Today is Election Day. The two candidates in the race this year are, in my opinion, both despicable human beings. I am sick to my stomach thinking that one of them will be President of the United States, the leader of the Free World. I totally understand people not wanting to vote this year. I didn't particularly want to vote either because neither candidate represents me. It's just so, so sad that we've gone from the Cream of the Crop (George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln) to scraping the bottom of the barrel. BUT, I believe in voting. I feel like not voting is a slap in the face to all the men and women who have sacrificed their lives over the years in order to give me that right; in order to keep this country a democracy.
I normally don't get political on my blog, but this blog has turned into my Journal in many aspects, so I felt the need to record my feelings on this. And I also wanted to record this:
My Grandpa John, my mom's dad, wrote an Autobiography before he passed. He started his Autobiography by stating he felt the need to write about his feelings on the Country and what was happening. I want to record it here for my posterity in case anything happens to the single paper copy I have of it.
"I have now passed the half century mark. The greater part of my life is certainly behind me. What the future holds for me is only partially controllable. There was a time, perhaps, when a man could say: "I am the Master of my Fate!" and throughout a large portion of my past life this has been the case. Without a doubt I am what I am because of my past actions. I believe, however that my future will be more difficult for me to control. The freedoms that I took for granted years ago have diminished to a considerable degree. We are at this date (
November 1965) living under a government inclined to paternalism. More and more of the people seem to desire someone else to do their thinking and their acting. We have a President of these United States, Lyndon Johnson, whose goal it is to produce what he calls "The Great Society!" In truth, this "Great Society" he envisions is a compete socialist state. And when free people voluntarily choose to give up their freedoms and to let someone else take care of all their problems from the cradle to the grave, they lose control over their fate. And today our thoughts, our actions, even our lives are beginning to come under the control of others.
We now have a "Social Security" program which derives its funds from a tax imposed upon both employee and employer. At present that tax amounts to a maximum of $581.00 deducted from the employee's paycheck with an equal amount being "contributed" by the employer. It is scheduled to rise to $1930.00 in 1977, and $6092.00 in 1987. This rise during the next few years is necessary, they say, to meet the added burden of socialism. Within the framework of this Social Security program our Congressional lawmakers have this year voted for socialized medicine under the euphonious name of "Medicare." Although this program is designed to help the so called "Senior Citizens" with their health problems, it doesn't take a prophet to foretell the next step. With the slight crack in the dike the damage has been done. The taste of something for nothing appears sweet to those who have grown tired of self support, and as they enjoy the fruits of their fellow citizens' labors, the howl will begin to be heard. If it is good for the Senior Citizens, why isn't it good for the middle-aged group? And if for them, why not students? And if for students, why not assume the total responsibility for the complete health of the nation?
And so an overall umbrella of socialized medicine is just a matter of time in these United States.
There is now a program of Federal Aid to Education. This is all-inclusive from kindergarten through college where schools and school systems receive Federal money for building programs and administrative costs. This aid is exclusive of aid given to the individual student in the form of loans which may or may not be paid back. The Federal Government, of course, insists that it is giving this aid with no strings attached. There will be no coercion, no force, no threats. The schools are to be free to govern themselves as they have in the past without governmental supervision. History proves this to be a fallacy. whenever the Federal Government steps in to touch some facet of our lives, it saps some of our individual and collective strength in the process. The schools of the future, it appears to me, will be told by the government what they can teach, how they can teach it, who will do the teaching, and what qualifications the students and teachers must have.
The government today has awesome power. The Supreme Court, it appears to me, is using the constitution for a dish rag, wiping one State's rights after another out of existence.
The people today have grown used to government intervention in all ares of their lives. At one time Congress initiated the laws. Now the President tells Congress what laws he wants passed. At one time prices were established by the competitive supply and demand of the market. Now the government holds a sword of Damocles over the heads of industry in the form of huge stockpiles of strategic materials which it threatens to dump on the market if prices are not kept down. In the past this has been done with great success in steel, in aluminum and copper. Now it appears that it will be necessary to go to the government to get its blessings on any proposed price increase. Labor, of course, goes merrily on its way, demanding and always getting a greater slice of the pice, but with less productivity.
In the past, a man could choose for himself where he would work, and the conditions under which he would work. Now the government is campaigning hard to make it mandatory for all men to join a Union as a pre-requisite of work. Thus the government is working hand-in-glove with the big labor leaders to feather their nests at the expense of the rest of the country.
I see all of these usurpations of our personal liberties as the beginning of the end of America as I knew her.
I fear that my children, one of whom is just now starting out with her life's companion to make a family of her own, will live to see her children's children completely cared for by the State. I fear that personal ambitions to grow, to make something of themselves, t excel in some endeavor will diminish. I see us becoming a second or third rate nations, simply because we are failing to make men stretch, to make complete use of their talents, to exact an honest eight hours of labor for eight hours of pay.
It is with all this in mind that I begin to systematically set my life down in print. It is my hope that those who come after me, those for whom I am genetically responsible, will read this autobiography with interest, and that they will know that I did everything in my puny power to stem the tide of Socialism, which I believe to be an inferior system of government originating with and supported by Satan.
It is my honest belief that our Constitution, that splendid document written by Thomas Jefferson and ratified by Congress in 1779, was inspired of God. However, the men who now wield the scepter of Power in this country are using the Freedoms granted under this Constitution to slowly place us all in the ever -tightening chains of bondage."
Isn't it amazing he wrote that all in
1965??! I am deeply concerned about our current trend toward Socialism. I do not believe that is what God intended this country to be. I believe it suppresses our ambition and our freedom. And I just hope and pray we haven't reached the point of no return with how far we have swung in that direction.
But ultimately, I believe God is in charge and that brings me some comfort in all of this.
God Bless America.
