Ms. Hardt Goes to Washington...

There are times when the Mr. Smith in me wants to go to Washington. I don't think my skin is quite thick enough to endure the life of a politician, but I so often would like to march up to Washington and give them my two cents (instead, I give them much more than two cents from every paycheck, for them to misuse as they please). So many of our elected officials are disconnected from the real world and the impact of their decisions. Untouched by what they pass or do not pass, they sit on their cushy Capitol Hill behinds and watch as the nation slowly crumbles into a socialistic decline.

I wonder if more people would think differently about politics if they really studied history. Everyone knows that history repeats itself, yet few do anything to avoid tragic repetition. When has the decline of the middle class ever been a good thing? When the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, does that ever end well? When nations try to equalize everyone, do they ever succeed? What I see happening to our country is this: a broken system that has limited the freedoms of its people, alienated the people from its government, and crumbled the capitalistic nature of its economy, resulting in a loss of wealth, power, and freedom for both the country as a whole and the individuals who occupy it.

Some issues I would like to have a hand at fixing:
1. "Going Green." As my friends and family would willingly tell you, I am a "green" person. I firmly believe in being a good steward of all God has given me, which includes the earth. I recycle. I turn off lights. I unplug electronics when not in use. I bring my own bags to the grocery store. I do my part. But that is my choice, and my freedom to do so. I have a feeling that under the guise of going green, the powers that be are going to slowly and stealthily strip the American people of their freedoms. "No, you can only use THIS much energy." "No, you can only drive SO far in that car." Don't do this, don't do that, and suddenly we're not a free nation anymore-- we're a nation run by a group of people dictating our actions.

2. Universal healthcare. This is widely debated, but is there a successful working model of this anywhere in the world? Sure it's great in theory, but so is Communism, and we all know from reading our history books how that turns out. The system is broken, and there needs to be a solution for the poor. But universal healthcare is not the solution. It will kill more than it will save, because those who need the very best medicine and medical attention suddenly will not be able to afford it and will die; those who need immediate and comprehensive medical attention will have to wait so long for proper care, and they will die. This is not me being dramatic-- this is me being realistic. I'd like to see another solution. What if we could incorporate some kind of barter system for those who cannot afford healthcare? They provide some kind of useful service to the government, and in turn receive healthcare. So they can't walk... have them make telephone calls. So they can't speak... have them sew military garments. This could have many benefits: providing healthcare for the poor, allowing others to keep excellent insurance, and allowing America to become less dependent on other countries by creating more of our own products. Idealistic, yes, but far less devastating than the idea of socialized medicine. I'd like to try to flesh this idea out.

3. The "I deserve this" mentality. Perhaps the biggest problem in our country is not something that can be fixed, because it comes down to sinful laziness. There are many in America who have worked hard in the past but are unable to do so now, or would like to work hard but can't-- they deserve help, certainly. But a fact that cannot be ignored is that there is a growing number of individuals who subscribe to the mindset that they deserve wealth and health without the hard work that earns it. These are individuals who want something for nothing; parasites who live off of the blood, sweat, and tears of hard-working Americans. I live in a country that was built by people who knew that hard work was the only way they would survive, let alone prosper. I'm not just referring to "founding fathers" and mothers. I'm talking about our grand parents and great-grandparents who came to this land willing to labor in order to make a better life. If our economy and the future of our country is to improve, hard work is the answer, not handouts.

4. Social Security. The term "security" is used very loosely, I realize. What has gone so wrong to cause a system which has worked for decades to decompose so quickly? It seems to me that if the government would simply cease and desist stealing the money designated for retirees, this system could continue to work. If not, if it is indeed irreparable, then everyone under 40 (or whenever the cutoff age is for those who will not receive social security) should be able to stop paying into the system and have the option to independently invest instead. Don't take away my money and leave me a destitute old woman.

If only it didn't take millions of dollars to become a contender for a spot in Congress or the Senate... I would love to be a mouthpiece connected to a large group of Americans who are not only tired of the very wealthy who seem to be unaccountable for their greed, but also the very poor who have the ability to work but would rather be spoon fed. There will always be poor (Jesus even said that, PS), and they are not to be ignored, but we can't cater to the poor. There will always be the rich (either from legitimate hard work or ill-gotten gain), but we can't cater to the rich. We can't cater to the middle-class either, but we can try to mend the system by rewarding those who work hard and helping the truly helpless. The very end of I Thessalonians has excellent instructions from which our country would benefit. The answer to our country's problems is not drastic changes to cater to those who have made poor decisions... it is to go back to the principles upon which our country was founded: freedom and hard work.