Many Americans stand to lose much in the coming months. Why? If Obama and liberal policies continue, the economy will tank and the entitlements supporting the unemployed will become insolvent faster than otherwise. If conservatives win, the unsustainable entitlements will be curtailed in some form and, regardless of the best legislative skill, will not be without pain to those who depend on these “hand-outs.” It will take some time for the jobs to be created; it will not be instantaneous with sudden fiscal responsibility and job-friendly policies.
It does not take a genius to look at the burning of London and wonder what the outcome of our challenges will be in the near future. We don’t even have to look to history to learn something this time; we can watch the previews on TV.
The fate of an open, capitalistic democracy is particularly linked to its cultural elements. If the cultural norms are such that people have a general sense of individual responsibility, for example, they will lend themselves to working their hardest despite difficult or unequal conditions which they may face. In a business friendly economic environment, American history shows this is most often a rewarding venture.
But when the culture is one which thinks they are owed something from others, the safety net becomes saturated and the inevitable economic decline only provides a harshly disappointing reality: without the private sector, without jobs and enough hard working people, the golden goose eventually lays its last egg. And, history also teaches that socialist and communist economies are a farce from the start, though they may get some mileage by using various forms of brutal oppression.
Having examined these basic principles which underlie our predicament, what can we do about it, now? This culture which we find ourselves in did not happen overnight; it took years of indoctrination in our schools and mental bombardment by our liberal media. If we ignore these factors in the pendulum swing to the right, the pendulum may swing backwards to our nation’s final demise.
Since we cannot instantly re-educate, debrief or deprogram people to understand individual responsibility, this swing to the right must be implemented with surgical precision.
Commensurate with deregulation, debt reduction and other job-friendly policies, a free-market, capitalist-based mechanism needs to be designed to help those dependent on a moribundly obese government transition to the private sector. This might take the form of actually giving tax breaks to the more affluent if they invest in the transition: hiring and, if necessary, training the unemployed.
When I see the direction our nation is going I am reminded of a time around 2,500 years ago when the prophet Habakkuk cried to God against the violence, lawlessness and injustice he saw around him. He lived in a much more oppressive time when Babylon ruled. Unfortunately, if we follow the same path God's people did back then, our fate could be just as bad. Our country, that was founded on Christian principles, has forgotten the God who gave them the prosperity they are enjoying. The children of Israel did that and God used more powerful nations to discipline them. Could God be using the same techniques to "discipline" us today? The good news is God is in control and sits above it all. Daniel 2:21 says, "He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings, He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding." Even though we have messed things up, God could put the right leaders in place to put it back together. What does He require of us? "The just shall live by his faith." While people may be seduced into wickedness by the allure of power and success, a glorious future awaits those who submit to God.
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