This election is the nexus of a lot of factors and forces that have combined in harmonic synchronization to create a major political shift. Not in terms of party preference (since both parties enjoy low support and the largest growing affiliation is ‘independent’), but in terms of the relationship between the people and the government. After a century of government growth and increased intervention, the people have had it with the clumsy, corrupt and confining big-government solutions. Heck, you can’t even eat what you want anymore without the nagging-state come knocking. There is a lot to learn from this historic moment, a lot we must learn if we are to turn things around.
The days when unions were needed to offset corporate greed and slave-like work conditions is long gone (except apparently in the government bureaucracy where the largest remaining pools of unions exist). The need to fight for the equal rights of women and minorities is over. If you can prove a violation in court you can get justice. We have elected an African American President and a woman most likely will lead the pack of contenders in 2012. Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin have broken through a ton of glass ceilings, as have Colin Powell, Condi Rice and numerous others across this nation. Martin Luther King would be proud of what we did with his vision.
We have basically outgrown the nanny state. The information age brought on by the internet broke the lock on the last key the elites could use to hold onto power – knowledge. With a monopoly on financial data the wealthy knew how to invest and remain rich while keeping the rest poor. Now anyone with a computer and time on their hands as an infinite amount of corporate data at their fingertips to invest and become wealthy. With scientific knowledge held to a few it was hard for average people to create innovation and build a successful enterprise. Apple, Microsoft, Google and others paved the way for all sorts of individual success stories. Even the old style news media is falling to the internet and bloggers, many of whom are making a good living in helping people navigate the mountains of information and sources (sadly, yours truly has yet to break the financial code on this matter!). Society is shifting, and the individual is being empowered in so many ways and dimensions most people don’t even grasp what is happening. We are too busy trying to keep up!
A company can be created and operated using a handful of computers, software tools and internet resources that perform accounting, inventory management, taxes, time cards, etc. The virtual business is arriving and will again remake America’s economic landscape and empower individuals and small groups to blaze the path to the future (this one area we have figured out in spades). The standard of living in this country is phenomenal, relative to even half a century ago. We poor humans just don’t have the perspective memory to sometimes realize how far we have come, how much we have matured, how much wiser we are. We don’t always see it, but things are changing dramatically. Ever think what life would be like without the internet, cell phones and a GPS systems? They did not widely exist 20 years ago.
So what went so wrong that we find ourselves angry and ready to dump congress critters right and left? Well, Congress starting messing around and trying to play God – and screwed it up. Most people know the financial collapse began with the mortgage disaster, a risky scheme put in place by liberal democrats who wanted to give responsibility to people not ready for it. A home is a wonderful and important asset, but you have to be ready to take it on. Just like you have to be ready to be responsible enough to drive a car safely. Sadly, in both cases Darwin’s laws work and people who are not ready fail – spectacularly and brutally at times.
What the democrats did by expanding access to mortgages to anyone able to fog a mirror was akin to dropping the age to drive to 10 years old – claiming it is important people get an early start at this empowering responsibility. The resulting implosion, havoc and destruction was not a surprise to many who tried to ring the alarm bells but who were ignored. This ridiculous attempt at being Robin Hood wiped out the careers of millions and the savings of tens of millions. When the bottom fell out of the housing everyone who owned a home suffered massive losses – all because of reckless decisions in DC. That scheme did not expand home ownership – it destroyed it for millions.
Since then we have seen example after example of dumb, big government solutions thrown out by arrogant leaders in DC. In the last two years they have put us into debt by $5 trillion dollars. That is $3,333 dollars stolen from every man, woman and child in this country and wasted. Here is what only 1 trillion dollars looks like (click to enlarge):
After blowing all this money on failed stimulus spending, failed bailouts of Wall Street and all sorts of other failed liberal policies the economy is shell shocked from the mortgage mess, the massive new debt and the pending mountain of new regulations (e.g., health care). The answer from the left to all this – more taxes. More stealing our hard earned (and dwindling) money. More screw ups and waste while they live high on the hog.
The disenchantment with big government began decades ago with Ronald Reagan, but it has never been clear what parts of government we can live without. Government can help sometimes, but these rare instances are never as broad nor as good as simply growing the economy and making sure there are plenty of good jobs available for those willing to work hard and earn the fruits of life. We have hesitated at times about going towards smaller government. But each time (Carter, Clinton and Obama) we have relearned why we cannot leave our individual fates in the hands of bureaucrats and politicians in DC.
This year America has finally decided to go all in and start cutting back the massive, corrupt and useless big government. The liberal democrats had large enough majorities to trot out their brilliant ideas, and America has passed judgment on them. We have decided they are not going to ever work. The left had their chance, and they blew it. The GOP is going to be given a chance now to work from the center outward and determine where to cut government back down to size – safely and sanely, without hurting those now trapped in the tentacles of the behemoth.
The era of big government is over. The era of telling people what to do and how to live is over. The era of diversity and respect for each other must replace the nanny state. We cannot keep attacking each other and letting the DC elites use that anger to rationalize their hold on power. Right now large majorities agree on a course change (though not all the details). We cannot come out of this opportunity screaming names at each other. Anyone crying RINO and DINO or moaning about having to compromise can sit this round out. Because one thing is crystal clear – we can’t survive much longer in this mode. It is time to return to the shining city on the hill. It is time to tear down the reckless government that brought us to this precipice, and take matters into our own capable hands.
