Where to begin? The last couple of months has been marked by
a series of headlines that even Hollywood couldn’t invent. You’d have to be
living under a rock not to see or hear what’s been happening in the economy, politics,
society, media, technology, defense, even the environment.
In the economy. Forget the statistics – they’re useless in
depicting what’s really going on in your wallet. The old adage “Figures lie and
liars figure” has never been more true. Depending on how the pundits and
so-called “experts” spin them, the only thing that really matters is how we and
our families are doing. It’s a good time to ask the question, “Are you better
off now than you were three years ago?”
For the vast majority of Americans, the answer is an
unequivocal “Yes.” Rising wages, low inflation, increasing productivity,
greater convenience and utility provided in part by technology, in part by
innovation, systems and processes…all have improved our lives. The stock market
at all time highs doesn’t just impact the wealthy. It impacts everyone. Whether
or not you have an investment portfolio, economic GROWTH, which the stock
market reflects, increases demand for goods and services, including the things
made by the companies we work for and the services WE render. That all
translates to improvements in our lifestyle.
In politics. The cataclysmic impact of the 2016 election on
the status quo, what some call the “Deep State” or the legions of government
minions many of whom work hard but produce little of value, has slowed the
slide down the slippery slope the Left has had us on for so long. It is a long
slog back up, but the shrill, childish and petulant voice and actions of the
so-called but misnamed “progressives” have been fully exposed. The cancer has been
identified and bit by bit it is being eradicated such that the greatness and
“can do” spirit of America has begun to re-emerge.
In society. Some are content to let the next couple of
generations have the world they’re making. I am not. I believe it is still my
duty as a parent and as a concerned citizen to impart traditional values and
traditional norms to my children and grandchildren. Basics like manners, virtues
such as thrift and hard work, meritocracy, courage, self-reliance, communication
and interpersonal relation skills in the face of technological isolation (a
subject for another time), the importance of family, charity, trustworthiness,
and on and on. These are things that I’m afraid the next two generations don’t
fully understand, appreciate or possess as much as they should.
In media. As I have stated often, the impact of the
“one-to-many” amplification provided by the Internet has allowed the most
fringe-lunatic, caustic voices to reach and influence many. We used to say that
PowerPoint made everyone a graphic artist. Similarly, Social Media has made
everyone and anyone a journalist or pundit (present company included). The
firehose of data not all of which is actual information but all
of which is biased and deceptive in one form or another has created a distorted
reality…in fact, it has changed reality and societal norms, not always for the
better. Character assassination, taunting and hazing, for example, are
facilitated and empowered with the new media. And like the accident by the side
of the road, it is the macabre, shocking and emotion and nerve-tingling input
we receive that we pay the most attention to and are most influenced by. Never
has the need for critical thinking been greater. And never has it been found
more wanting.
In technology. Rapid advances in technology are proving to
be be both good and bad. This is a subject which we’ll touch on more and more
as robotics, artificial intelligence and quantum computing impact our society
and livelihood more and more, and at an accelerating rate. My wife received an
umbrella from the firm she works for recently. Nice umbrella, but would you
believe it came with an APP!!!! Yes, an umbrella with an App! For those of you
who are blissfully unaware of what an APP is…it’s just a software program dedicated
to doing a limited set of tasks on your desktop, laptop, tablet or phone like
report the weather or control your whole house! I mean really…an umbrella with
an APP???!!!!
In defense. Envy is one of the seven deadly sins for a
reason. It spawns evil leaders and causes even whole nations (or quasi-nations)
to seek power and dominance at the expense of others. Rodney King had it right
when he said, “Can we all get along?” The answer is “no”, not until a perfect, benevolent
leader (e.g. Jesus Christ) comes along who can inspire men with free will to
follow Him so as to eschew and eliminate evil. In the meantime, the United
States, despite all its imperfections, is still the best surrogate or
substitute because our form of government vests power (nominally) in the
people, i.e. spread across everyone rather than a single benevolent,
charismatic leader. Our constitutional republic or representative democracy has
been the greatest catalyst to human advancement in the history of the world,
despite its faults. It is not just worth defending…it MUST be defended against
those who seek to destroy it out of envy and a thirst for power. Wilsonian
appeasement of evil cannot and must not be tolerated. Might doesn’t make Right,
but adults (the U.S. at its best) must stop and modify the aberrant behavior of
petulant and in some cases violently misbehaving children (Iran, NOKO, Venezuela,
Russia, China). As arrogant as that sounds, it is, in my opinion, an apt characterization
of the current world stage and depiction of our responsibility as a nation.
In the environment. I’m not running for office so I’ll state
it plainly. Climate change is real – it changes all the time. And man has little
to nothing to do with it. The famous George Carlin routine says it best where
he humorously but acerbically rants at environmentalists while pointing out how
insignificant mankind is when compared to the history of the earth and
concludes, “The planet is fine. The people are f****d!” The wildfires in
Australia? No, not global warming…man-kindled by a bunch of malcontent Leftists
as it turns out. Bears floating on minuscule ice packs? Nonsense…they swam
several miles out there to hang out and fish! Follow the money! If there’s a
tree-hugging environmentalist/alarmist out there, there are grant dollars
nearby. “Please pass the offering plate…”
Are there Rightist sins? Of course! But in the grand scheme
of things, the principles of the Right are, in fact, RIGHT! Evil exists over
here as well – crony capitalism comes to mind. But for my money, Winston
Churchill was also right (.sic): “Democracy is the worst form of government except
for all those other forms which have been tried…” and by
extension…conservative/Right principles are the worst form of societal norms
except for all those other forms (socialism, communism, democratic socialism,
etc.) that have been tried.
And America still stands as the light shining on the hill.
God Bless Her! Happy New Year and Happy New Decade.
