Three Sticks — Moses on Life

I know that there is a lot of anxiety for the average American right now.  It appears that the American century is over. This is exemplified by bedrock institutions of America losing prestige over the last several years including:

1. Presidency - Foreign Policy - Disaster, Domestic Policy - Disaster
2. Military - Where’s Osama Bin Laden?, “Mission Accomplished”
3. Wall Street - Consumed by greed and now wants a handout, so large that it threatens to take the rest of us with them
4. Culture - No longer focused on sustainable and productive values instead it’s Reality TV, Short skirts and heels for babies and little girls
5. Spirit - Feeling of powerlessness and looking for the government to solve our problems

I know that there are some who would say that all of this is temporary and that we always turn it around.  They’ll site the 1980’s as an example and how many Americans felt that Japan with its focused and government supported industrial sector would overwhelm the United States economically.  Or how the US recovered after the turmoil of the 1960’s, restructure of the US military after the Vietnam War or the shift in policies after the Oil Embargo of the 1970’s.

I agree that the aforementioned events are wonderful examples of how the United States has overcome tragedy and difficulty.  I also argue that we can do it again.  However, I believe that there is a significant difference between those events and today.  And that is a willingness of both the American people and the government to fix what was broken.

In the political sphere, there are two examples that really drive home the desire to fix what ails the country.  The first is the Congressional Election of 1972/4. Following Watergate, Americans felt that the existing Congress was ineffectual and corrupt. Americans decide to elect a significant number of reforms to Congress to clean up the mess.  These legislators were responsible for new emission standards, ethical laws for Congressional members and 10 years later the 1986/7 Tax reform bill.  In 1986, President Reagan along with key Congressional members like Rostenkowski (Dem) and other legislators worked together to reform the tax code to enable more economic growth.  Ultimately this reform was a contributing factor to the phenomenal growth of the 1990’s. These accomplishments were possible for two reasons:

1. The American people sent a clear message that the old ways weren’t working and that they wanted new solutions, politics as usual was no longer acceptable
2. Politicians dropped their rhetoric and reached across the aisle to the other party, again driven by the desire of the American people for a better solution

The will and desire of the American people, so often used that it has become a cliche, is the driver behind all of the nation’s political and economic fortunes. There are several examples that highlight this point, including:

1. The political changes described above were a result of the American people replacing members of Congress with reformers.
2. Although many people don’t want to remember, President Bush went into Iraq with more the 80% of the American People supporting that decision.
3. The greed and lack of productive values found in Wall Street mirrors the same greed, selfishness, lack of productive values reflected in the most obvious expressions of our culture — the entertainment industry, dress code standards, attitudes of parents
4. The economy has been driven by consumer spending (e.g. debt) for the last 10 years and crashes once easy credit has ended and the consumers can no longer manage the sheer amount of debt that they currently carry (e.g. foreclosures)

Thus the measure of the success of the America comes back to the values and priorities embraced by the American people.  We have (my self included) been lax in our responsibilities for leading this nation. That might sound odd, to say that all Americans have a leadership role, but we do. It is on us to tell our political leaders where we want to go, it is on us to set the cultural standards for ourselves and our children, it is on us to maintain discipline in our personal finances, it is on us to accept the consequences of our actions with dignity and determination if for no other reason to provide an example for our children.

And now the obvious question? How do we do this? Given that it’s football season, I’ll us a football analogy, when a new football coach comes on board to take over a team that has been struggling, the coach will teach team a few key skill, how to finish (work until the end of a game), how to win (avoid self destructing), how to life with success (dealing with the dangers of complacency and arrogance).  To teach these skills he doesn’t give speeches and seminars, he starts at the beginning with blocking, tackling and running the football, essentially the basics of any successful football program.  And so too must the American people go back to basics.

What does going back to basics mean in this context.  Well, it means accountability.  That we hold ourselves accountable for what is happening in our country.  The wonderful thing about accountability and its close cousin responsibility is that once you accept them you immediately empower yourself. No longer are you a simple cog in the great machine, instead you are an active in crucial member of the decision making group.

To get started you have to start with what you control.  For example, take control of your finances (e.g. pay off your debt) and refuse to buy stuff unless you can pay cash for it.  I’ve been  following the Dave Ramsey plan for the last year and it has made a huge difference in the finances of my family. We have paid off 1/2 of our debt and should be debt free by the end of next year. You can do it too.  Parents control what your kids watch, set high academic standards, even if you didn’t like school make sure your kids know that being educated is useful in and of itself.  Hold politicians accountable pay attention to votes.  Vote for results and not parties. If your overweight control watch what you eat and workout, my wife and I have been following the Ultrametabolism program and it has worked for us.  It’s pretty simple in the correct foods in the correct portions and workout.

These are all pretty easy, but require discipline and maturity to stick with it.  We often look for complex solutions when the real solution is starring use in the face.  I know it seems hard, but that is because we’ve gotten used to taking the quick and easy path and that is leading us to a place we don’t want to go.

What will see us through this?  — Faith.  Faith in God, Faith in ourselves and Faith in each other.

If you are an American, you have a rich heritage to proud of — from citizens who refused to be dominated by a foreign nation half a world away, to the pioneers who refused to let fear of the unknown keep them from exploring this beautiful land, to those who stood up to assume their God given rights and faced death to do it.  To say nothing of the millions of Americans who chose to put on the a uniform and defend this country from enemies foreign and domestic.

These people were not so different from us.  We are made of the same tough stuff.  We can overcome every challenge if we use our God given talents, rely on each other and trust in God we can become a nation that is trusted, respected and admired by others and worthy of passing to our children.

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