Reality Check 101

Abraham Lincoln had it right in 1864 when he wrote, “Let not him who is homeless pull down the house of another; but let him labor diligently and build one for himself, thus by example assuring that his own will be safe from violence when built.” 

 Within that sentiment, President Lincoln captured as he so many times did, the essence of America’s original conscience and therefore the drive behind her rise to prominence in history as the most unique and most successful nation to have ever existed in modern times.  For Lincoln, as with other truly great men of the past, questions of the day were steeped in deeper and more enduring concerns than simply the questions themselves.

 The greats had vision, but their vision was far more profound than hope and change.  Instead, it was a vision built upon developing America’s greatness first as a people and then, from that fruit, as a nation.  It was about individual contribution not collective benefit, diligence instead of dependence, individual liberty as opposed to government-granted rights.

 We are in the midst of monumental choices as a people and therefore as a nation.  All of those choices have to do with direction.  Which direction we choose will depend on which vision wins the day. 

 The vision of too many leaders from both parties since the late 1980’s has been in fundamental opposition to the wisdom of those who served before them.  Since that time, the growth of top-down central planning within the United States has grown at a startling rate.  Statism, imposition of government into all civil life is threatening to become the new normal.

 With statism comes dependence.  By the end of this year, a full 62% of the federal budget will be consumed by entitlement programs; Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and various Welfare programs.  From 2008 through 2011, the federal civilian workforce increased by 13% topping off two decades of expansion with a grand finish.  Private employment fell by 5% during those last four years.

 The power of statism is in detailed regulation.  America is becoming an administrative state while she is sacrificing federalism’s constitutional government.  The reality is that thousands of rules are created every year but the vast majority of them address routine and necessary functions.  However, the growth of non-routine highly impacting regulations is alarming.  During the first three years of the Bush administration, 28 impacting regulations were born to the tune of $8.1 billion.  During the same length of time under the Obama administration, 106 went into effect to the tune of $46 billion.

 It should not be difficult to recognize the eventual dangers of government expansionism for individual liberties.  The present administration has been responsible for aggressive opposition to religious expression in the public square through the Obamacare  “contraceptive” mandate, the refusal to enforce DOMA and its attempt to nullify the ministerial exception for religious schools.  It has colluded with the United Nations for control of private firearms.

 It is all about direction.  John Adams once wrote that “Democracy never lasts long.  It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself.  There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide”.  The last four years have been an icon of wasted, exhausted, self-destructive democracy.  We can allow the process to continue or change direction.