"You can always count on Americans to do the right thing, after they've tried everything else."
Winston Churchill
This, I think, is the source of my greatest pride and most frustration in my country. We never accept anything at face value from the rest of the world; we challenge, we experiment, and we compete. In the larger picture, this makes for a healthy, lively nation that encourages innovation and growth. At this snapshot in time however, we are going through some rough times.
In my life, I don't think I've ever come across this many people from day to day who are struggling, unemployed, or scared about the economy. I've had a pretty privileged upbringing by parents who have worked hard to keep us afloat, clothed, happy, and fed. The struggles we all face now wear on me a great deal, but this quote from Churchill with it's dry British wit reminds me that it's all cyclical, that this too shall pass. What will America be like after it passes?
Republicans and Libertarians alike talk a great deal about the Holy Grail of the Free Market. Just leave it alone and it will recover on its own. Punish the lending institutions that brought us to this point. Citizens all over the country railed against the $850 billion of bailouts for Wall Street, even to the point that they were willing to take the hit trickling down to "Joe Sixpack," just to get revenge on these evil greedy corporations. Fingers are pointing everywhere, between political parties AND social classes. I'm gonna say the blame is on everyone.
Liberty is the freedom to be wrong. Yes, banks were wrong to aggressively sell mortgages on homes to people that couldn't afford them. Yes, sub-prime borrowers were wrong for applying for mortgages on homes they couldn't afford. Yes, Wall Street was wrong for investing heavily in bad credit. Yes, conservatives are wrong for being fiscal anarchists. Yes, liberals are wrong for telling people that the government can provide the American Dream for everyone through regulation. Yes, Americans are wrong to attempt to live beyond their means. Yes, we are all wrong for allowing talking heads on CNN AND Fox News to tell us what we think without discovering it for ourselves.
Now that the blame has been liberally applied, can we get about the business of tightening our belts, weathering out this storm, and getting ready for a better future? The cycle continues, and it looks like it's going to be the Democrats' chance to screw it up this time. Personally, I'll enjoy having a leader who can string a coherent sentence together for a change. I tire of this "Fuck the rest of the world, we're Americans by God! We'll do what we want!" mentality in our current leadership. And whatever the new guy doesn't have experience in, there will be plenty of experienced folks to tell him what needs to be done.
As for the rest, Im gonna take care of myself and my new family as best I am able, and enjoy watching the Great Experiment continue.
9 years ago
5 comments:
What a great, thoughtful post. I know we can have slightly varying political points of view-- with all my liberal and slightly socialistic inclinations, lol -- but I have to agree with you on this one. :)
And whatever comes, we'll get through it together!
This is one of the most well thought out and intelligent posts I've ever read on our current situation. Extreme moderation at it's finest, and Ben Franklin would be proud.
thanks for the kind comments...and the extra publication on Facebook Rob. The Ben Franklin thing made me grin. There is definitely a reason he's my favorite founding father. He's very high up on my top 10 Historical People I'd Like to Have a Beer With.
i know this is really off topic, but we have a store here called Ben Franklins that i call "Benny Franks". why is there an arts and crafts store named after Benjamin Franklin?? was it the kite thing?
with all due respect to the Great Benjamin Franklin, if i had ever the fortune to meet him in some way on some plane, it would be with great difficulty that i'd try to hold back and not say, "Nice to meet you, Benny Frank!"
anyway... my favorite part of your post here (other than calling these shenanigans of late, "The Great Experiment" - that's awesome) is this:
"Now that the blame has been liberally applied, can we get about the business of tightening our belts, weathering out this storm, and getting ready for a better future?"
Kudos, man.
Probably because he was a very accomplished inventor. You should check out his wiki article sometime, he was a remarkable man. So much of what we see and use every day he had a hand in....the postal system and street numbers, the franklin stove, bifocals, all his. And he made very little money from any of it and didn't own a lot of his patents. He would create for the sheer joy of creating useful things. And he's got some of the best quotable quotes in history. His autobiography is a great read, too.
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