It Is Time to Believe Again
February 23, 2009 7 Comments
“The path we have chosen for the present is full of hazards, as all paths are. The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission.”
-John F. Kennedy
We are a nation of pioneers, of revolutionaries, and of dreamers. A people who seize opportunity, work hard to build better lives for our families, and let nothing short of excellence satisfy us. Our heritage is rich with the courageous, and marked by people who have overcome. We were born out of Revolution, when people desiring freedom and opportunity won the most improbable war against the world’s foremost superpower. We subdued a wild continent, ventured West, and were both pioneers and pilgrims. We overcame a brutal Civil War, defeated the dark forces of Nazism, and brought about the beauty of civil rights to a nation long overdue. We emerged from The Great Depression to lead the world economy, became the standard bearer of democracy and freedom, and rose as one from the shadow of September 11th. 
This is the Land of Opportunity, of “Go West, young man,” “I have a dream,” and “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” This is our heritage; it is the lifeblood of who we are. We have always believed that the future will be better than the present, and that there is nothing we cannot overcome. Courage, passion, optimism, and dogged patriotism are woven into the fabric of our nation. But where are they now?
Too quickly we are letting the difficulty of the times cloud our judgment. Today’s headlines are wrought with stories of Wall Street’s downturn, an economy in turmoil, and millions of jobs lost. And where have we turned for safety? Where have we looked for rescue? The government. We now believe that a bailout is tantamount to the market, and that government handouts trump personal responsibility. The cloud has darkened so much that we think the only way out is for the government to nationalize private industry, pay off sinking mortgages, and buy up toxic assets. Our President, who promised hope and change, and brought the mantra of “Yes, we can,” has since turned to call this an uncontainable crisis, that “we may not be able to reverse,” and will quickly become equivalent to the Great Depression. And now, despite our heritage, we are being told we need to change everything. The free market and private industry that have driven us to the greatest standard of living in the world suddenly must be thrown away. The values of personal responsibility and persistence have quickly been replaced by a victim mentality clamoring for handouts. The American Dream that became reality for so many, that anyone can become anything through personal industry and perseverance, suddenly is just a dream. What changed?
On the one hand, this persistent doom and gloom is a product of both political and media opportunism. Fear and sensationalism sell newspapers. Nobody wants to read about the sunny and safe day at Disneyland-it is the broken roller coaster that zooms off the tracks that gets headlines. The murderers make news, not Joe Average who spent a simple day at work and came home to his family. Politically, fear is an incredibly powerful tool. It allows you to accomplish things you otherwise would not be able to accomplish (see The Obama Stimulus: A need for sober judgment). If the American people believe that they will sink into The Second Great Depression if they do not pass an $800 billion stimulus bill, they will pass the bill no matter how much waste is in it. A crisis environment drives and justifies action because the status quo becomes patently unacceptable. And if you paint a dark enough picture early on, you cannot be blamed when things do not improve. It is the classic case of under promise, over deliver. If things don’t work out, it wasn’t your fault anyway.
But it is time to push political and media opportunism aside, and to return to the roots of this great country. Great leaders inspire those who follow them, and motivate belief in the ability to overcome. What we have right now is not a crisis of economy or of the financial markets, but a crisis of confidence. We have lost the identity that makes us American. And since the markets are fundamentally predicated on the confidence of consumers, investors, and entrepreneurs, crushing this confidence only accelerates the downturn.
More government control means less faith in the people. What we need right now is less bailout, less handout, and less government. Cut taxes to spur growth and place faith in the people to produce and consume out of the crisis. Move out of the way of private enterprise, and encourage fresh industry. Most importantly, demonstrate belief and inspire confidence in the citizens of this great nation. It is time to regain confidence and remember who we have always been: Pioneers; pilgrims; revolutionaries; entrepreneurs; dreamers; patriots–Americans.
The foundation of our country was fastened with individual liberty, opportunity, responsibility, and courage. We have never been a people dependent on our government, or doubting in the future. We faced down Soviet Russia, reached the moon, and became pioneers of science and titans of industry. We are a nation that proudly waved the Gadsden “Don’t Tread on Me” flag, not the white flag of surrender. It is time for our country to remember its heritage, and for our leaders to renew their belief in our people. It is time to believe again.
-Matt Benchener from TruPolitics.net
Great article man!
The “Don’t Tread On Me” flag is an interesting addition. I believe it was first carried by George Washington during the War for Independence. The original snake had 13 rings to its rattle, symbolizing the 13 colonies. But the reason they carried was to say, We’re warning you not to mess with us, but if you don’t listen we’re dangerous and ready to strike. Just like a rattle snake that says “I’m here” by shaking it’s rattle, and warning of it’s presence before it strikes, the founders that it would be wrong to strike first, and felt that they needed to warn the British that they would indeed strike if the British didn’t steer clear.
A lot of people today are talking about this flag and the possibility of a new revolution to restore the constitution, in fact Glenn Beck has it on his website but the snake has 11 rings to signify 11 principles the founders held, and the need to get back to them. Interestingly he is saying a revolution would be a horrible idea and could turn out like the French Revolution.
Just thought you all might be interested in the history of that flag if you didn’t know it already, and hopefully I got it all right and did it justice.
This is an extremely important post that should be passed on. I only wish we had the leadership to restore faith in the people. If we don’t act soon and unite in one voice, we may be too far gone into socialism to recover. Let’s spread the word.
I find it funny that liberalism assumes all people are good, but places more power in the hands of the elites. Whereas conservatism, which acknowledges the weaknesses of mankind, promotes a system where the individual is allowed to prosper and become the revolutionaries, entrepeneurs and dreamers you write about.
Keep up the excellent articles! This one gets to the core issue of personal responsibility vs. government handouts, which ultimately lead to government control of our lives. Has our government been perfect over the last few years? No, of course not. However, it has not been a government of true conservatism either–principles you espouse in your article. Will we be better off by going 180 degrees in the opposite direction? That is an absurd not supported by at least 50% of our citizens. Only one example is below, an article from Larry Kudlow on the ECONOMICS of the “new deal”. I am very concerned about what I see as a coming backlash in our country.
Obama Declares War on Investors, Entrepreneurs, Businesses, And More
Friday, 27 Feb 2009 | 4:39 PM ET
Posted By: Larry Kudlow
Anchor
President Barack Obama
AP
President Barack Obama
Let me be very clear on the economics of President Obama’s State of the Union speech and his budget.
He is declaring war on investors, entrepreneurs, small businesses, large corporations, and private-equity and venture-capital funds.
That is the meaning of his anti-growth tax-hike proposals, which make absolutely no sense at all — either for this recession or from the standpoint of expanding our economy’s long-run potential to grow.
Raising the marginal tax rate on successful earners, capital, dividends, and all the private funds is a function of Obama’s left-wing social vision, and a repudiation of his economic-recovery statements. Ditto for his sweeping government-planning-and-spending program, which will wind up raising federal outlays as a share of GDP to at least 30 percent, if not more, over the next 10 years.
This is nearly double the government-spending low-point reached during the late 1990s by the Gingrich Congress and the Clinton administration. While not quite as high as spending levels in Western Europe, we regrettably will be gaining on this statist-planning approach.
Study after study over the past several decades has shown how countries that spend more produce less, while nations that tax less produce more. Obama is doing it wrong on both counts.
And as far as middle-class tax cuts are concerned, Obama’s cap-and-trade program will be a huge across-the-board tax increase on blue-collar workers, including unionized workers. Industrial production is plunging, but new carbon taxes will prevent production from ever recovering. While the country wants more fuel and power, cap-and-trade will deliver less.
The tax hikes will generate lower growth and fewer revenues. Yes, the economy will recover. But Obama’s rosy scenario of 4 percent recovery growth in the out years of his budget is not likely to occur. The combination of easy money from the Fed and below-potential economic growth is a prescription for stagflation. That’s one of the messages of the falling stock market.
Essentially, the Obama economic policies represent a major Democratic party relapse into Great Society social spending and taxing. It is a return to the LBJ/Nixon era, and a move away from the Reagan/Clinton period. House Republicans, fortunately, are 90 days sober, as they are putting up a valiant fight to stop the big-government onslaught and move the GOP back to first principles.
Noteworthy up here on Wall Street, a great many Obama supporters — especially hedge-fund types who voted for “change” — are becoming disillusioned with the performances of Obama and Treasury man Geithner.
There is a growing sense of buyer’s remorse.
Well then, do conservatives dare say: We told you so?
Very well written article. If you have not already done so I would encourage you to send a copy to our president and every member of congress. In so many words what you are saying is we have become a nation lacking strong leadership. We the people have to instill leadership in a government lacking it.
We on the conservative side have to be carefull not to pass the blame ourselves. Remember the doom and gloom approach to the eceonimic situation that came out of the last administration and the then presiding congress. Remember the fear mongering approach to justify a war. I could go on but the important thing is to take responsibility even if our political leaders don’t. We can make a difference if we stay active and vocal.
Outstanding article! This is what I believe, but did not have the writing ability to put it into words. Thank you for sending this out.