Posts
Welcome to The Original American, a blog about traditional American values. I refer not to the values of the prudish 20th century, but rather to the basic ideals upon which this great nation was founded. Our forefathers believed in small government supporting the freedom and responsibility of individuals. I am starting this blog as a way to relate their principles to modern life in these United States.
As I leave the first blushes of youth, I weary of the ever-increasing restrictions on the freedom of the American people. I have watched our government accomplish virtually nothing over the past three decades while growing tremendously in size. Each year, our government takes more of our money, increases our national debt, and violates our personal liberties. Each year, the attitude of the average citizen becomes more complacent.
We have become a nation of whiners who expect our goverment to solve all our problems, to alleviate the ills and evils of the world. We no longer accept personal responsibility for our own actions and misfortunes. We no longer accept that bad things happen to good people, and sometimes there is no one to blame. We no longer accept that hard work is the path to a better life, and that each person holds the key to his own circumstances. Instead, we now off-load all responsibility to the government while using legislation to impose our values on our neighbors.
Starting today, I intend to speak out against the socialist agenda in the US. I understand that there are people who need help; this is why we have private charities and philanthropists. I understand that each socialist program does some good for some people; this does not make them appropriate within the context of the American government funded by the American tax payers. Those who wish to live in a socialist society should move to one. Europe is lovely, by the way.
I do not expect everyone to agree with my opinions, but I do expect those who respond to my blogs to be respectful. I intend this to be a forum for intelligent discussion, entertainment, activism and the occassional rant (when something really gets under my skin). I've opened my blog to the world, and I don't restrict comments except for those being disrespectful.
I'll try to post something new every day, Monday through Friday, and we'll see how that goes. For now, thank you for reading my first post. I hope you will keep reading, and if you like what you see, please feel free to share with your friends.
Good night,
MK
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Marx did have a point when he argued that capitalism would fail because of internal tensions; and eventually it would be replaced by socialism - I am, in fact, not opposed to a classless society - it'd be an ideal world. The house on the hill mentality makes me sick to my stomach - and that's capitalism at its finest. In no way do I wish for a communist society - but a healthy blend of socialist and capitalist would be quite lovely, just like you say Europe is.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your response :)
ReplyDeleteMarx is only correct if you discount the ability and desire of the people to fight against this decline. We have the power to change it, which is why I started this blog.
I disagree that a 'healthy blend of socialist and capitalist would be quite lovely'. Europe is a wonderful, lovely place to visit. The architecture, the art, the people, the languages- they're all just beautiful! When my appendix is inflamed, though, I hope to God I'm not in a country with socialized medicine.
My basic argument against socialism is as follows: People who work harder to make money, who spend decades learning their trade, who have skills found in less than 5% of the population, should make more money and be able to have nicer things than the guy who cleans the bathrooms. Yes, the guy cleaning the bathrooms is doing an honest day's work that makes life bearable, but he's not doing the same level of service to society as the neurosurgeon who saves children with brain cancer. Socialism removes monetary incentives to ambition, and it deprives people of the need to take responsibility for themselves. If we reverse the socialist push, we'll find people who previously lived off the government can lift themselves by their own bootstraps.
In theory communism, socialism, and capitalism all sound good n spiffy, but in reality they just don't work in their purest forms. I think a combo of capitalism and more socialism would be better. Ok, socialism sounds so un-american, but look at Europe. Yes they pay more taxes and maybe very specialized health care is harder to get at, but on the whole they live longer happier lives with less stress and more vacation time than the average American. They have a better education sys with less money and more graduates than we do. They might pay a little more for food and fuel, but it's fresh, healthy, better tasting than our typical processed crap. They drive more responsible cars and adhere to lane discipline, unlike many Americans who feel entitled to drive slow in the passing lane in a monster truck believing that gas should be kept cheap no matter the enviro or socio-political consequences. On the whole Europeans still work as hard, have as many scientific discoveries or new inventions (especially the Scandinavians) and it's not like hard work an ingenuity is really enough to make you rich in the good ole US of A. We may be a wealthy land of opportunity but our wealth is so unevenly distributed with higher power that keep it that way. They enjoy so many social safety nets which are sometimes abused, but nice to have otherwise.
ReplyDeleteThere are many exceptions, but Americans on the whole have become arrogant, decadent, and lazy. We've become complacent and corrupt. It's just like the fall of Rome, but faster. We want as much stuff as we can get no matter the consequences. We've traded quality for cheap quantity. Look at the mortgage mess. Greedy banks gave loans to people for Mc Mansions that they couldn't afford and they knew that shit. Now everyone tax payer has to bail them out. WTF? We are so deep in dept importing so much from cheap crap from China that we are practically giving away the country and poisoning the environment in the process. Watch the main video and think about it next time you go to the dollar tree... www.storyofstuff.com Maybe this bad economy crap will help Americans be more responsible and focus on what really matters... My fear is that being short sighted and reactive instead of proactive is ingrained in our culture and our memories are so short that we will go back to our old habits after this recession thing is over.