Yes, We Can...and Should Quickly
If there is anyone out there as frustrated with government in all aspects as I; who wonders where the principles and policies that have strengthened our beloved country for over 230 years have gone; who questions why we as a people allow those in leadership to take us down the slippery slope away from freedom and liberty in our dealings, I'm sorry to tell you that from what I've seen so far of our new President and leadership team in Washington D.C. you're frustration, wonder, and questioning has just begun.
All I have heard for going on two years now is "change is coming to America," "change we can believe in," and "yes, we can," as if these words are battle cries of a revolution to shake up a corrupt system, to throw out the money changers, and set up a new hierarchy of government that will be led by some form of just men without flaw or blemish, and if questioned or criticized you, my friend, are the intolerant one, the one held in contempt, despite the truth and logic you may bring to the table. Questioning the anointed new Commander in Chief is off limits by it seems everyone in the drive-by media, civic groups, conservatives and liberals alike, and yes, even around the family dinner table. Everyone is so on edge and hands off of this "change" that tolerance and logic is being pushed to the limit and taking a back seat to common sense. Healthy, constructive criticism, minus malice over race, gender, religion, etc., of our elected leaders is only justified and in due course in a free republic. It wasn't so long ago that this "change" was referred to by none other than in-party challenger Senator Clinton as a Xerox copy of the past in one of the numerous debates. But now, the mass hysteria is sickening. When did it become wrong to disagree openly with political policy and by all means, why has so many seemingly intelligent people taken a long walk off a short pier as it pertains to our core foundations we have held sacred for so long?
Please excuse me if my frustration is showing through more than is perhaps politically correct but if you know anything about me as a person, I do not think about political correctness first; my first thought, my primary concern is for people. I am a populist who holds fast to the interest and concerns of those around me, the ordinary people, the average Joes, while understanding that it is self-reliance and hard work that set our course in this country, not some government program conceived in a smoke-filled room with an eye to whose pocket can be best lined or whose interest can best be served.
Government's role should be to offer every citizen the equal opportunity to succeed on their own merit and in a safe and free environment, not to ensure that they do so. Government should encourage and promote wealth and prosperity; not mandate it and allow businesses and individuals to live off of the system through subsidies and handouts. Former President Ronald Reagan once said, "Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them." Only the private sector creates wealth; government only takes wealth and redistributes it.
Individual responsibility is key to government's success. Without individual commitment to the core principles of hard work, self-reliance, individual responsibility and the like, our government will soon crumble beneath a load of burdensome handouts to those who want it all for nothing. It is perfectly acceptable to tell people that they can't have their cake and eat it too. Not everyone is going to have and succeed as much as the next person, nor was that the intention of the Founding Fathers. Opportunity for all to succeed was the rallying cry, not equality of success.
I hope you will join with me as Americans, young and old, male and female of every race and creed, and emphatically proclaim that yes, we can change our country and our future. But we must realize that change doesn't start in Washington D.C. or at the White House; change starts here in our city then spreads to our county and our state and then to our great nation. We must take hold of our strategic importance within our society. Each of us plays an intricate part of moving our economy and government forward as we press through these dark days. Your steadfast commitment to the core beliefs set forth by our nation's founders and reiterated time and time again by visionary leaders such as Lincoln and Reagan is vital where you live, day in and day out, if we are to maintain our nation's greatness.
We face many challenges that we must be willing to meet head on while keeping our eyes firmly fixed on the horizon.
Yes, we can be compassionate and sympathetic to those still in dire straits, trying to recover from Hurricane Katrina, but we must also be prudent with an eye to the future. Varying zoning and coding requirements too much will only lead to future blighted areas like the ones we are now working to clean.
Yes, we can build new community and recreational areas for our families to enjoy but perhaps now isn't the time to overextend our already tight budgets. Being fiscally sound in such a deep economic recession only makes sense. It is time we start to make the tough decisions.
Yes, we can keep the tax burden low on our citizens across the board by tightening our proverbial belts, reigning in unnecessary spending and outsourcing of services, and by actively pursuing and encouraging all business opportunities to come into our area. When you understand that where you choose to spend your money matters, and then when those in elected office finally recognize that those precious tax dollars do not come from a bottomless pit, then government will be on the right fiscal road.
Yes, we can provide the best education for our children and for the workforce in our area, but it must come through communication, understanding, proper management and oversight, and community support. Education is not just about funding; throwing money at a system that lacks so much is ludicrous. It is time for an education reformation in our state. A well-rounded education should not only teach the core curriculum of the day, consistently preparing for test after test, but provide crucial social interaction, the arts, physical activity, career-oriented training, and much more. Focusing on getting children into college when a vast majority will not enter or will enter and dropout is not productive. We must begin training our children for the workforce sooner so they can be productive citizens and add to the stability of our state and nation. Giving children and parents choices for education is a smart answer to failing system.
Yes, we can reduce the cost of health care and insurance premiums and enlarge the span of coverage but that involves us all taking an interest in our own personal health and well being as well as working to provide those opportunities for ourselves. Preventive care is a major step in the right direction. Universal healthcare, however, is not the answer. Socialized medicine managed through another government program is another level of bureaucracy that will only add to the frustration and problems of the system. Real change in the system begins with a change in individual lifestyles and in lowering the risk factors for businesses to buy into lower cost coverage for their employees thus expanding the health insurance availability to working class Americans.
Yes, we can solve this economic crisis. The strength of our nation has always relied on the initiative and innovation of the individual. That's why the best government is that which governs least. When we each are willing to learn, work hard, take responsibility for our own actions, and stop looking to the government for all of the answers then we will see the economy turn around. No stimulus package or bailout will ever be able to do what you and I can when we determine ourselves to take hold of our strategic importance in the life of our city, county, state, and nation.
Yes, we can take back our government even now, and we should quickly before we lose even more ground. The storm is coming and it is mighty. Don't buy into the buzz or lose your self in the moment. We must hold firm to the principles that have served to keep our country strong and our liberty and freedom safe.
Thomas Jefferson once wisely stated, "A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor and bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government." Or as Reagan so eloquently put it, "Government's first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives."
Now that's change I can believe in.
Frank Corder,
Pascagoula Councilman - Ward 4
