TomNaegeleBlogs

Something has been bothering me lately. I do my very best to stay up to date with current events in the news, and lately they have been vexing me. I am a busy man, but I make a conscious effort to know and understand what is going on in the world around me. I believe this is an important task and the duty of every good American. I believe that Plato was correct when he said that one of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors. I don’t know about you, but I certainly want what is best for my country, and I do not wish to be governed by someone more inferior than I. Because of that fact, I spend every spare moment I have reading various political blogs, listening to political talk radio, and absorbing every other form of political information I can come into contact with. In my self-education quest, I have discovered one theme to be more prominent than any other. Regardless of the political leaning or party association, all political commentary seems to revolve around one central theme: frustration with politicians.

Regardless if I listen to Rush Limbaugh or Keith Olbermann, I hear the same thing—frustration with politicians. Left and right commentators may have opposing ideas of which politicians are inept, failing, and frustrating, but this is simply two sides of the same coin. Listen to liberals and Democrats (or however you prefer to classify them), and you are told that conservatives and Republicans are to blame for our country’s problems. Listen to right-wingers and you will hear the exact opposite. So which party is right? Are the Republicans or Democrats at fault? Is it the liberals or conservatives? I’m sure you have already made your decision based on your political alliances, but the answer has to be that they are both in the wrong.

If you are still reading this after I just insulted your beloved party, here is another bombshell for you. One’s political affiliation does not matter! “Gasp!” you will surely respond. “How can you say such a horrible thing?” The answer is actually quite simple. Politicians will have us believe that they are of a superior race and only they, with their genius intellects, know what is best for us. As long as a politician subscribes to this belief, they are the problem! Their political beliefs matter very little at this point if their driving objective is to conquer and impose their almighty will upon the people of their country. That is not America. Regardless of your political beliefs, you do not want your elected politicians reigning over you like an omnipotent king. It is human nature to be free, and if one is forced to believe something, another aspect of their nature will soon surface—rebellion.

The correct method for politicians then, is not to lead a dictatorship, but rather leave the people to find their way to the truth. Americans as a whole are some of the most exceptional people to have ever inhabited the Earth. Given enough time and the proper resources, they will come to a general consensus as to the best methods for governing their country. If a politician’s views are at odds with the American people’s views, it should be a sign to the politician. Unfortunately, the vast majority of politicians buy into the “We know best” philosophy, and that pride prevents them from molding their views to match their people’s views.

If our politicians are too proud to change their views, therein lies the true problem our country faces. We have a collection of elected officials who honestly believe that they are of a higher race and standing than the ordinary American people. The most tragic part of this problem is that the American people allow the politicians to think this way! As I mentioned earlier, listen to any political commentary and you will hear one side of politicians or the other being bashed by the American people. Our government is discussed as if they are some select group of intellectuals who are much too extraordinary to be considered simple Americans. But here is a little known fact: ALL politicians are simply a PART of the American people! It is the people who have become lazy, and decided to spend more time involved in sex, drugs, and rock & roll, rather than something as insignificant as the governing of our country. The American people willingly surrendered the responsibility of being involved in politics long ago. We were all more than happy to relinquish our role in the political system to the eager-eyed, power-hungry politicians. That way we would have more time to be free—or so we thought.

Now the damage is done and we have a collection of individuals running our country who honestly believe that they are of a higher, superior standing. The American people stand back and watch as these monsters take over a country that was never intended to belong to them in this fashion. A select few number of Americans are beginning to awaken from their drug-induced coma, and discover a country vastly different from the pre-1960s world they gave up on when they decided to partake in the sexual revolution of the time. “Outrageous!” Some will cry, “We have a country run by evil, corrupt politicians!” And the name-calling ensues. Some will choose to lean right in their beliefs, and criticize the people on the left for our country’s mess. Others will choose the opposite route, and blame those on the right. But take a step back, and it is easy to see that both sides are wrong. Simply blaming the other party for our problems will lead us only to more name-calling, and a deeper divide than is already present in this country.

“What could possibly be the solution, then?” You will wonder, “How can neither side be right? Who exactly is to blame if it’s neither Republicans nor the Democrats?” Good question, but something is missing. There is another political party besides the two we constantly hear about in the news. In fact, this party completely dwarfs both of the other parties combined. This party comprises more members than the entire government, while at the same time including the government in their ranks. Actually, no soul in America can avoid being a member of this party. For the political party of which I speak is the party of the people. Regardless of your race, religion, gender, or political leanings, we are all members of the American people. Politicians are not members of a higher race—they are simply Americans! They cannot be superior to the American people when they in fact are the American people. This is the reason why it is wrong for any person to simply sit back and blame one party or the other for whatever problem suits their interests on that particular day. One cannot blame any politician without blaming the American people. This is the all-important concept that must be understood by all. Politicians cannot be blamed without first blaming the American people.

If the source of the problem therefore lies in the American people, a solution can easily be found. Any good doctor will tell you that the process of curing a disease begins with finding the source of the disease and then controlling it. Make no mistake, America is infected with a life-threatening disease, and its cure is essential if we wish to maintain this great country. I hope we can all agree to have found the source of the disease—the American people—and can now focus on finding the cure.

It stands to reason that if American politicians are produced by the American people, our elected officials will be an accurate representation of their electorate. There is no way around this simple truism. Politicians come from the people, so logic dictates that if the people are evil and corrupt, we will produce politicians that are evil and corrupt. It is often said that we reap what we sow, and I see that to hold true in this particular circumstance. If we blame bad politicians, we are only blaming the result of what society has produced. If any real change is desired, the cause of this product must first be addressed. Let us then set about the daunting yet all-important task.

Society has somewhere gone wrong because we are now producing less than desirable results in most aspects of life. It matters not to determine the exact time that society took the wrong path. Our problems clearly face us and we need not research where they came from. In our time crunch to save our country we should focus on finding solutions, rather than more things at which to point the finger. It seems that the general problem and solution is very clear. Society is evil and the answer is to become good. This leads to the never ending battle of good vs. evil. But before we become engrossed in a complex philosophical debate, let’s try and keep this simple.

We will all never agree on what exactly what it means to be good, but how about starting with not being evil? I am a Catholic, and my views on what is good and evil will more often than not be different from the rest of the world. While it would be heretical to say that good and evil is completely subjective, I do believe that I would be correct in saying that if mankind honestly strove to do good and shun evil, God would lead the way. We will all disagree at times, but if each individual person made up their mind to form their conscious well, and then listen to it, God would reward us all abundantly by enlightening our minds to show us the true meaning of good and evil.

If then, Americans can conquer our obsession with evil, God would reward us with a good society. America would be comprised of people who strove to do good and avoided evil at all costs. This society in turn would churn out politicians who were humble and willing to listen to the opinions of their respectable people. As we stand now, the American people deserve very little respect, and the politicians treat us accordingly. It is high time that the American people set about demanding respect by being a good and respectable people. Until this happens, change will not come and problems will not be solved.

If all we have said thus far is true, it must be reiterated that one’s political leanings, no matter how correct and good for the country, are not significant if they are an evil person. Regardless if you are on the right or left of the political spectrum, if you find a member of your party who is not a good person, who does not wish to do good and shun evil, but is only motivated by their own selfish motives, realize that they are the problem.Assume a left-leaning politician. If this particular person strives to do what they honestly believe is best for the country, puts all of their strength towards avoiding evil, and is humble enough to mold his own opinions to meet those of the Americans for which he works, we have a person who deserves and commands the respect, admiration, and support of every good American. It is only when an arrogant politician is too proud to admit mistakes, and considers himself higher in rank than his electorate, that this person deserves to be shunned and removed from office.

The American people cannot effect any change unless we start with ourselves. “…how canst thou say to thy brother: Brother, let me pull the mote out of thy eye, when thou thyself seest not the beam in thy own eye? Hypocrite, cast first the beam out of thy own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to take out the mote from thy brother’s eye.” While many politicians are certainly at fault, we must start by blaming ourselves. Let us, the great American people, begin by renewing ourselves, and then we will ultimately see the fruit of our labor.

Considering these thoughts, I implore us all, regardless of political standing, race, religion, or gender, to unite as Americans under the common banner of goodness. Good will always triumph over evil, and this case will be no different. Woe be to the nation who permits evil to be the law of the land, but be sure that that the nation that strives for goodness will be duly rewarded for their efforts.

I sincerely hope that this little piece has at least made you think about our country. I am not asking you to become directly involved in our ever-increasingly complex political system. By simply being a good person, and establishing a good society, you are indirectly producing good politicians. That is the greatest help any nation could receive from its people. I will always believe in American exceptionalism, and I will never lose hope in the power of the people of the greatest nation to ever be established in the history of mankind. God bless America.