Is It Time To Give Up?

Several days ago, I had an opportunity to listen to the Dennis Miller Show on 560AM, WIND, in Chicago.  Though I do not get the opportunity to listen very often, I have always enjoyed Dennis Miller for his intellectual humor; and since his show was added to the WIND lineup, for his political points of view. From time to time however, I have had reason to question some of Dennis' positions.  Occasionally, these "questionable" points of view have given me reason to re-think my positions.

On this particular day, a caller questioned Dennis' attitude toward the president of late.  The caller felt that Dennis has taken a laid back position, arguing that if Dennis was practically required by virtue of his celebrity, to fight for the conservative cause.  The caller was essentially telling Dennis that if he were not a part of the solution, by default he would become part of the problem.  I agreed with the caller as I have been telling everyone that we are not fixing anything by ignoring everything this president is doing to destroy our country.

Dennis respectfully disagreed with the caller, reasoning that none of the garbage this president is doing, is worth taking minutes from his life.  Dennis observed that he was becoming angry all the time and he did not like the way it felt.  He said that he would not give the president this much power over his life, allowing the president to determine when or whether Dennis would be happy.  Dennis said he respected the caller's opinion but did not feel the president was worth the energy.

Dennis next began reasoning about how the president was elected twice by a overwhelming majority, indicating that as a nation, our priorities have changed.  He believed that this is the president and the desires of the current generation.  This is the part that caught my attention.  This is the part that made me stop and think.  Afterall, my generation had Ronald Reagan.  Ronald Reagan represented and was a reflection of my generation. 

The ideals of my generation were personal accountability; hard work equals rewards; peace through strength; respect for the law and love of country.  We were a nation of doers, takers were the exception.  The nation was united under Ronald Reagan and while people may not have liked other people who were different, most people respected those who were different.  It was during this period in our history that I believe we made our strongest gains in racial relations.

Today's generation is made up of victims.  Everyone is a victim of somebody - blacks are victims of business and hispanic vigilantes; gays are victims of conservatives, women are victims of men, hispanics are victims of whites, elderly are victims of big business, those who do not have are victims of those who have. Each day on the news, there are stories of how one group or another is being victimized by someone. This is in complete contrast to the Reagan philosophy.

Because we are victims, we believe the government owes us.  The government owes us healthcare, food, housing and a college education among many other things.  Now who will pay for this?  The government!  Who is the government?  Each of us are the government, however the "haves" are the people who are funding the government since the "have-nots" do not pay taxes.  Broken down to the lowest common denominator, much of this generation believes the "haves" should pay the way for the have-nots. 

This way of thinking has been created by an administration which has mastered the art of divisiveness.  This administration has taught our youth that rich people have become rich by taking from the poor and middle class.  They have used this argument to convince the new generation that government is far more qualified to make financial decisions then those who actually earn the wages.  This again, is in contrast to the Reagan philosophy.  Ronald Reagan believed that government is not the solution to our problems and he believed that citizens, you and I; were much more capable than government,  of making our own financial decisions.

Our Constitution gives us the rights to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."  The Constitution does not guarantee the right to a home or healthcare or even food.  It does however, grant each of us the right to "pursue" each of these things if we truly want or need them.  We can pursue our happiness through hard work or through begging or by stealing.  During the Reagan years, or through my generation, we were taught to obtain what we need or desire through hard work; a lesson taught to us by our parents and our government leaders.  The idea of begging or stealing was discouraged and/or punished.

The generation of today has been taught that working for what they need or want is unfair.  There is a certain pride associated with dependency, to the extent that parents can now carry their children on their healthcare insurance well into their 20's.  This generation has even made begging fashionable as we see someone holding a sign at virtually every off ramp or major intersection.  Stealing is virtually revered as we tend to idolize celebrities who are caught stealing. Gift giving during holidays is not a consideration or an option, but an expectation.  While as children, my generation was taught to be grateful for any gift we received, today, any gift we give must not fall below an unwritten minimum; and while cash is preferred, gift cards are acceptable.

So, as I think about what Dennis Miller said on his show, I agree it would be much better to lose the anger because I do not the way it feels.  However, I disagree that this is the decision of the new generation and it is their turn at bat.  If people took this position during the transitional points of our nation's development, I wonder where we would be today?  In fact, I believe it was our leadership which had people striving to achieve their dreams during the 1980's.  It was leadership which united us as a nation after the attack on New York in 2001.  While leadership had taken us to great heights in past generations, the lack of leadership has created the atmosphere of dependency and malaise we are experiencing today.

To sit back and let things happen, will not fix the problems with our young generation.  Becoming vocal and teaching our young people that our nation is only as good as the people allow it to be and as strong as we make it; this, and only this will fix the problems over time.  We owe this not only to future generations, but more importantly, to those who sacrificed over the past 237 years.