Are we collectively dumb as a nation? I try as I write this to come up with a justifiable no, but I just can't. In a nation of nearly 300 million people, only a third of us vote. The premier right in a democracy is the ability to choose our own leaders, and two-thirds of us don't even participate. I think that's dumb.
Then there are those who do vote. So many can't provide a coherent answer as to why they voted for a particular candidate. They have no opinions beyond what they hear on the radio or TV. They aren't informed voters. They aren't aware of the issues. They haven't compared the positions of opposing candidates on the issues that matter to them. They vote on looks or personality or race. Essentially, they abuse the right to vote by voting irresponsibly.
Now, rather than John Kennedy's "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country", the motto seems to be "what can I get my country to give me?" The more your country gives you, the less freedom you have. The federal government just announced that both Medicare and Social Security will go broke before they were originally projected to do so. These are government run programs that were horribly mismanaged. They were never supposed to go broke. Nevertheless, they will.
As President Obama talks about nationalized health care, I wonder if we can really trust the government to run it. If the government runs it, then the government makes the decisions about how much money is spent, what illnesses are treated and who gets expensive medications or specialized care. An entire nation loses the freedom to make our own medical care decisions. Yet how many Americans want nationalized health care? At least 53%, the percentage of voters who elected President Obama? No. Remember, only a third of the population voted, so roughly half of them, which is one-sixth of Americans.
Hypothetically, let's say that this one-sixth of Americans, about 50 million people, will raise their hands when someone asks if they want nationalized health care. 50 million people will raise their hands and say they want the government to pay for all of their medical needs. If it's free, most Americans want it. But will 50 million people raise their hands if asked if they would like a government bureaucrat to make all of their medical care decisions for them for the rest of their lives? Will all of these Americans voluntarily forfeit their rights to choose their own doctor, determine their own care, and decide when, where, and by whom they will be treated?
That's why we are collectively dumb; because we always want our free lunch and expect to be able to pick what it will be from a menu. But it doesn't work that way. When voters give the government the okay to give the people something free, the government decides what, when, where, and how much. The decision-making power of the people is forfeited. That decision-making power is called freedom, and it's what our founding fathers worked so hard to build for us, and what our military fights so hard to preserve.
Government should not be so big as to impact your daily lives. A candidate who promises to help pay your mortgage, or erase your credit card debt, or even reduce your health care costs is a candidate who supports massive government spending and who seeks power. Power comes in the form of convincing the voters to let him make decisions for them. We've let our government come so far into our lives that it now touches us in some way almost daily. What's next? Our automobiles? Already done. Car warranties? Already done. Our banks? Already done. Health care? Without a doubt. That is not how government was intended in this country.
This is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. So where are the people? If government inserts itself into our lives, it is only right that the people insert themselves into government. We the people need to speak up. We need to get smart, strive to understand the issues and their consequences. Watch, listen and read. Don't limit yourself to one-sided news sources. Don't let the government take your rights away. Once gone, they will likely never come back.