He is correct, but it is much worse than that. Many Americans today only think of themselves and their needs. And our politicians feed this insanity to the point our country may not recover.America was not founded on what you get. It was founded on an ideal of having a chance to get what you want by earning it. There was never a thought back in 1776 that as soon as America was rid of England then the treasury would be thrust open for everyone to have all the money they want.
The American treasury then, much like today, was firmly in the red. We are lucky foreign governments still take our non-backed paper because we are no longer a rich nation. We have not been food independent since 1992, have not been energy independent even longer and we no longer have military dominance.
We are acting rich as a country but the time of consequences is near. Today, with heads firmly in the sand, despite our treasury being empty, free is the political way of life. Even the media dares not tell Americans that the bank is empty and even Fort Knox has no gold. Yes, some Americans know but no one is listening.
Americans put themselves before country and feel no obligations. President John Kennedy in his 1961 inaugural speech implored, And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
He would be voted out of office today. Many Americans wait patiently and not so patiently for a government check from our treasury. However, this column is not about those Americans who are entitled to a check, and by that I mean they paid in and are receiving what they are truly entitled.
Rather, let us think of the Americans who play the system and receive more than they paid in or are receiving when they did not pay in at all. Those Americans vote the money to themselves with the political word entitlement, but they are only given that money in a political trade of votes for spoils. The spoils go to those Americans who vote the givers into office trading votes for plunder.
We must distinguish the word entitlement from political reward. Food stamps are not an entitlement like Social Security even though politicians have labeled food stamps an entitlement. The money given in food stamps is not being returned to the entitled citizen. It is political patronage.
Much of the spending for benevolence is a political reward for voting for the people who set up the system and keep it going. It is well known that the opponents might stop all of the political payola so those getting must keep electing the givers to office to keep getting.
But do not forget, whither it is entitled or not, this country is spending about forty percent more than it takes in. That means the bad check will have to be picked up someday. Inflation is how we pay bad checks. Is inflation coming? Yes, but we do not know when.
The problem for trying to define what it means to be an American is that many citizens among us believe that the money is just sitting in America’s treasury waiting for someone to grab it so they decide it is right to get more than they give. As W.C. Fields said, “My dear we are like Robin Hood, we take from the rich and give to the poor.” The woman asks, “Which poor?” Fields hastily concludes, “Us poor.”
Is that what it means to be an American? That each of us should get more than we give? In decades past there was the idea of duty and honor to our country. Now a tiny sliver of Americans defend us while we ignore their plight and often spit upon them.
We are going to have to get enough Americans to act American or we will lose this country.
Dr. Michael Swickard hosts the syndicated radio talk show News New Mexico six to nine a.m. Monday - Friday on a number of New Mexico radio stations and through streaming. Email: michael@swickard.com
