I'd like to say a few things on this subject. Please pardon the length.<br />Jennett, I like many of your points. I like many of the ideas of socialism. In its pure form, it is the most promising of all ideologies. Its only fault is that it must be implemented by mankind and compete against greed and the lust for power. Without deeply seated religious convictions, I doubt man can properly stick to such ideals. With the state of immorality around today, greed and power lust would destroy it, unless force from a strong central government was used to ensure compliance. Then we just have a more modern USSR or China. <br />Jeff and d_black_se, you made several good statements. I agree with the belief that meaningful change can come only with revolution. But I do not think violence is the way to go. Innocents bleed right along with the guilty. A revolution of thought is what we need. When we come to the realization that the formula for controlling the masses was discovered by the Romans and refined over centuries, some of us will start to wake up. “Give them bread and circuses, and do what thou wilt.” This paraphrase is the basic method of controlling large groups of common people. Keeping us fed and entertained is all it takes for most of us to sit back and let others worry about the big picture. If we act like sheep and cattle, what can we expect? Until we turn off the monitor, put down the remote, cancel the golf date and do something, we will continue to suffer the abuses of those who have no other burning desire than to increase their personal wealth and pleasure at our expense. While we focused on ourselves, our families, and chased the good life, they burned the midnight oil trying to get where they could take more and more and more. Greed is never satisfied and lust for power is never totally fulfilled.<br />Widseth, you are a man both wise and thoughtful. I cannot add to your counsel, but it is all good. We would do well to heed your advice.<br />I think we face four major factors here. Two of these factors deal with the rich and powerful specifically, massive pooling of wealth into too few hands and the easy access of money to our politicians. Huey P. Long has been accused of many faults as a politician, but he had it right when he said, “The same grist mill that grinds out the ultra-rich, grinds out the ultra-poor.” Wise and learned men have long understood the need for wealth to circulate through the majority of the population. And as long as the wealthy can control the lawmakers with offers of wealth and power, things will cease to be “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” It then becomes, “of the rich, by the powerful, and for the elite.” <br />The other two factors apply to all Americans equally, the deterioration of the family and the near total depletion of morals – especially the loss of truth. <br />Widseth repeated the idea that our civilization is only one generation deep. Without the collected knowledge and wisdom handed down through the family, I would say that the current American generation is handicapped. I am talking about the lifetime of teachings and nurturing of parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins and siblings, all living in close proximity that is an integral part of real family environments. Without the knowledge and support of an extended family, we are more easily cowed down and controlled.<br />I do not have all the answers. I do not have any answers, just a couple of ideas. Mostly on the much maligned idea of truth and honesty. I believe it is of utmost importance, and the loss of it has thoroughly impacted every single one of us.<br />Truth is a universal building block. With it, trust can be established. With trust, stable relations can be achieved. Groups can be formed; groups as small as a couple to great nations can be stable and grow, but only in direct proportion to the prevalence of truth amongst the members of that group. Without trust, we are no better than animals.<br />Untruth cannot sustain trust, and therefore, it is a destroyer of groups. Lies in a marriage or serious relationship will tear apart any such union that is comprised of decent people. In a society, lies act as a cancer. They cause a wide variety of imitations and frustrated reactions. All illegal and immoral acts require some form of deception. No act of theft happens without the perpetrator mentally practicing an array of lies to use when caught; all in the hopes of achieving little or no punishment. No criminal or morally deficient person does any act that might bring negative consequences, without a bevy of pre-calculated justifications and camouflaging verbal maneuvers. <br />I have heard, for many years now, the claim that everyone lies, every day. On almost every sitcom broadcast today, for adults or children, deceit and outright lies are daily fare. Repercussions are uncommon unless it furthers the comedic endeavor and is for that very fact rendered morally impotent. But this is not a new case by far. How many times did Lucy get laughs by her lies and deceitful behavior? <br />As a society, our morals have been on the decline for decades. And the first casualty was truth. Untruth facilitates and hides every form of corruption; moral and legal. Without deceit and dishonesty, illegal and immoral activity cannot be sustained. <br />Today, our nation is immersed in an ocean of deception. Advertisers are allowed by law, to mislead but not outright lie. Any good conman can fleece half of the people by that rule. Advertisers, politicians, and special interest groups are busy as beavers slinging mangled versions of the truth around as hard and fast as their money allows. <br />Citizens are required to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth in court and the truth is required from citizens when talking to all public officials. But no politician, public official, corporation, advertising firm, or broadcasting facility is required to do the same when talking to American citizens, or so it seems. Why is that?<br />Americans cannot tell the truth from all of the lies, and that should be criminal. <br />The answer is simple, but nearly impossible to bring about in today’s world. If court style truth were required by businesses, organizations, and public officials when talking to citizens, we would have far fewer problems out of them. <br />Can’t be done? You are probably right. But only probably. This quandary haunted me for years, until the answer came in a dream.<br />If one, otherwise qualified person runs for office, regardless of party or other political considerations, on the following two promises, he would be a shoo in. All one needs do is make and live up to two promises; to always use court style truth whenever he speaks in an official capacity and to always vote on issues as his constituency wants him to. Now any fool can tell you that one honest person in Washington cannot save the day. But if one person gets elected like this, another will try, then two. This trickle may spread into a flow. If this happens, the tide can turn and in the hopes of preserving their individual parties, the other major political parties will adopt similar measures. None of us can predict what such a movement can really do. If the people of Kansas, Delaware, or Idaho happen to be the first to get such a representative in office, how long before the citizens of other states want their own ‘Honest Abe’ working for them? And yes, some dishonest ones will get into office, but I had rather be stolen from by an amateur crook than a practiced professional one, like we have been victimized by too many times. <br />There is hope in this idea.<br />Many say that idealistic dreamers will never change the world; but I ask, is the world ever really changed for the good by any other kind? <br /><br />Things will not change for the better if we continue to do nothing. We cannot blame the fox for getting into the hen house. It is in his nature and knowing that, it is our fault for not being vigilant and taking the needed steps to stop him. <br />Many of the founding fathers were good men properly inspired to establish the first truly free nation. But corruption easily finds its way into men’s hearts and those who crave power are always drawn to it. Historians have shown that corruption quickly infested our government from the beginning. Even Davy Crockett said after his one and only term in the US Senate, “Congress is nothing but a den of serpents.” I doubt it has gotten any better.<br />Our personal forefathers were lulled into complacency by good words and good times since the years following World War II. I personally feel that my father’s times were the golden years in America for most people. But they and we have been too closely focused on our personal lives and affairs while believing that we were individually powerless to affect those great and powerful people in Washington. <br />In regards to the unprecedented corruption in today’s politics, my personal opinion on the matter is rather straightforward. Every politician now or previously in office had a hand in the wrongdoings or kept quiet about the deeds. The two major political parties have organized things where they control all and will fight to keep it that way. All other political parties of consequence have been modeled on the same pattern and will most likely repeat the same corruption. They all need to go.<br />The citizens of today are much smarter than they were when we founded this country. Technology is such that I have begun to wonder; do we really still need a Representative Democracy? If we can instill truth in our society and bring up our general moral character equally, why do we need politicians? Bureaucrats to carry out our mandates yes, but politicians? Heaven forbid!<br /><br />Well, sorry for being so long winded, but sometimes when the words and ideas start coming I have trouble stemming the flow.<br />
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity! (Luckily I'm only half.)
