OK, this will be something of a rant, but I think it is time for one. I'm getting tired of watching politicians piss away the future of the younger generation. It was bad enough when I was growing up, yet even though I didn't feel the politicians were all that great, they at least did not seem completely hopeless and helpless. Where have our leaders gone?
I have lived the biggest part of my life, and though I would really like to see my country do well for my own benefit, my greater concern is that it do well for my child's benefit. I recently read
an article that shows the pessimism of young people today regarding the economy. And I recently had a discussion with my daughter that drove home the truth of just how bad things are today when I told her my advice was not to even consider buying a home in today's market. It took me back to about 25 years ago when I had just been married a short while, and would soon be working in a factory making about $9 an hour which was pretty good pay back then. Indeed, a kid today is lucky to make even $12 an hour, and considering inflation that would probably be about 6-7 dollars an hour compared to what I made back then.
The crux of my advice was that I could afford a home priced in the 35-40,000 dollar range 25 years ago, and the value of that home today would be over 100,000 dollars. But today houses are over-valued in price. A decent house will cost over 100,000 dollars in most markets, and likely will not be worth what it costs, even 4-5 years down the road. In other words, you can't count on your home as an investment anymore. You are better off renting. And that is what I told my child, and I felt a sense of sickness and unease in the pit of my stomach as I said the words, for even though true, it shows just how far we are falling and failing as a culture that kids today cannot even look forward to owning a home, not unless they want to make a bad investment that eats up most of their income.
Who is to blame for this situation? How did our economy get in this mess? There is plenty of blame to go around. First we can truly blame our politicians. Though President Clinton reigned over one of the best economies we ever saw, he also pushed our manufacturing jobs overseas, and so has every President since. This is no small thing because any kid getting out of High School could get a decent job and raise a family just a few decades ago. Our foolish politicians helped change all that.
Democrats have shown themselves unwilling to stand up for the poor and middle class, mostly preferring a "holding action" to merely retain what power they can while keeping the money-men happy. Republicans are as bad or worse, taking every opportunity to sell out the poor and middle class for they wealthiest Americans. It seems no one in politics realizes that when the poor and middle class--most Americans--have no money, the economy is going to suck air.
One thing Clinton did do right, and I credit it with helping the economy, is to create the earned income tax credit. This put money into the hands of poor Americans and what happens when poor Americans get needed money? They spend it on things they need like refrigerators, air-conditioners, home repairs, and everything you can think of, which creates a need for more products, which creates more jobs. But today the manufacturing jobs are gone to Mexico, and overseas. So buying more products does not immediately affect the economy as it did even a few decade ago. Ours has become a service economy, and it will be for the foreseeable future, which means it will be harder to boost the economy.
In some respects we are all to blame. We elected people who did a terrible job, then we get terrible results and wonder why. The two party system is broken. It is often being led by extremists on both sides, and the moderate voices in each party are silenced and shut out, even while the country itself is mostly made up of centrists and Independents who simply want government to work and then stay out of their lives.
Is there a fix? I honestly hope so. We are too often given choices for candidates that are below par from the two major political parties. God knows we want good people, but only those with the loudest voices seem to get a place at the table, the wiser, calmer heads seem never to prevail. So we can certainly blame the political parties. Yet all the blame gets us nowhere, and makes us feel even more powerless.
This will sound like the same old tired song you would expect from a Christian in this country, but let me preface it by saying what we are seeing from the Christian Right has nothing to do with what I'm about to say. Indeed, I do not believe the Christian Right has helped in the political arena.
I believe we need humility and prayer and a focus on Christian ethics. Christian ethics does not allow for the enrichment of the most wealthy at the cost of the poor and middle class. Christian ethics does not encourage the disenfranchisement of the majority of Americans for the benefit of the few. Humility before God admits that we do not have all the answers, nor do we even ask the right questions, we need help from above for our many problems.
Saying "I will pray for you" sounds trite. But in fact, a humble prayer asking for God's intervention is a powerful thing that can change circumstances, even entire countries, and yes, even economies. I think if we are asking not to become wealthy ourselves, but asking that those who are suffering financially would be helped--that is a good prayer. To ask God to give us wisdom in choosing, and in having good candidates to choose from--that is a good prayer. To ask God to help Joe-schmuck who we want to get elected because he sounds religious--that is the wrong prayer.
It will take more than prayer, though that is a good place to start. We must quit allowing politicians to play upon our feelings, inciting our anger and fears. We must choose candidates with wisdom, and especially based upon their experience and accomplishments. Too often it is charisma or their ability to incite anger that gets politicians elected without considering their past actions. Let their deeds speak louder than their words!
I fear at the root of our financial difficulties lies an ingrained selfishness. If everyone would give a little, especially those who can afford it the most, and if corporations would consider their responsibility to their nation and fellow Americans above their desire for more profits, we would all be better off.
America is a great country and Americans are a very generous people. We need politicians who will remind us of that. And we need ethical politicians. I know, those words don't fit together very well, but I am optimist enough to believe that principled people still exist, and those people can, and should run for office.
We are Americans. We can accomplish anything we put our minds to. But something has to change in the way we treat each other in the political realm. And something must change in the way we look at our country--we must begin to take a long view, one that enables us to see what kind of future we want for our children and their children. Yes, my fellow Christians, we need God in this nation, but we don't need religious hate wrapped up in politics. How easily we forget that they will know us by our love.
I don't see things improving in the immediate future, but I do believe things can improve. We must insist that things improve, for despite the screwball politicians, they still need us to get elected, and this political mess is still empowered by the people, and we can insist that whoever we choose follows what we the people want, or they are out on their heads. We need to clean house, we need to elect a new set of politicians who truly represent us. But we must be smarter, more considerate, more thoughtful in who We Choose! Let's find the candidates who will put our, and the country's best interest first above their own, and as citizens let's do our part to hold them accountable. But above all things, let's be wise as serpents and stop being dumb sheep following loud mouth shepherds about.
Our children and their future need our help and God's help. We have drifted off course, allowing politicians to divide us foolishly, and allowing ourselves to be led in the wrong direction. We have let religious leaders manipulate us to the point the Religious Right is considered representative of both Christianity and conservative politics. I don't believe the Religious Right is representative of the majority of Christ Followers of this country, nor do I think thoughtful conservatives buy into their thinking. For certain they do not represent me as an Evangelical Christian or as someone with conservative politics.
Sincere prayer, humility before God and others, true Christian ethics back into the public arena, and love rather than hate as our motivator, perhaps then we can see a more just political and economic system and prosperity for all. It is past time for true Christians to put aside hate and selfishness and instead put on the mantle of smart compassion that is led by love and good will toward our fellow Americans. What we say is not as important as what we do. Let's make the right choices and then do the right things so that our children will not only have the advantages we have, but an even brighter future.
