Jeff's Editorial #90 – Collective Personal Responsibility – or should the government take care of us?

My perspective is not to focus on what the government can and should do for its population, but to focus on what each individual can do to effect his/her own future without expecting our government to bail us out every time we fall and skin our knees. The government has its constitutional duties like defending our borders and taxing the population, and to provide regulatory enforcements to protect us from outright criminal activities.  It also has a moral obligation to protect those in this country who cannot protect themselves because they cannot be voters.

But most of the population in the 21st century has begun to expect that this government should do a lot more, including:

• Retirement security
• Health and welfare protection
• Education
• Mortgage and educational assistance
• Banking bailout
• Mortgage bailout
• Transportation improvements
• Job assistance
• etc., etc.

Where in our civics did we learn that our U.S. Constitution MUST provide these niceties and bailouts? Why should we expect that government MUST bail us out when we let our greed and impulse buying overtake our common sense? When did you realize that this government is NOT "the government of the people, by the people, for the people," but instead, it has become "the government of the special interest, by the lobbyists, for the Big Businesses"?

It is inconceivable to the majority that some people can and will refuse to rely on Social Security benefits, or Medicare, or unemployment benefits, or Food Stamps, or other government "benefits" that are intertwined with our lives of privileged Americans.  We must know that most of the world population has none of these benefits coming to them. Most of the world sees hunger, disease, malnutrition, homelessness, and wars as an incongruous part of their life cycle.

It may be a good idea for many of us to step back, and take a new look at what this country is about. It is not about glorifying the politicians nor their silly political ideas so that they or the party can be elected next term; it is not about protecting or opposing the president's belief system; it is not even about expecting good programs to come out of Washington; it is about realizing that we the people of this country have in our collective consciousness that we are smarter than these 100 Senators or hundreds of Representatives, or nine Chief Justices, or all of the brilliant minds in the White House staff.  If you want to know how this government has succeeded or not, just look at our National Debt, economic debacle, messy wars, millions of workers desperately looking for jobs, unsavory greed by banking and investment industries, bankruptcies, bank/investment company bailouts, etc., etc.

We can make good happen, if we are driven to better society and improved world.  We should be smart about reducing the level of violence, hunger, pestilence, and disease - because if we are put to the test, we can and will overcome these obstacles.  I believe in the collective power of personal responsibility.

We must stop acting like bunch of lemmings, and start thinking our own thoughts and ideas, by educating ourselves, listening to the wise - not simply parroting what the political leaders tell us to mimic. We must be smarter than they, and value our personal responsibility, in order to achieve greatness through our own efforts and abilities.

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