People have become so fickle and flighty in reacting to changing public opinion that I am now convinced that every bandwagon ought to come equipped with airbags!
When Congress abdicates its policy power to federal bureaucrats, it rarely ends well for the American people.
Political power seekers know that if the American people believe that we are too divided as a nation to solve a problem, it gives Congress the excuse to do nothing and the executive branch an excuse to do whatever the president wants through executive order.
Irrespective of party politics, the speeches most often recalled from history are not those of the fiery red-meat-rhetoric variety, but are instead reflective, instructive and constructive in both substance and style. Lincoln called on our “better angels,” John F. Kennedy challenged us to “ask what we can do for our country,” and Martin Luther King invited us to look at “the content of a person’s character.”
The Constitution stands as a monument to deliberate discussion and deeper dialogue.
Whether from a bench on the Supreme Court or the boardroom of an international business, from a pulpit before a university crowd to a pew in a church, it is those who freely come to the intersection of faith and reason that carry and fan the flame of liberty in every land. In truth, religious freedom, fired and forged in faith and reason, is the strength of a nation and the protector of the flame of liberty for the young, the old and for generations yet to come.
We often, and rightly, describe the Founding Fathers as great, wise and noble men – which they clearly were. However, the Founders were not just upset about tea and taxes, nor were they strictly politically centered people – above all they were entrepreneurs and business owners who wanted to pursue their passions and dreams without the heavy hand of government controlling, regulating or determining their destiny.
Currently we offer financial or material benefits based on poverty status. In other words, our present approach makes people’s ability to improve their quality of life through government programs – including feeding their families, accessing health care, and gaining an education – dependent upon remaining in poverty! This “prosperity cliff” penalizes those who are truly striving to become self reliant – often putting those in poverty into inhumane situations where the most reasonable, and even responsible, option for them and their family is to remain in poverty. Many are trapped in poverty by the very government agencies that are supposed to be elevating their condition.
The path of least resistance for public discourse is to demonize your opponent and gin up your supporters with passionate but divisive language. This approach creates much heat, but little light, and keeps us a safe distance from actually solving the problems we face as a nation.
In 1980, candidate Ronald Reagan delivered one of the most unique and stunning conclusions ever to a political acceptance speech. Just at the climax, when the convention hall was energized and ready to erupt, Reagan pivoted to the need for divine help and guidance on the journey toward a better America. He then asked every citizen to join him in a moment of silent prayer. Instead of ending on a red-meat applause line, Reagan ended with divinely centered silence! We clearly could use a little more silence in our public discourse.
Do we really believe that the only way to care for the environment is through an unenforceable treaty executed through the politics of an executive order?
People have become so fickle and flighty in reacting to changing public opinion that I am now convinced that every bandwagon ought to come equipped with airbags!