Fixing the Problem

Some may ask, “How can we get ourselves out from under the heavy hand of the federal govern-ment?”

The answer is actually quite simple. We must stop doing the things we did to get ourselves under its heavy hand in the first place.

Most of today’s problems stem from our eagerness to accept help from the federal government. Had we been unwilling to do that, we would not be where we are today.

Furthermore, we should have advised the politicians who first made those clearly unconstitutional offers that it was inappropriate for them to be doing so, and that we would boot them out of office if they persisted in their un-American behavior.

Our Founders provided us with ample warning that politicians crave power. Yet we have permitted them through the years to inch closer and closer to gaining absolute control over us. And they have done this largely by offering us help, or perhaps I should say bait, that we stupidly accepted.

If we ever expect to get the government off our backs, we must start taking care of ourselves again, like our ancestors did. And when our neighbors are down, we must offer whatever help we can to them. We must work out our problems locally, as communities, rather than at the federal level. Experience has shown us that it is by far cheaper and more efficient to help a friend or neighbor directly than to invite an oversized and overbearing federal government to do it.

It is becoming quite apparent that the price we pay for running from our own and our neighbor’s problems is government intervention and control in all aspects of our lives, for we are being asked to part not just with our hard-earned dollars, but we are being asked to part with hard-earned liberties as well.

We must decide whether we want to go back to the old philosophy of solving our own and our community’s problems at the lowest possible level and retain control, or continue surrendering control to the federal government and live with all the many uncertainties and dangers that choice poses.

My advice: Get control back into our own hands and keep it there! To do this we must make every effort possible to ensure that we and those we are responsible for never become a burden on anyone else. Yet we always must be willing to reach out to friends and neighbors who despite their best efforts are unable temporarily or permanently to provide for themselves.

At first this may seem like the hard way of doing things, but in time I am confident we will realize it is the right way. And that is what is important. The Bible tells us that following the ways of truth will lead us to freedom. Therefore, we may conclude that following fallacies, no matter how inviting they may seem, will lead us into captivity.

And one more thing. At the next election we must mercilessly vote out all those in Washington who have an uncontrollable penchant for “helping.” Contrary to what they may be saying, these misguided souls ( I could use a much less flattering word) are not helping. They are driving our once great nation into economic and moral bankruptcy.

We need to start realizing that, and act accordingly. Then we’ll be doing something tangible and meaningful to extricate ourselves from our current predicament.

Let’s be upfront about this, we can’t go on accepting handouts from our government and expect its size and power to diminish.

“They have rights who dare maintain them.” --James Russell Lowell