Self-reliant? Not so much

Independence. Freedom. Self-reliance. Rugged individualism. These used to be words that described the American spirit. Nobody expected anything that they didn't earn. All anybody wanted was the chance to make it on their own, and for the government to stay out of their way. This was a central idea in the United States. People just wanted the chance to make it on the basis of their own ideas and talents. And in reality, why should we ask for more.

I said these used to be words that described the American spirit. Now? It is hard to tell. People have decided that it is their RIGHT to have "free" health care provided by the government. It is their RIGHT to have a job secured by the government. It is their RIGHT to have a comfortable lifestyle guaranteed by the government. It is their RIGHT to be able to have the biggest house they want, even if they cannot afford it. Why have we reached this point?

This idea absolutely irritates me. In order for all of these "rights" to be guaranteed, we will have to give the government unprecedented levels of control over our lives, as well as authorize them to spend unprecedented amounts of money. Newsflash: Life has hard times people. It is a part of life. The government cannot stop this. The path we are on now is merely going to create temporary (if at all successful) solutions while creating much bigger problems farther down the road. When the extremely moderate (if not leftist) Senator John McCain is denouncing the recently passed stimulus package as one that is "stealing from our children", it is clear that these so-called solutions are not really solving anything.

Every time President Obama says that the government MUST ACT NOW! because Americans are going through hard times, I ask myself why? Don't get me wrong, I don't like the fact that Americans are losing jobs and having to make difficult decisions. But I also understand that at the moment unemployment is less than a third of what it was during the depression. It isn't even in double digits yet. I can't help but feel the President and the actions of Congress are in fact doing more harm than good. Lets put this in perspective. The Great Depression essentially lasted the entire decade of the 30's, and was only fixed by WWII. There is a very strong argument that the depression would have been much, much shorter if it was not for the "New Deal" policies of the Roosevelt administration. We are heading down the same road. Why don't we as a country face the hard times, scale back a little bit, and endure this crisis based on our own abilities?

So, you ask, what is my solution? We obviously cannot let the economy just go the way it has been. Okay, we are in agreement. The government's current solutions are not the answer. The answer, my friends, will be revealed soon, on this very blog. Probably sometime next week. I am dead serious when I say that I will want to take this idea nationwide. When I reveal it, I will want feedback, but more importantly, I will want ideas about how to spread it, and help spreading it. This idea will return to individuals the ability to control their own destiny again, and rely less upon the government for this help. Be on the lookout, and know that answers are on the way.