Wednesday, March 11, 2015

“With Liberty and Justice for All?”





Permit me to apologize to all of those who have so generously followed my blog over the past several years.  However, I have had some personal issues with which I had to deal that has required my attention.  I hope I can get back into the swing of things and share a few of my thoughts with those of you who loyally follow my machinations on a variety of subjects.

I well remember the years leading up to WWII and the ensuing years that followed, during a time when we showed the world what we were, as a people, during our finest hours.  We were a good and decent people, whose generosity and support for a large part of the world was freely given and never in doubt.  We carried that over to the post-war years, and it was that energy and devotion that took us to (and through) one of the greatest boom periods in the history of the world.  But, as we moved into an ever more burgeoning economy and all that it brought with it, we seem to have gradually lost the sense of patriotism and charity that was our hallmark.  Instead, we appear to have moved into successive periods of greater attention to prosperity and materialism that has had a profound, and not particularly good, effect on our fabric as a people. 

It was by the wisdom and generosity of the American people that I was fortunate enough to serve in the United States Navy and, subsequently, qualified for the G.I. Bill that gave me the opportunity to attend one of the finest universities in the country and all of the attendant opportunities that went with it.  It is a gift I have always treasured and one which I could never fully repay. 

The virtues of equality, liberty and justice for all seem to have eroded over time that has, in my opinion, tended to lead us to a lesser sense of humility and a greater appearance of superiority that was never part and parcel of who and what we were.  I find it rather disheartening to realize the countless numbers of those who gave of their lives and treasure for those of us who followed, and who are but fading memories and the ghosts of real heroes we once revered.  The pursuit of pleasure seems to have trumped our sense of purpose, and I find that rather disturbing. 

We seem to have little regard for and less reverence for character and substance than we do for fame, fortune and affluence.  Public officials once looked upon as servants of the people have, instead, become benefactors of public wealth, fame and celebrity, which were never intended to be part of their service.  Many have profited handsomely from their management of their elected status and all that came with it. 

I think we have become seduced by what we have attributed to our “democratic” form of government and the attendant cost to our character and a sense of what is right and just.  Rather, we seem to have exchanged the honor of that system to one of exploitation, profiteering and celebrity, rather than service, dignity and honor.   It doesn't seem to me that the people of this country got the best of that deal. 

Our new penchant for affluence and power seems to have taken our priorities from less concern about who and what we are than how much we have and how much we personally gain than from what it does for our own sense of purpose and basic decency.

I don’t particularly like what I see nor am I reassured by what I fear is coming.  We are becoming a more empty and shallow society, and I don’t see how that bodes well for any of us. 

We seem to have placed on the altar of greed the avarice of banks, that of investment houses and the military/industrial complex over our selves by earning a decent standard of living and becoming productive citizens.  Most prominent among the aspirants seem to only want more of the pie for themselves and less for the rest of us.  When you look at the exponential growth of the billionaire club it would appear that their goals are coming to pass.  One need only look at some of the most vulnerable among us who are previous and current college students simply trying to make their way, legitimately, to the next higher rungs of the economic ladder.  Instead, they are becoming members of the burgeoning and indentured servant class of modern times.

Perhaps the government could put some of the empty prisons to good use by offering free board and room to all those who so effectively and efficiently drove many of our fellow citizens into bankruptcy?  It would be a fitting end to their illustrious careers, and something their partners in crime still ensconced in cushy government positions should have done for the taxpayers they so adroitly fleeced preparatory to laying claim to their new found wealth. 

Frankly, I regard anyone who seriously considers our two-party system an example for the rest of the free world to emulate as being a bit off balance.  All it shows me is how a very well-honed system of “you scratch my back and I will scratch yours” really works.  Just take stock of all those of prominence and wealth in government.  I state my case. 

I think the time is long overdue for a third political party that truly represents the people of these United States.  The charade has not worked for us, so far, nor is it likely to do so in the foreseeable future.

When one filters out of the equation all of those from wealthy and prominent families, plus the cadre of prominent power mongers and thieves, there isn't much of substance and honestly left to count.  We can do better than our track record would suggest. 

We are a better country and better people than what we have gotten.  We deserve better than this and there is no reason why we should not strive for that goal. 

Anyone who does not see a real winner in Elizabeth Warren for President is tarnished by the deception of a wealthy and powerful class of people in this country.  They are the leftovers and the losers.  My take is that what we see in Elizabeth Warren is the real deal; we should stop any delusions of those who have laid claim to being better qualified.  We can (and should) do better than what we have had for far too long.



Cowboy Bob
The Sagebrush Philosopher

March 11, 2015