We are a Special Interest Group... Let's Lobby!!

Apathy, noun: lack of interest, enthusiasm or concern.

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." ~ attributed to Edmund Burke, Irish Political Philosopher

"The policy of the American government is to leave their citizens free, neither restraining them nor aiding them in their pursuits." ~ Thomas Jefferson


I wish I knew at what point the people lost control of government. Or, maybe I'm deluding myself in the belief that the voting public ever had any power at all. I sure would like to think they did, since that's the line I've had preached to me for the 60+ years I've been on this planet. But, somewhere along the line, people began to think that government was their daddy, responsible for their well being, or at the very least, the lack thereof. When did that happen? When did we become so lazy and apathetic that we are content to knock on the door of the U.S. Capitol and drop our problems at the threshold with a demand that government take care of them with no thought about who is going to pay for that? You know who pays? We do! We pay for every law that we demand to protect our food, protect our children, protect our wages, our investments, our healthcare, and on and on, ad nauseum. All that costs money, folks! Your money! My money!

And, now, here we are, with a bloated government run by people working harder at keeping their jobs than actually doing their jobs, who have better benefits than us, better healthcare, better retirement, live in nicer houses, drive nicer cars, have staff to take care of their every need and are at the office only half the year. What a life! Who wouldn't enjoy a job like that? 

Junior senators make $175,000 a year, not counting retirement for life, healthcare for life or the allowance given for travel, staff... oh, and free postage. And, we grudgingly buy into their rhetoric and promises, because that allows us to lean back in our recliners with our superior attitudes about what is wrong with government, when we really should be recognizing that WE are the problem, because we allow it to be.

I'm a history nerd. And, I can tell you, the history of the world has told us that when government becomes the overblown master, dictatorially telling its constituents what they can and cannot have, do, be, spend, save, eat, drink, wear, go, work, see and/or act upon, that society is doomed. I'm not making this up folks... we fought a World War to prevent this from happening in Europe. We have stuck our nose in every third-world country in the world to prevent this from happening and here it is...  in our front yards. You just don't recognize it, because it's dressed up as an eagle draped in red, white and blue and whistling "God Bless America." 

I, personally, am so tired of aspects of my life being controlled by people who have no idea what it's like to live at my economic level. I vote, I write, I petition... and, nothing changes. I get newsletters and email from my representatives and senators telling me how much they are working on my behalf... but, nothing changes. I keep hearing them say, "We heard you! You told us you wanted us to intervene on your behalf on the drain on Social Security! We're working on that. But, in the meantime, I'm going to earmark for the renovation of a bridge in my district, because that's what I promised my voters if they let me keep my job." Huh? Coincidentally, the bridge is named after said senator or representative, of course... at least until he gets caught trying to use state funds to buy a private island off the coast of Cozumel.

There are 535 elected officials in Congress, each one of them with an obligation to the people who elected them. I get that. So, where's the breakdown? Can you say special interest groups? Guess what. The American people need to become a special interest group... starting right now!

It's not as if I'm a firebrand radical screaming for social change at every opportunity. I don't want more than what I work for, but I would appreciate keeping as much of what I have worked for as I possible can. Is that too much to ask? I don't live in a big fancy house in a gated community... my house is a 90-year-old, two-bedroom, one bath, cinderblock cottage in a neighborhood of lower middle-income and really nice people. I own one vehicle, a five-year-old domestic compact. I don't have a boat, an RV or, even, a riding lawnmower. I buy maybe two new outfits of clothes a year. I'm wearing shoes I've owned for three or more years. And, I give 10% of the income left to me after taxes to charities and philanthropic organizations annually. So, why are people like me the ones who carry the heaviest burden of keeping this country going? 

I'm not joking. Because I am single with no dependents, I pay almost a full quarter of my income in taxes. That's not counting what I have to pay for healthcare or my contribution to my retirement fund. There's something messed up with that equation. 

Don't get me wrong. I firmly believe in paying for the roads I drive on, the police who protect me, the firemen who would save me, the education of the next generation and the privilege of having a voice in the government... as long as I'm getting my money's worth, which I'm not.

So, my question is, what's the answer? I, for one, am not satisfied with what is happening to my country. And, from what I hear and see, the majority of people in this country feel the same way. Unfortunately, they are saying it on Facebook, instead of sending an email to their representatives. 

If you're happy with the status quo, good for you. But, if you're like me, and you feel that something has gone terribly wrong, you must take a stand, speak up, write to your representatives. Write again. Keep writing. Encourage others to write. This is America. Let's take it back. 

Optimistic Acceptance of the Inevitable

The eastern world, it is exploding
Violence flarin', bullets loadin'
You're old enough to kill, but not for votin'
You don't believe in war, but what's that gun you're totin'
And even the Jordan River has bodies floatin'
But you tell me
Over and over and over again, my friend
Ah, you don't believe
We're on the eve of destruction.
(Lyrics from “The Eve of Destruction” made popular by Barry McGuire, 1965)

 

When I think of all the worries people seem to find
And how they're in a hurry to complicate their mind
By chasing after money and dreams that can't come true
I'm glad that we are different, we've better things to do

Let others plan their future, I’m busy loving you

(Lyrics from “Let’s Live for Today” made popular by The Grassroots, 1967)

Some people like to say the boomer generation was short-sighted in planning their futures. Born in an era of affluence and raised — translated by some as indulged — by parents who suffered through the hard-scrabble existence of the Great Depression, there can be no denying we took consumerism to the dizzying height that drives every economy in the world today. And, even today, we spend more money in this consumer-based economy than any other generation before or after. Whether or not that is a good thing is a matter of economic debate and totally dependant on perspective. Some people shudder at the thought of what will happen to the economy when baby boomers are forced to curb their spending habits due to living on fixed incomes.

I guess from the viewpoint of hindsight being 20/20, it’s easy to come to the conclusion that we weren’t the best financial planners. I say, you had to be there. We came of age during the decade of the 60s, recounted by most historians as the most violent period of the 20^th century. An era described with terms like “counterculture,” “social revolution” and, my personal favorite, “FUBAR,” seemed to emphasize the futility of concentrating on building a career that would allow us to pay for the growing costs of inflated consumerism, including the outrageously expensive education of the 2.6 babies we would eventually beget while supplementing our parents who, lo and behold, thanks to modern medicine, were living far beyond their own planning. I think we all pretty much felt we had enough on our plates, thank you very much, without contemplating “who will need me, who will feed me, when I’m 64.”

It is painfully obvious that we weren’t aware of the impact of such a large population sharing birthdates that fell within a mere 11 years. I don’t think we were even aware of how large a population we were until the 80s. It’s a given we didn't foresee all the ramifications of boomers retiring at the same time. Instead, we admired the solvency of Social Security during the following 40+ years… easy to do when you have a population of over 75 million contributing. Fast forward to 2011 and whoopsie… guess what… those 75 million are starting to pull the plug. What to do? What to do? Just mentioning the fact causes the stock market to drop 20 points.

I’m a pragmatist, and my take on this situation is this… sooner or later, people are going to have to realize that 1) the cash cow is retiring, and 2) they’re going to need to find a new cash cow. However that is done, it’s guaranteed to be painful for some, resented by most and blamed entirely on the baby boomers. So be it. But, whether later generations want to admit it or not, the vast majority of the money in Social Security was contributed by, and on behalf of, the baby boomers. It’s not an entitlement, it’s our money, pure and simple. It's time for everyone to just accept that, deal with it and move on.

Trust me... regardless of whether baby boomers bankrupt Social Security or not, the world will keep turning.