I sense we are becoming a nation of entitlements. And in the process of this slide into socialism, I sense that we can no longer rely upon the “political process” to reverse this uncomfortable transition. “What’s in it for me?” seems to be the new mantra now embraced by many people including our elected officials.
Liberty is defined as the condition of being free to choose, with an implication of wisdom, responsibility and voluntary restraint. Check those three words: wisdom, responsibility, restraint. Wisdom transcends to responsibility, which transcends to restraint. Now apply those thoughts to the crew currently running our state, and our nation.
Granted the political process is always suspect simply because of its inherent roll of people doing things for people, which often is fraught with “good intentions” gone astray. Why? Because too often their agendas are swayed by that nagging question, “what’s in it for me?”
Or perhaps more realistically are their votes triggered by the annoying question: Will this hurt my chances of being reelected? A “G.W.” we all learned about early in life was a guy named George Washington, who simply but eloquently stated, “The power under the Constitution will always be the people.”
Yet my read is that the people of America are becoming more and more disconnected from the political process. That is, except for a category which seems to believe that they are entitled to the handouts of government, regardless of whether they work, or don’t work, enjoy “rent-free” public housing, get free medical care, free education, food stamps, free public transportation to their social events, and don’t pay income taxes anywhere.
The notable Baptist evangelist Adrian Rogers (1931-2005) used these words describing the role of government:
“You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.
“When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.”
Another man of the cloth, the Rev. William J. H. Boetcker (1873-1962), shared much the same wisdom with these words:
“You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. You cannot build character and courage by taking away people’s initiative and independence. You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves.”
Today, despite the good intentions of our elected officials, I am hearing more and more discontent with government. A major concern is the growing disconnect between agriculture and the rest of the nation, be that elected officials or ordinary consumers. I go to many meetings, always with an agricultural agenda, so be aware of my built-in bias. And I continue to learn and be amazed by the new technologies driving American agriculture, and the tremendous skills of farmers in putting this new stuff to work. No profession or trade so resolutely personifies the entrepreneurial spirit as does the American farmer.
Yet I have this feeling that agriculture, the very foundation of America, is continually being put to fault by more and more people knowing less and less about this remarkable industry.
All of this leads to an even bigger concern. How can my and your grandchildren handle the burden of national debts that stagger the imagination? Will not the eventual outcome for many likely be raising their hands in defeat and saying “America, I give up!’
There’s a whole lot of hurt being generated in America and so far government hasn’t found any particular medicine to alleviate the pain.
Life is pretty much a series of challenges. I was once told is that the reason for all the bumps in the road is because God is more interested in your character than your comfort. I think my government should also be concerned about the character of the American people. If so, cutting back on the bailouts and handouts is a logical way to restart this whole character-building process.
But all is not lost. Minnesota farmers just finished producing record yields of virtually all major crops. They’ll soon be heading to fields and very likely raising the 2010 production bar to new levels. And when you’re potentially facing a spring that once again will likely be wet, cold and slow, you know these guys and gals have character. Guts, too.
Sweet, happy day
A closing note of unique joy. On Feb. 12, I joined with 15 Olivia-area men doing “singing Valentines” throughout the county. Split into two barber-shop groups and sporting red bow ties, red cummerbunds and tux shirts with studs, we did musical choices from 24 songs such as “Heart of My Heart,” “Girl of My Dreams,” “My Wild Irish Rose,” “Meet Me Tonight in Dreamland” and, of course, the big time favorite: “Let Me Call You Sweetheart.”
Our eight-guy group did 46 presentations that day, usually two songs per visit. We performed at virtually every nursing home, retirement facility, hospital, school and bank along Highway 212 plus lots of business and homes. Valentine’s Day is for men, too, so six gals resplendent in red skirts, blouses, beads and other assorted accessories also did “singing Valentines.”
This was all done as a special Kiwanis Club fundraiser for kids. Last year it resulted in over 300 new bike helmets for kids in four local communities. The $25 charge for each stop included a box of chocolates. It was indeed a sweet and happy day in Renville County.
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Dick Hagen is staff writer of The Land. He may be reached at dickhagen@rswb.coop.
