Two Views Of America"s Future
A Divided Nation Must Learn Again How To Lead
by Michael D. Hume, M.S.
Believe it or not, I never cared much for politics. It always seemed like the political machinations of running the country were happening someplace far away, that people who cared deeply about such things were "on it," and that there wasn't much a single person could do to change things, anyway. Besides, I was generally too busy raising kids, running a business, or leading a team to give politics much time or thought.
Truth is, most of the folks I've known from my generation felt the same way. They were busy living their lives, and didn't feel the need to pay more than passing attention to the way America's leaders were running the country. But that's changed lately. People are tuned in. And, generally, they're deeply divided.
There are two major views of America's future, and they're very different. Essentially, one view is that the nation needs more government, and the other, that it needs less.
Perhaps not by coincidence, I also think there are two kinds of people out there: the self-reliant, risk taking, personally-responsible "Entrepreneurs," and the dependent, authoritarian, generally-critical "Victims." Yes, we all have both types within is, but in general, we are all dominated by one or the other.
With many exceptions, I believe the Entrepreneurs tend to want less government. They don't need it. In a commercial sense, Entrepreneurs would prefer as little government as possible and the freedom to run their businesses according to their own wisdom and instincts. Sure, they want good roads and a strong Department of Defense to ensure liberty... but mostly, the more government gets out of their way, the better they like it. They don't want to be given anything; what they have, they earn.
Victims, again with some exceptions, want more government. They would like the government to be there at every turn, controlling things, redistributing resources, making sure everybody gets an equal share of everything. "Equal opportunity" isn't enough - Victims want equal outcomes, regardless of effort expended, resources invested, or ideas generated and developed. Their view is that the government should take care of everybody, and make sure no one gets very far out in front of anyone else.
America has always been dominated by Entrepreneurs, and even today, I think there are more Entrepreneurs than Victims out there. But the nation is divided, and the government has grown, largely because those in power have figured out over the last century that they can gain and grow their power by playing to the Victim mindset. Every institution that helps drive public opinion - Government, Academe, Labor Unions, The Media, and Hollywood - is dominated by those who have a big-government view of America's future. So, by influencing the vast middle - those of us who are "independent" and only pay as much attention to politics as we have to - the big-government camp gets a disproportionate share of votes at election time. Sometimes it's enough to drive the agenda (as it was in the 2008 election); sometimes, the Entrepreneurs wake up and wrest back as much power to the citizens as they can (as happened in 2010).
Over the last hundred years, though, the size of government has marched steadily upward. The awakenings still occur, but for every step back from collective statism the electorate takes, they find that the country's elected leaders have already taken two or three steps closer. That's what used to be known as "liberalism," and is now euphemistically referred to as the "progressive" movement.
If you are an Entrepreneur (whether or not you own a business), stay awake. Wake your neighbors. The nation will not reverse the progressive tide without you. And to avoid sliding into the abyss of failure, America must reverse the progression of the "disease" that ails her. Collectivism has failed every time it's been tried, and free-market capitalist republicanism has led the world for two centuries. Not just the next generation of Americans, but even the future of the world's prosperity, depends on the continued vigilance (and action) of Entrepreneurs.
by Michael D. Hume, M.S.
Believe it or not, I never cared much for politics. It always seemed like the political machinations of running the country were happening someplace far away, that people who cared deeply about such things were "on it," and that there wasn't much a single person could do to change things, anyway. Besides, I was generally too busy raising kids, running a business, or leading a team to give politics much time or thought.
Truth is, most of the folks I've known from my generation felt the same way. They were busy living their lives, and didn't feel the need to pay more than passing attention to the way America's leaders were running the country. But that's changed lately. People are tuned in. And, generally, they're deeply divided.
There are two major views of America's future, and they're very different. Essentially, one view is that the nation needs more government, and the other, that it needs less.
Perhaps not by coincidence, I also think there are two kinds of people out there: the self-reliant, risk taking, personally-responsible "Entrepreneurs," and the dependent, authoritarian, generally-critical "Victims." Yes, we all have both types within is, but in general, we are all dominated by one or the other.
With many exceptions, I believe the Entrepreneurs tend to want less government. They don't need it. In a commercial sense, Entrepreneurs would prefer as little government as possible and the freedom to run their businesses according to their own wisdom and instincts. Sure, they want good roads and a strong Department of Defense to ensure liberty... but mostly, the more government gets out of their way, the better they like it. They don't want to be given anything; what they have, they earn.
Victims, again with some exceptions, want more government. They would like the government to be there at every turn, controlling things, redistributing resources, making sure everybody gets an equal share of everything. "Equal opportunity" isn't enough - Victims want equal outcomes, regardless of effort expended, resources invested, or ideas generated and developed. Their view is that the government should take care of everybody, and make sure no one gets very far out in front of anyone else.
America has always been dominated by Entrepreneurs, and even today, I think there are more Entrepreneurs than Victims out there. But the nation is divided, and the government has grown, largely because those in power have figured out over the last century that they can gain and grow their power by playing to the Victim mindset. Every institution that helps drive public opinion - Government, Academe, Labor Unions, The Media, and Hollywood - is dominated by those who have a big-government view of America's future. So, by influencing the vast middle - those of us who are "independent" and only pay as much attention to politics as we have to - the big-government camp gets a disproportionate share of votes at election time. Sometimes it's enough to drive the agenda (as it was in the 2008 election); sometimes, the Entrepreneurs wake up and wrest back as much power to the citizens as they can (as happened in 2010).
Over the last hundred years, though, the size of government has marched steadily upward. The awakenings still occur, but for every step back from collective statism the electorate takes, they find that the country's elected leaders have already taken two or three steps closer. That's what used to be known as "liberalism," and is now euphemistically referred to as the "progressive" movement.
If you are an Entrepreneur (whether or not you own a business), stay awake. Wake your neighbors. The nation will not reverse the progressive tide without you. And to avoid sliding into the abyss of failure, America must reverse the progression of the "disease" that ails her. Collectivism has failed every time it's been tried, and free-market capitalist republicanism has led the world for two centuries. Not just the next generation of Americans, but even the future of the world's prosperity, depends on the continued vigilance (and action) of Entrepreneurs.
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