What I Noticed in Passing….
This past Tuesday I was invited to a local “meet & greet” hosting a local politician who is running for office. I arrived with a few copies of each of the books in the Blind Vision Series, set them on the entry table along with a “promo” hi-lighting the material as well as a “soft pitch” on yours truly and with this administrative task aside, I milled about the hall listening in on various conversations, looking for a familiar face. It wasn’t long until I found myself on the perimeter of a group, 25 or so standing listening intently to the guest of honor making his pitch!
Is it just me or do others notice that candidates spend far too much time taking aim at conflict and far to little time explaining both the root cause of the issue and what, specifically, they would actually do about it. “We need to do something about the economy and the wasteful spending in Washington…jobs! Government needs to do more about creating Jobs!” The number of heads nodding in affirmation was what I noticed, in passing.
“Okay then!” I recall saying to myself. I decided too much of the same was enough for me and I was turning away to resume the migratory process when a hand-on-the-shoulder suspended my intentions. A familiar voice said, “Curtis! I’m glad you made it, let me introduce you to….” and then turning toward the group drawing the attention of the candidate, he looked directly at him and said “…this is the guy I was telling you about, you need to….” Just then, mine and this gentleman’s eyes met, he smiled and instantly stuck his hand in mine giving me a solid “shake” saying “…darn good books, good stuff, people need to read them, you bring to light things people need to know, darn good work!”
I was taken for a moment, but only for a moment, when he turned to me and said “Don’t you think that government should do more to stimulate the economy, you know, just like you say in your books, be an advocate of the process and not its executioner!” Darn, I was impressed, he’s right, I did say (write) that and he got it word for word! Like I said, “but only for a moment”. He should have read the balance of the commentary.
“Well, what’d you think?” I looked at him and then over to my friend, I really didn’t want to get involved, well not like this, it was “his” show, so to speak and I do have a rather strong non-conformist streak in me. By now, the group had grown to 35 or so and now eyes were on me, not at all what I wanted. But, okay, I’m on the hook and with one last attempt at an escape I looked back at him with a glance that was intended to suggest something along the lines of, “…are you sure you want to hear what I think?” Well, license does have an element of restraint. I did my best. Here is, as best I recall, more or less, of what I said:
“The great problem we seem to have with government is this: we seem to want the government to do the things we ourselves are unwilling to do. Now then, consider that there are approximately 300 million people each with there own version of what that ‘to do’ list might be. This gives rise to the fluid and every changing interpretation of what is now structured-chaos when, in point of fact, this is not nor has it ever been the role of the American form of representative government.
In the same breath, you say that government should stimulate the economy but not be its executioner and I say, it is not possible for it to do both without one corrupting the other. Government at its best is not a social advocate and most certainly not a valued and trustworthy business partner. Why? Simply because the moment you define a social mandate or an economic incentive, at the very same time you disadvantage a group who is not served by your ambition. This is not the role of representative government, to disadvantage the consenting governed at the behest of a minority of interests. Instead, the role of representative government is, in fact, to be the very advocate you speak of whereby the consenting governed sovereign rights, the artifice for asserting their individual expressions, are preserved by insuring an environment where this process is free to occur.
As it is, we have a political government which has adopted the policy of politics as its self-mandated function whereby it functions and legislates solely on the basis of partisan bias insuring its ability to perpetuate this very process. If government functioned the way it was intended, you’d have no need to stimulate the economy as people would be free to be economically productive as government would be serving the purpose of eliminating the minority bias that would otherwise impose its minority will. If government functioned as it was intended assuring the rights of sovereign individuals then you would not have the bias of social issues/mandates because the system would not tolerate the bias of the minority that benefits from these social dysfunctions.
You see, Americans, as Andrew Jackson stated, ‘…are not a perfect people, however, they are called to a perfect mission.’ The reason you see the uprising of the so-called Tea Party movement is not because they are political, not at all and this is the great miss-cue of the Political Organisms of this Country. Americans understand, intuitively, the truth of Andrew Jackson’s statement, the vast majority of Americans are a-political, they are neither ‘left’ nor ‘right’ however they are forced to appear this way because freedom is not one of the choices offered by the political system we have in this Country. NO, The Tea Party is not a political organization; it is, in fact, a response to an out of touch, oppressive and tyrannical Political Über-Structure.
I believe you are just (only) beginning to see the strength of the movement. As Americans realize more and more the true nature of the current political regimes, they will be drawn to this movement more and more. Americans are looking for the representation implicit in their representative form of government and they are just beginning to understand the depth of the problems facing this Country as being directly related to its absence.
You want to, as you say, ‘do’ something then ‘do’ without the role of government as it has been sold to the American People. If you really want to ‘fix’ the problems, then first start by undoing the manacles that constrain its once sacred form. Promise the People this and you’ll win your election otherwise, it’s just more mindless drivel.”
I was, once again, worried that I’d said too much and I sheepishly looked over at my friend and his guest and said, “…well, you asked!”
I don’t know whether anything I said reached any One in the room and to be even more sincere, I admit I may be in the company of one still, I am reminded once again of President Andrew Jackson’s own words:
“Americans are not a perfect people, they are however, called to a perfect mission.”
And of course, accompanying his is one of my own:
“Man, must be Free for Independence to be at Liberty to be Expressed!”
I believe when taken as a whole, these two comments just about says it all!
Until our next visit and beyond, do be good to one another, in the end, it is truly the only thing that matters!
Curtis C. Greco, Founder
