Can America Survive?

The future of this country has been on my mind quite a bit lately. I see far too much happening that leads me to believe that our government no longer cares one iota about the concerns of the average American citizen. We are merely worker drones to keep the corporate machine running and to provide our government with a steady stream of tax dollars.

Our country faces a multitude of problems. Many Americans place the blame for these problems upon the Democrats, while others blame the Republicans. For those of you who feel that we are better off when your party holds control of our government, I would like to ask the following question. If our country has steadily gotten worse no matter who is in charge, how can you say that your party is any better than the other? If your political party were better, then wouldn't it make sense that things would improve under their control, not steadily get worse. Nothing has gotten better under either Republican or Democrat administrations.

Both parties are equally as culpable for the situation this country finds itself in. The democrats tend to be more socialist in that they want to take from those who have and give to those who don't, while the republicans tend to favor big business and corporate interests over the welfare of the working people. Under the George W. Bush administration, the republicans have taken a decided turn towards fascism with some of the legislation they have enacted. Whatever the case may be, the largest group, the working class American, gets the shaft.

You tell me, which would be worst, living in Nazi Germany or living in Communist Russia? Myself, I think both would be intolerable. So, the way I see it, with the upcoming 2008 Presidential election upon us we are once again offered a choice of either business as usual republicans or business as usual democrats. Not much of a choice at all if we truly want to turn this country around for the better.

However, there is one distinct difference this time around, that being Congressman Ron Paul of Texas. Ron Paul is a breath of fresh air amidst the usual stench of political rhetoric and propaganda. His platform is the only one, if one were to put emotions aside and think about the facts, that follows the precepts of government as laid out in our Constitution.

Ron Paul's message of freedom is finding a willing audience who have become tired of the lies, deceit, and corruption we are offered by our current slate of candidates. Although I personally feel that Ron Paul is the ONLY candidate honorable enough to hold the office of President, I feel that even if he were to be elected it might not be enough to turn the tide and restore our country to the principles that made it great.

Let me explain. I don’t want to talk about what some consider conspiracy theories, let it suffice to say that it has taken years for our country to reach the sad state of affairs we currently find ourselves in. Whether you believe that this is due to corporate influences, the influence of special interest groups, or by influences of some larger group, the fact of the matter is that we have sat idly by while our government has stopped representing we the people. If Ron Paul were to be elected, those who hold the reins of power would not relinquish them willingly. I have serious concerns for the safety of Congressman Paul if he makes into the oval office.

Secondly, if Ron Paul does make it into office, and if he does succeed in making the changes needed to turn this country around, what then? It is questionable as to whether the majority of the people of this country could keep this country on the path to recovery that would be made by a Ron Paul administration. After all, we did little to stop the damage that has already been done by special, corporate and global interests. What makes you think we would be any less apathetic about the affairs of government after a Ron Paul left office?

Finally, I do not think the American people are willing, or even capable of making the sacrifices needed to save our country. We have become far too accustomed to government involvement in every aspect of our lives, and while it may sound silly I think the people of this country would go into withdrawal symptoms if they were forced to rely upon their own wits and skills to survive without some form of government subsidy.

So, what is the answer? I don’t know that there is one. I have been reading a number of articles by authors who are of the opinion that we are past the point where political activism will make a change for the better in this country.

A quote from one of these writers will give you an idea of the drastic measures some think are required to restore our republic to the way our founders envisioned,

“Your one and only chance for freedom or survival will be to claim the right and the duty to throw out those in government who would reduce your status from “sovereign citizen” (the 14th amendment eliminated that) to prisoner. You will not reclaim America by reason, argument, Fox News debates or petitions to your congressional representative. (They don’t listen anyway). It won’t come because you voted, went to the candidate meetings or attended your local city or county council sessions. It will not happen because you volunteered to help with Bible school or gave blood to the Red Cross. It still will not happen when you pay your taxes and use your zip code. It will only happen when you are left no choice but to exercise your second amendment right, (a natural right that cannot be taken away by anyone, ever, unless of course, you turned in your weapons for a $50 keep our schools safe reward) and that day is virtually upon us.”

http://www.newswithviews.com/Evensen/greg20.htm

I am of the opinion that this course of action may be futile as well. The methods hinted at in that quote might very well remove the cancerous growth that calls itself our government, but it will do little to nothing to change the attitude of the majority of Americans that allowed this cancer to take over our system of government in the first place.

The American people are far too uneducated in regards to the way our system of government is supposed to operate. We have become morally corrupt, lazy, and apathetic. It is us to whom the blame firmly falls for the state of affairs of this country. If we had been paying attention and really wanted to, we could have kept our elected officials in check and made sure they continued to represent us, instead of special interests. Instead we watched television and trusted the news to keep us informed.

Allow me to put forth a scenario. Let's just say for the sake of argument that magically we were able to replace the entire Congress with new members. Say we were to install a new president who had no previous experience inside Washington D.C. Say we give them a copy of the Constitution and say, 'Here, this is the manual for how you are to run this country', how long do you think it would take before special interests got their tentacles into the halls of power and corrupted our elected representatives once again? How many election cycles would pass before people lost interest in keeping a watchful eye upon their elected representatives and allowed them to become corrupted by the power they held? I do not think it would be very long at all before things were back to the point where we are right now.

I am not saying that those of us who care, those who understand the threat to our liberties that government poses should just roll over and give up. I just feel that the outcome of this battle is inevitable. Whether we choose to fight to save our nation, or if we are imprisoned under some provision of some legislation designed to silence dissent, the end result will be the same. Our system of government, and with it our personal freedoms and liberties, as originally established by our Constitution is gone, never to be known again. The great experiment in self governance has failed, and it is because we the people have failed to understand the principles upon which it was founded and to keep a watchful eye on our government. Unless America turns itself around on an individual basis first, our country has no chance of survival. So you have a choice this election cycle, vote for business as usual and then go back to your apathetic lives, or vote for change with the understanding that you have a crucial role in maintaining the integrity of your elected officials. Option A leads to the death of our nation. Option B provides our only chance at survival.