Solace in Faith - Good for you - but in my view, common sense has left the building

Submitted by Michel C. Zala (Switzerland), Apr 14, 2011 at 13:17

I wish I found that much strength in a transcendendal meaning of the WORD, as you do, as I can still find some level of optimism in your posts, Mr. Tovey.

In this sense, you do represent the "old" traditional American, whereas I have become increasinghly pessimistic for the future of this great nation.

While I am a strong proponent of separation of church and state, I nevertheless oppose these many secular activists who intend to use this notion to ridd us of any traditional spiritual guideline or framework, denying the historical fact that most immigrants from Europe during the 17th and 18th and 19th century were some form of religious outcasts or persecuted for their beliefs, finding in America a place to practise their relgion freely.

In my interpretation the Founding Fathers did indeed not want to see religion to become a political force, albeit they at all times, including the staunch secularist, Jefferson, promoted a behaviour and conduct in compliance to some form of lowest common denominator of all Christian denominations, as for instance the Ten Commandments. It built a spriritual, moral and ethical framework in which the American explosion of power took place and its energy channeled mainly towards betterment of all people, domestic and abroad.

America lacks nowadays exactly this framework, which is why so much energy was wasted and directed in a thousand different directions. Polarized, divided, spiteful and angry. THE Word is the same, albeit nobody seems to listen anymore. Au contraire - efforts are under way to eliminate any last reference of GOD from pretty much any public manifestation. (Pledge, Dollar Bill, Courthouses, Schools, Crosses in the countryside, just to name a few).

30 years ago, before my very first trip to America, I was told, that, if I experienced any car trouble, all I needed to do, was to park the car on the right side of the road, then open the hood wide and wait for the first driver to stop and lend assistance. It actually happened to me, I did what I was told and a huge truck, the very first passer by, stopped and the driver took 1/2h out of his time to assist me.

Today, people stay in their car, afraid of anyone who dares to stop, as chances are to be car-jacked. People are afraid to be a good Samaritan in the case of a crash, for fear of being sued, if something goes wrong.

People tweet, e-mail, text, sms each other, but they no longer talk. Politicians do not talk straight anymore, as in the past, there were at least some who had the courage to do so, as every word is focus grouped, opinion polled, measured, teleprompter delivered, qualified and later, taken out of context, viciously attacked by the other side. The nation has begun to reward the talkers, promisers and empty suits.Experience merits and resume do no longer mean anything, as money and fund raising abilities are key.

Immediate gratification, a sense of entitlement, reverse discrimination drives the people, while hard work and showing up is no longer a quality desireable by most.

Reality shows of the likes of Survivor, The Apprentice, Big Brother et al reward no longer the players with style and class, humility and decent conduct, but the ones who backstabb, lie, cheat and who will do literally anything to win. Ellbowes are being celebrated and those who accept responsibility for a mistake will be ridiculed as weak.

The black population is not satisfied with color blindness - they still expect special treatment. I myself, as VP, treated my black associates exactly, as I treated all others and was forced to undergo a racial sensitivity training for it , in order to avoid a discrimination law suit. All it took was one black director threatening to do so, after I intended to fire him, upon encountering the man sleeping in his office repeatedly and playing computer games for over 20 h per week. The current level of reverse discrimination, fueled by the likes of Farrakhan, Sharpton or Jackson is appaling. Blacks do no longer want equality (fire fighter test conflict), but want preferred treatement. Common sense?

If you dare to speak the truth, you are politically incorrect. You can not say, that all terrorists are muslims, even though common sense predicts, that they are.

You can not say that naturally police will stop the old American car with 4 Hispanics with gang attire, before any old white lady in a Prius, as that would be considered as racial profiling. Common sense?

You can not say that Jesus very likely looked like Saddam, olive skin and dark facial hair, as he is being depicted as either white or , as many black people want to see it, as black. Common sense?

Does it make sense to check the middle eastern male passenger in the airport before the old white haired lady? Of course - but that again can not be said, as don't ask, don't tell comes before common sense.

Does it make sense not to build a mosque near Ground Zero, where 3000 people died in the name of Allah? Of course, but the law says otherwise and it would be considered as insensitive to demand restraint from the muslim people. At best we are alowed to kindly ask for it and that is already too much for an uberliberal left wing of the likes of Bloomberg. Common sense?

Our national language is English. I myself had to learn it as a third language and did so without moaning. Why then, for instance in California are all goods, all signs in banks and other institutions in English and Spanish? Get a constitutional amendment, make Spanish second national language, which would probably be reasonable, demographics considered, then I would not have any qualms with it. Go to NY, Chicago, SF, SD or LA, and you'll find entire cities, foreign enclaves, where nobody speaks English. Common sense?

IN Arizona, plagued by a death toll exceedig the Lebanon civil war, caused by illegal immigration and the attached drug trade, common sense politicians felt left alone by the federal government and instituted a law, enabling police officers to check not only driver'slicenses but, if probable cause was given, also for proof of legal residency. Common sense, as for instance applied by any European nation for many decades. Albeit, Obama found it necessary to challenge this law (approved by 70% of the American People) in federal court, just because there could be racial profiling. Common sense?

All aforementioned examples are symbolic of a society, where common sense, honesty and realism have left the building. Solid, hard facts of life can no longer be mentioned, let alone be debated, as the danger of political incorrectness looms. Hence we all, especially the political elites, have become a nation of readers in between the lines. We hint at the truth, disguise it, window-dress it, but never really head on address the issues. We are not allowed to state the facts anymore, for fear we may be offending someone or in the case of our dear politicians lose voters.

Take the Unions for instance. GM has to pay union labor about 70$/h., whereas non union organized Hyundai or Toyota pays its workers about 34$. Every business exec will confirm, that labor cost are usually the largest part of the overall cost side. Does it really come as a surprise, that Ford, Chrysler of GM could not compete, their cost of doing business double that of Toyota? Do we really in the 21st century need labor unions, all these benefits, security, labor laws, osha etc. considered? I worked my entire life in the private sector, never feeling the need for additional protection against 19th century type industrialists who treated their workers as slaves. I experienced first hand in Germany, what damage a union can cause. An unproductive factory had to lay of 25% of their workforce, in order to stay afloat. The Union protested, processed, delayed and pressured, in the end literally prevented the reduction in force, upon which the entire factory had to close, thus 100% of the workforce lost their jobs. That is union power and the US is moving rapidly in that direction. But of course - once thus deeply entrenched, if a governor even tries to shake the tree, Wisconsin type riots and a national campaign will occur to prevent it from happening. Where is the common sense here?

Where is the vision of our leaders, most of those visions formulated in a time of crisis and/or despair. (Kennedy, Reagan, Wilson, Lincoln)?

We find ourselves smack in the middle of an energy crisis, engaged in 3 military conflicts due to it, and our current leader, instead of formulating and spearheading a Strategic Energy Initiative, independence from foreign imports within 10 years, gives us a 15B lipservice, some speeches about alternative energy, but otherwise nothing? We sit on the single largest fossil fuel reserves in the world (Alaska, Shale Oil, Offshore), we had the technology and know-how to build the most advanced nuclear facilities, we have the sun galore in the Southern States, where every single family home could be self-sufficient in terms of energy (Switzerland proves it with 200 foggy days per year), albeit none of the so called stimulus money is being directed to tax and other incentives to motivate people from Florida to San Diego to install solar panels. No improvement or modernization of the overall power grid to allow for a much more efficient electricity distribution. No incentive for oil and gas to invest and increase drilling for the immediate time being. 25-30 years in studies before any new nuclear power plant can even be built. Common sense?

We have the knowledge, people and resources to become fully independent within a short period of time. Albeit, the current leader rather handcuffs the oil and gas industry, and imports oil from chronically conflict laden regions, which pull us into one expensive military conflict after another. Where is the vision and leadership? Where is the common sense?

Not importing oil, not being engaged in costly military presences, would dramatically improve our debth situation. Heck, we would be able to sell energy or export oil, as the current explored reserves would last us for a hundred years at present consumption rates. A Strategic Energy Initative would lead us back to the road of prosperity, would create a ton of jobs, stimulate innovation and technology, as NASA and their efforts did, keep us out of harms way and lastly allow us to share the wealth again.

But Vision and common sense is not, what we get at present. What we get is massive spending on the unproductive sector of the nation (government, entitlements), while the private sector limps under the burden of the highest corporate tax rate in the entire western world (35%) and is being directy and indirectly charged and taxed, so it can no longer grow. It does no longer make business sense to produce in the USA, as cheap Imports from China flow into the country freely. (1TR trade deficit with China alone), so American manufacturing sources out to low labor cost countries of the likes of Mexico or China. Thank that to the unions too.

While we haggle over health care, entitlements, social security or medicare, our engine, the private productive sector of the economy is in the process of imploding. Investors do no longer invest. Banks do no longer loan. At some recent point, 70% of American jobs were created by small businesses. They can no longer hire, expand or even start up under the burden the Gov puts on them. Does that make sense?

It is all about common sense. Everywhere, on every dimension of our beloved nation, common sense is no longer being applied or even talked about for fear of being perceived as politically incorrect. Straight talk is by a slanted media depicted as extreme. Collective hysteria, paranoia, a spending orgy has become the norm.

The only way to break this vicious circle is a new leader of the calibre of a Ronald Reagan, able and willing to ask the hard question again. Don't ask, what the country can do for you, but ask, what you can do for the country. But where is this courageous, visionary, honest and tough leader, we would need right now and not after another 6 years of Obama with likely irreversible damage?

GOD will not help us - we must help ourselves first. A World without a strong America, dominated by the likes of China and Russia will be the doom of humanity. My overall pessimism and melancholy stems from the fact that this may well become a distinct possibility.

As mentioned before, I can only pray for Christie to run, otherwise I will most definitely vote for Donald Trump, who at least knows how to run a business and has fundamentally the right point of view.

I can only pray, that Common Sense, framed by judeo-christian principles, values and ethics will in America again become the guiding force. IN order for that to happen, it may well take us to hit rock bottom first, as any addict, alcoholic or drug user, who successfully managed to rehab, will confirm.

I guess, before we acknowledge as a nation, as a people, that we have in fact become spending, consumption, entertainment, immediate gratification, luxury and entitlement addicts, we will not be able to change.

And that's my State of the Nation Address. Take that, Obama.

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