times of duress or when temptation rears its ugly head, gives those in charge a distinct advantage where the rubber meets the road, so to speak. The second part of the equation deals with the populace at large. Becoming involved in the aspects of how government is run, gives all concerned a better idea of how expectations have become confused with requirements.

Requirements are the necessary functions of an organization, i.e. those which fulfill the needs specified in its charter document(s). In the case of government, it would be the Constitution. Expectations are views or beliefs held by some about what they think ought to be done. Necessity and legality do not factor into any of this, only the idea that we would be better off if things were only done, or not done a certain way. We have come to expect things that were never government’s to give, nor ours to receive, and in doing so, opened up the door for the gradual erosion of the rights and freedoms we’ve come to enjoy, but not cherish.

Enjoyed, but not cherished? How can this be?

Simply put, if you cherish something, you’re not willing to part with it under any circumstance. If you just enjoy something, you can always make do without it. A lot of this is due to the fact that we’ve been taking the blessings of liberty bestowed upon us by our creator for granted and failed to understand how fragile a gift it can be if not cared for properly. We’re told time and again that someone out there has our best interests at heart and we are convinced to relinquish a little more of our liberty so that we can be better cared for.

Newsflash, the great experiment that is our country wasn’t based on having someone care for us because we had become basket cases. It was about rugged individualism and making something of oneself. It was about understanding the difference between right and wrong, good and evil. It was about understanding that doing the right thing would be a lot more difficult than settling for what was expedient. It was about offering up the best in ourselves, regardless of what was being thrown our way. Being good meant that we would become a great nation.

So now, once again we come to the fork in the tale. Remember the question of expectations versus requirements? Well, we’re going to tackle it one more time. We have come to expect certain things of our leadership (government, corporate, union, etc) and find ourselves continually disappointed. This time however, how about requiring them to meet certain standards of conduct? How about holding their feet to the fire when it becomes apparent they’re starting to stray from the path? Finally, if it becomes obvious that they no longer represent the ideals we have come to stand for as a nation or organization, how’s about we send them on their merry way and replace them with someone willing to do the job properly and to the utmost of their abilities?

Hopefully none of this is too radical of ethereal for anyone since:

1. We’ve come to a point in time when the medicine needed to make the patient healthier is going to be a bit strong, extremely bitter, and cause a few short term adverse reactions (short term pain for long term gain).

2. Make no mistake, the idea that doing the right thing is somehow outdated and out there in the ether is part of the reason why we’re in this mess in the first place.
   

If you somehow find yourself nodding in agreement, or thinking that there might actually be something to this nut job’s rant, or wanting to scream at the top of your lungs “finally, someone willing to write about what most of us have been thinking this entire time!”, you just might be an oddball. Welcome to the club.