We are abandoning what made America great

 My father was an immigrant.  He did it legally; he got citizens to guarantee a job, filled out all the necessary paperwork and waited for approval.  He came to this country with hopes, a job to earn his keep, and a desire to make a life for himself and to help his mother (a widow) and his sister.

He also came with a vision of America.  He often told me that he knew people here were different... from many parts of the world.  But he also said they (and He) came here to become a part of what America was... a blending of many nationalities that came with a common desire to become "better" than they could in their "home" country.

Dad respected his birth country, Norway, and honored the people there.  BUT he always pointed to his citizenship papers and was proud to say he was an American... not a Norwegian-American, but just... American.  He came here not to reproduce Norway, but to become a part of what America is all about.  And he saw people joining in pride to be part of that whole.  

Sure, many nationalities upon arrival banded together to make their adjustment easier, even as their children went to school and became proficient in English, history, and learned how to succeed in America... and to be proud of belonging.  

My father loved music and he often made the analogy comparing America to an orchestra.  All classes of instruments are different, and the players have different abilities as well as individual attributes.  But they come together knowing the purpose is to advance the performance of the orchestra.  They are segregated by instrumentation, they play different parts, they interpret music in varying ways.  But all that individuality is voluntarily subjugated to the conductor's direction and interpretation to create a whole... a whole musical offering that sees the beauty of the unified effort and vision.

THAT was the America that welcomed (well, mostly.  Even "square heads" were joked about and not always welcome in the beginning) his presence and his willingness to "take a chance" and depend on his own self-worth and the quality of that effort.

Today, many in America want each instrument to not only "be in charge" of their music, but to declare that to not get their own way was an insult and a lack of respect.  That seems true within the instrument category and withing all of the instruments in what used to be an orchestra.  That "orchestra" has turned into a group of anarchists producing chaos instead of music and not even being in the same room without throwing words (or worse) at each other.  The Conductor has been "cancelled" and two attitudes have taken over:

• victimhood, and
• tribal narcissism

Add to that a foolish and false belief that there are no such things as consequences, and the result is disintegration of all that enabled America to become the great nation it once was, as President Reagan once described it, "a shining city on a hill" for the rest of the world.  It (or at least the politicians and self-described leaders) has destroyed itself.

Just as chaos of individualism absolutely destroys the purpose and existence of an orchestra, so the current narcissistic victimhood tribalism ideology will destroy the United States of America.

Sadly, Reagon's city on a hill is being destroyed from within.  I miss it, and my father would feel even more disappointed were he still alive.

Why our Federal Government ignores what the Voters want!

 In 1790, The United States of America first census declared a population of Three Million, Nine Hundred Twenty-Nine Thousand, Two Hundred Fourteen people (3,929,214).  The 1791 House of Representatives had a membership of Sixty-nine (69).

Each Member of the 1791 House of Representatives represented (and was elected by) approximately Fifty-six Thousand, Four hundred Ninety-five (56,495) people. 

In 2020, The United States of America census declared a population of approximately Three Hundred Twenty-five Million, Seven Hundred Nineteen Thousand, One Hundred Seventy-eight (325,719,178) people.  The 2020 House of Representative numbered Four Hundred Sixty-five (465) members.

Each Member of the 2020 House of Representatives represented (really?) (and was elected by) approximately Seven Hundred Thousand, Four Hundred Seventy-one (700,471) people.

Does any sane, logical, thinking individual seriously consider that any one of us presents a significant impact on "our" House of Representative official with an impact of 1/700,471th on his or her holding office?  Does any one of you believe that they really care?

Perspective:

• To reach the same level of representation that existed in 1791, the House of Representatives would have to grow to 5,720 members.  That is NOT workable in Washington, BUT it would work if:
• Each state's delegation remained in their State's Capitol 

•  Total voting was transmitted and tabulated in Washington electronically, with each state's result counting as a weighted total (just as is done with the Presidential election tabulation).
• As a comparison, if today's level of representation were to have applied to the United States of 1791, the House of Representatives would have consisted of Six (6) members, and four (4) states would have had NO representation. 

The responsibility for our current government's failure to represent the "people" can be broadly cast in many directions, but a major degree is directly attributable to President Lincoln and his Congress.  Why?

His refusal to accept the separation of the southern States of the Republic into a new one started us on the road to being badly governed! 

Many of the Founding Fathers discussed and recognized that the responsiveness of a Democratic Republic was dependent on limiting the size of government; as government grew in size, it became less representative and responsive while becoming more and more dictatorial and controlling.  Many of them expressed a vision of the "United" states giving birth to additional, limited sized, Republics as the area and the population to be governed grew, each becoming allied with the originals for the purpose of common defense, but each maintaining a responsiveness to and for the segment of population they governed in a manner that maintained control in the people, not the government.

If that vision had survived the emotional, moral and financial challenge that brought on our "civil" war, we would today likely be an amalgam of five (5) Republics, each with its own Capitol, its own Supreme Court, it's own Congress, and each contributing to the cost and maintenance of a common Military governed by  5 member panel representing each of the Republics, and overseeing the necessary financial support of that defense.

Alas, that did not happen.  So today we (the individual "people") are ignored by an elected and bureaucratic cadre of what is (not inappropriately) often labeled the "Deep State," they members of which are dedicated to preserving and growing their own power, security and financial well-being.

I have no solution (other than to imagine that we are in the throughs of the same decline and obliteration suffered by the Greeks...and the Romans...and all the other once successful efforts to "do it better" than the last).  But if we are self-destructing, at least our last thoughts can include the knowledge of where we erred.

The Revenge of the World on the Ugly American (with help from within)

 

The Revenge of the World on the Ugly American

(with help from within)

 

In the late 1950’s Lederer and Burdick wrote “The Ugly American,” which pointed out the arrogance and nerve of American’s attitude toward the rest of the world and their way of live.  As transportation and communications improved exponentially, Americans and their businesses expanded into the world and carried with them the concept that all American ideas and practices were the solution to everything and the pre-existing attitudes and values of everyone else were not just worse, but wrong.

 

In America today, the rest of the world, with help from the Baizuo Democrat Leftists, is getting its revenge.  In most of the last century and before, the immigrants from around the world came to America to become Americans.  They gave up most of the practices from their home country to assimilate into American society and adopt our ways, language, moral precepts, and became within a generation just like all those before them.  Those who have watched Americans emigrate to other countries have seen the same thing happen in reverse.

 

But Twenty-first Century America is being overrun by people who have come to America, many of them illegally, who want to change America into a better version of their country of origin.  Of course, many of them define that as meaning that THEY are in control in the form of a Dictatorship.  The rest have ideological beliefs that are anathema to any form of democracy.  And they are aided and abetted by Americans who came to America from countries that abused them in search of freedom, which they now are using to destroy the very country that saved them.  Not to be undone, there are power hungry Americans who see the resulting chaos as a way of grabbing more power.

 

The questions is…why do the majority of current Americans accept this degradation?  Are they evaluating and throwing away individual freedom, or have they been indoctrinated by an educational system now in the control of those who believe democracy is a bad way to govern?

The Left's Game Plan: Authoritarianism over Civility

The actions and words of those on the Progressive Left in the United States of America support the concept that they are prepared to sacrifice civility, honor, and respect for election results and people of a different opinion in favor of authoritarian Rule.

Consider that Leftist Office Holder were admitting intent to impeach duly elected Republican President Trump within moments of his taking office.  He had not yet acted in any official capacity, yet the Left was prepared to obstruct his authority to hold office.

Consider that members of the Leftist action group, Antifa, wear face masks while harassing and assaulting any people even suspected of not favoring Leftist political positions and actions.  Leftist Officials...police AND Judges...dismiss charges against any members almost universally without any penalty for their lawless actions.

Leftist Members of Congress encourage harassment in public of any who fail to vocally support the Leftist Agenda and Ideology.

Leftist Media censor news to allow only pro-Leftist events to air or appear in print, and both create and promote false reports that denigrate all non-Leftist points of view.  The further refuse to investigate any actions by any on the Left that might be improper or criminal in nature. They have resurrected the Goebbels' Big Lie to supplant journalism.

Universities, Colleges and Grade Schools have given up teaching American History, requiring students to learn to read and do arithmetic at grade levels before being passed to a higher grqade and been shown to indoctrinate students with Leftist points of view, rather that to learn ALL points of view and challenge each in debate.  Further, they now refuse to honor the Constitution's guarantee of Free Speech, in favor ot Authoritarian limit of all but Leftist points of view.

Civil discourse has disappeared from government and public arenas.  Personal insults have taken the place of critiquing ideas and positions.  "Meanness" prevails. 

Defense of and acquisition of Power has become the singular goal of the Left, and they are clearly prepared to use any and all means, both legal and illegal, both moral and immoral, both Constitutional and unconstitutional, to achieve that power and authority.  They are clearly prepared to destroy the Republic in order to achieve their goal of authoritarian Control of America.

They have awakened the animosity, the ire, and the violent anger of those long-suffering folks not on the Left, who are fed up with the disrespect delivered on them and will not condone a continuation of this destruction of civility, of respect, and of moral conscience.

Enough!

No longer Checks and Balances on Congress by SCOTUS

Laws no longer mean what they say.  Congress no longer need concern itself with careful and accurate writing and wording.  The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) will plug the breach, intuit the "real" intent of Congress while ignoring the actual wording of the duly passed statute, and save the day.  Of course, there is a consequence for this service: SCOTUS has now re-affirmed its move from co-equal branch of Congress to a second rate arm of Congress. We have ceased to be a nation governed by laws and now are dependent on a political class that continues to fund the courts as a sap to many who wish to continue to delude themselves that there is a check and balance against Congress. Anyone with a brain recalls how Congress "crowed" about the condition of creating a State Healthcare program as a prerequisite to getting Federal Funding. They tried to blackmail the States and it didn't work, so now they went to their underlings, the Supreme Court, to absolutely legislate from the bench and eliminate holding Congress responsible for its actions. "Umpires" indeed...if so this is the Black Sox Scandal with the Umpires bought off instead of the Players.  Does anyone question whether SCOTUS' budget request will now be granted in full?

There is a serious question of the legitimacy of any government structure when the laws mean nothing and can be interpreted as a politician wishes, instead of obeying the clear reading of words written and voted upon.  This is the result of the political class coming to adopt the Bill Clinton plea of "It depends on what the meaning of is is."  So many laughed as the absurdity of that comment, even as it turned out to be legally effective...and so we began to slide down the slippery slope of making honesty and truth and consequences immaterial in the American political world...and have also just made them immaterial in American life generally:  now it is apparently acceptable to narcissistically focus on getting "free" stuff even as we all know that someone is paying for it...as long as that someone isn't "us."  How delusional...and how clearly designed to ultimately destroy our country.  Khrushchev will turn out to have been right when he claimed we would destroy ourselves from within...he is chuckling in his grave right now.  Deservedly so.