We are, sadly, an extremely dysfunctional people. I am a believer in both capitalism and democracy. I am passionate in my belief in and devotion to freedom. And, as a Christian, I dislike the discrimination against Christianity and the apparent promotion and protection of almost all other beliefs in the name of political correctness. But, without responsibility, all of these are destructive.
It was our belief in unregulated capitalism that brought on our present economic crisis. Conservatism that simply protects the plutocrats that created this disaster will not save us. Look at the profits made by our good capitalists from the bail-outs, TARP and stimuli of the past two years. Possibly more destructive, our lack of regulation with accompanying lack of responsibility has exported our manufacturing and agricultural assets, essentially ensuring the destruction of this country. A welfare state is every bit as destructive. Years ago, I was the executive director of a fairly large museum. There was a lady there in a community service program who was a wonderful worker. A position came open and her supervisor came to me and asked me to hire her for the position. We found that this would cost her health care and benefits that our pay and benefits could not replace. There is something wrong with a system that makes it more economically feasible to be unemployed than productive.
Our problem is that this conservative spasm is not going to help us any more than the flop into liberalism did. If we do not redesign ourselves, we are doomed to become the next third world country. I am still amazed at the idiocy of a Greenspan advocating spending not saving, parroted by George W. Bush in telling us to go out and spend for the good of the country. I would like to see economic freedom, but the figures on the growing disparity of our distribution of wealth leads me to believe that we are out of control.
I agree that the Tea Party has a right to be angry. I am angry. We have outsourced our own jobs. This was not Democrats, this was us: Buy Wal-Mart it keeps the Chinese employed. NAFTA, another big problem, was begun under George Bush (Sr.) and ratified under Clinton. We are facing repeated energy crises, our money is inflating at a disastrous rate, and we have a terrifying national debt. Hell yes, there is reason to be angry, but I am not sure that there is any rationale to the target of the Tea Party anger. The people I know who are the most rabid Tea Partiers have been consistent conspiracy theorists and negative about whoever has been in power. Willing to ignore facts to cling to vicious lies. How will that help?
Furthermore, it is nonsensical, or disingenuous, to say that the Tea Party is not racist. Anyone who saw even parts of the Nashville Tea Party convention heard racist statements repeatedly draw applause. There was no opposing voice. And, when a Tea Partier proclaims that they are going to win America back for Americans, who do they think is in government that is not American? This is lightly veiled racism. I live in Kentucky, it is not lightly veiled here.
We need this country back together. We have real problems facing us, and the political trend of the twenty-first century is simply speeding our descent. We have an economic crisis, but there are also crises of energy, overpopulation, water, and climate that we cannot address without all our mental resources. We need every American working together. Instead, we are falling apart. History is going to look at us as ignoramuses; or worse.
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