by Jeffrey Jason Hill

Created on: April 12, 2009

Throughout American history, poverty, disease, greed, and crime have plagued our society. To a great extent, these human shortcomings are difficult to restrain. In spite of the great lengths Republicans have gone to in stressing rugged self-reliance, these ills threaten every pocketbook in every family of America. One of the more serious problems that Americans have faced is greed. Recently, for example, when the stock market plummetted 777 points last September, the United States was faced with the choice to ignore it or intervene. In October, the United States chose to intervene and bailout greedy mortgage lenders to the tune of billions of dolllars. However, it is in the United States' best interest to take a different posture and start trusting the engine of government more than the responsible conduct of men.

Although America's Founders believed the engine of government would exceed its rightful authority if the United States cultivated certain virtues, it is not a foregone conclusion that this would actually happen. New Zealand has one of the lowest firearm-related homicide rates in the industrialized world, numbering 0.18 per 100,000 people. This compares with the United States which has the highest rates among developed countries combined.

While it may seem that the American people are tired after the ever-increasing rise in mass murders recently, the truth is that people are more concerned about their jobs and 201(k)s - that is not a typo - than they are about putting restrictions on guns. Also, Republicans have done a pretty good job of convincing us that the Second Amendment takes precedence over any broader social purpose. They perceive government as not a good thing in itself, whereas Obama believes our very survival depends on our commitment to advancing personal virtue among our citizenry. For the Republicans, government is more of an obstacle than a solution. Need an extension of unemployment benefits? Nah, be optimistic instead. This is an important point to remember, considering the unemployment rate is expected to rise above its current 25-year high before this economic freefall is over.

Many Republicans think future generations will suffer if Congress passes Obama's $3.6 trillion budget proposal. This, however, is a kneejerk response with no alternative solution. Soon after Obama's initial stimulus was passed a few weeks ago, my wife rushed down the stairs to put the phone to my ear as an automated voice told us over four hundred dollars had unexpectedly been placed on our once-defunct food stamp card. This blessing turned our empty refrigerator into a mini-grocery store and helped nourish our preschool age kids for another month. Optimism, for all its virtues, didn't do that.

As Americans it is our duty to realize that we cannot continue to place individual self-interest above the sense of duty that leads us to make sacrifices for each other. And so, yes, count me as one of those who thinks the Obama administration will somehow steer us out of this recession-mired economy. Our nation cannot afford to cling to the same old do-nothing, regulate-nothing ideas that got us into this mess in the first place. Our nation cannot afford to leave the task of helping needy families solely to private institutions, such as the church. And finally, our nation cannot afford to keep putting narrow self-interest above the best interests of the community. The trauma and devastation of Depression-era unemployment levels would make the problems of society, such as crime, poverty, and greed, that much worse.

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