Gene Carton (12/28) believes that liberals don't face reality when it comes to the need for armed guards in every school. I agree with the first half of his statement. Liberals don't face reality; they change it.
The men who drew up our divided system of government knew quite well that humans have a dark side. We can be greedy, self-serving, dishonest and downright hateful at times. But they also knew that humans have a rational side that allows them to face down those demons. Religious leaders tell us all the time not to listen to the devil but to choose the right path. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
There have been times in our nation's history when that rational, generous, compassionate side of us took a hard look at the reality before us and decided we could do better. We made changes that expanded the right to vote, raised the chance for success to millions who could only dream about it, and loudly proclaimed that the dignity and worth of every human being deserved protection.
The question now is whether we can do it again. We've been led to believe that our "winner take all" society works best when individuals and corporations duke it out unhampered by rules and regulations that protect the rest of us. This "greed is good" mentality is well funded by those who benefit the most from it. They are also very good at distracting us while they pick our pockets and suck the life out of our sense of common purpose.
Their goal is to dismantle all public programs and the social safety net in order to provide more investment opportunities for private companies. Public education is their number one target, but they've got Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security in their sights now too. They know what they are doing and have the gall to claim it's for the sake of our children and grandchildren's future opportunities. When the chips were down this past week in Congress, the free market true believers fought hardest to protect billionaires and powerful corporations, not our children and grandchildren. That's the naked truth.
If there is a glimmer of hope, it is that most Americans are better than that and can rise to the occasion. Despite billions spent on anti-government candidates this fall, many of them were booted out of Congress. President Obama clearly campaigned on the need for a balanced approach to the nation's financial problems and won handily. As the tide of public opinion continues to shift, let's hope we have the courage to face the reality before us and change it.
Susan Cunningham
Pacific, MO
No comments:
Post a Comment