On September 17, 1787, Elizabeth Willing Powel asked Benjamin Franklin, “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?”
His response “A republic, if you can keep it.”
It used to be that there were certain political truths that you could trust.
You could trust that both parties seemed to want to make America a better place.
- One of the largest tax cuts was instituted by President Kennedy. As was one of the largest budget programs (National Aeronautics and Space Administration).
- The single largest program that protects our environment was instituted by President Nixon, as was his opening the door to the Chinese (a difficult, yet wise move).
But it seems that today, that unity of purpose, to make America the best it can be, is gone. It’s been replaced by ideologues that want to make our country just like Europe.
The current administration is trying to rig government so the incoming administration can’t diminish the size of the government. They are trying to change the size of the highest court in the land so that they can pack it full of hopelessly liberal judges and get their way.
The same party that slings the Fascist label at Republicans is now in favor of a centralized autocracy. Forcible suppression, subordination of individual interests for the perceived good of the nation, and strong regimentation of society and the economy. The last time I checked that’s the textbook definition of a fascist. You can depend on the lunatic fringe being guilty of what they are accusing the other party of doing.
If you really want to see who’s cutting Social Security, look at who’s making the accusation. They are doing it in sneaky, insidious ways, too. Making more and more people eligible at younger and younger ages, as it seems that “special” groups are more entitled to your retirement funds than you are.
Fortunately, we have avoided the mob rule that “Democracy” would start. The electoral college keeps your vote in Wheeling every bit as relevant as a vote in New York City or Los Angeles.
I know that our Republic is under attack, and the people who are persecuting this war on our country and way of life are leading with the charge of Democracy. If you listen to more than their sound bites, you’ll find they have a completely different agenda. They are not interested in freedom and individual liberty. They are looking to make you knuckle under to their will. Their “democracy” makes you subservient to the state.
The option is “a republic, if you can keep it,” so aptly spoken by Benjamin Franklin 237 years ago.
Just like more pain medication won’t stop the pain, more taxes won’t end a terminal spending problem. Stop the pain, and you need fewer drugs. Stop the spending, and you need fewer taxes.
It’s time to demand both parties start pulling in the same direction. It’s not right or left, it’s something they seem to have lost – it’s the American direction. Both parties are intent on spewing extreme rhetoric, which most Americans I know want to be taxed a little less, and imposed upon by government less often, while being left to pursue their own version of the American dream.
We seem to get the government we deserve, and right now, I’m not feeling very deserving.
I want my granddaughter to have a deep and unflinching love for this country, and I often feel as though I’m the only one working to impart that essential value as part of her education.
Something as unique as an American Republic. If we can keep it.
