The Day After

It's apropos that I write my first blog post the day after Senator John McCain declared defeat. Yes, that's right. In his supposed innocent move to defer the debate and to divert attention to the real problem, our economy, he has all but resigned himself to concession. Ladies and gentlemen, the real problem is not the economy. The real problem is us. We are the enemy. We have a society and a government out of control.

Why is it apropos? Well, truly, there is no other moment in recent political campaign history that stands witness to such a foolish move. This has finally sent me hurdling headfirst into the blog torrent. It's indecent and I must call him on it.

It is also apropos because the government, the media, and the people themselves refuse to grapple with the true crux of the problem. The true problem, of which I am party to, is that we have bloody lost control. We have lost control of government. It is awash in money and fringe benefits that clearly cloud judgement. Media is simply not as qualified as it once was in reporting the facts. Just give me the facts, man. Finally, we, the PEOPLE, have taken freewill to an all time frenzy.

The enemy is truly us.

First, let's consider our government, which, by the way, is a republic and not a democracy. If I hear democracy one more time, I'll "have to barf up a lung." Anyway, I spoke with a colleague today who insisted we should completely abandon term limits. Friends, this is completely ridiculous. His reasoning was that the lame duck nature of the presidency disqualifies the person in office from doing anything in his or her second term. The presidency was meant to be limited in the number of terms to keep power from accruing to one single individual for a inordinate amount of time. Though it is unlikely we will return to the imperialist rule that dominated the world less than 100 years ago, we must keep power in check. We must add term limits to the Congress. It is long overdue. Career politicians are like whores in an Old West saloon - drinking liquor, gambling, and well, whoring. Deliberate the facts, represent us in the clutch, and make the tough decisions based on what is right - what the politician believes is right.

Second, the media is equally out of control. They have become the entertainment. They are the center of their own storm. The phrase "fair and balanced" was created by marketers based on focus groups and survey data. You must consider yourselves as servants of the truth and not the creators of hegemony. You are neither the leaders or the followers. Another "-er" word comes to mind. You are reporters.

Finally, the people are squarely to blame. Whether they are people on Wall Street or people on Main Street. The excesses, again which I am party to, have completely transformed our society into a band of Bedouins, searching for the next one-day sale, the best rate on the house, and the flashiest ride we can find. Who cares? What about mathematics? Science? The arts? Education? Ah yes, education. This is fundamentally where the United States needs to make the most headway and it is the primary battlefield upon which the war will be won. We have all but turned over education to the PC. In 3rd grade, my daughter has a calculator? Why? My guess is that others the world over, particularly Asian children in Asian countries, add it up green - no calculator and no batteries - only brain power. With education slipping, wealth has continued to rise. And now we know why. It is artificial. We have outpaced our actual intellectual and productive capacity by borrowing against future generations' prosperity. Shameful.

So, on this day after, do sleep tight. Do wish John McCain well in the debate, which, God willing, will occur. Pray this bailout works, because it, in its most fundamental form, undermines our way of life and sets us in motion towards more irrational actions. Most of all, be thankful for what you have, take only what you need, and work diligently for peace. I shall try to do the same.