Identifying the True Problem
by Eric Wilson, KY912.com
The right rails against the march of socialism while the left decries the failure of capitalism; I contend the real problem is much worse. By misdiagnosing the problem, we are using the wrong treatments and even working on the wrong patient. No matter how active and engaged voters get – from the left or the right – if we continue to think that either socialism or capitalism is the issue then all our efforts will continue to be ineffective and we are destined to fail.
Instead if we realize the true problem is an aristocracy, then the two parties are both culprits and we must face that we the people are our own worse enemy. We continue to look at others as the solution, look up to politicians as rock-stars, and celebrate “getting ahead” as being part of the system. We are perpetuating a democratic aristocracy and becoming willing servants. The answer must become, we will not just elect a different leader but we (you) become a self governing leader.
Let me be clear - it is true there are immediate dangers and socialism and aristocracy share many symptoms; so electing the best leaders today is still very important to stop the erosion of our freedoms. But we need to also understand that electing the next President, Senator, or politician is not going to fix this problem.
We have been caught in a trap of either expecting someone else to fix things or expecting that we can make a difference just by making our voices heard. Our power, authority, ability, and obligation do not come from those politicians we put into office but are usurped by individuals who choose to lead.
If we truly revere the founding fathers and celebrate what they have done, we must move beyond hero worship and being Constitutional groupies, and actually do as the founders did. We can’t just protest that we should simply turn back the clock two hundred years. New leadership – self sacrificing, self reliant, self educated, leadership of the character, competence and quality of the founding generation – is needed of today’s American citizens.
The question is do Americans value our freedom enough to end the rise of the aristocracy by becoming self governing leaders ourselves. Will we rise as Jefferson predicted, to be the natural aristocracy over which no despot could rule? Will we step up to our responsibilities as citizens and claim our role as the overseers of government (not the other way around)?
If the current growth of the American aristocracy is allowed to continue, our future is destined to be less free. While the criticism of socialism is certainly understood and concerning; unless we change our mindset and change our larger course the aristocracy that our children and our children’s children inherit will be something far worse.