Philosophic Cannibalism

TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2011

Where I attend church there is a time in the service when the pastor calls on the congregation to lift up the names of folks who are in need of prayer, and throughout the sanctuary names of loved ones who are ill, grieving or approaching precipitous events are called out and we all say, "Lord, hear our prayers." It is important, it is moving, and it binds us together. A young high school girl called out, "Our government" and we responded as ritual dictates. And then I got mad.

My dear fellow Americans; what are we doing? This spring I have watched the news with reports of possible government shutdowns, rallying around budget cuts and deficit reductions, dramatic cuts to public education, efforts to increase charter schools and vouchers, and I realize either I am crazy or a lot of you are.

We are citizens of an incredible nation, a country rife with freedom and opportunity, a country of values, a country that has stood for truth, justice and a commonly understood, "American Way". (Apologies to Kal-El.) We do not tolerate discrimination by DNA. We do not tolerate abuse of power. We do not tolerate massacre of the underdog. And, we do not tolerate bullies. So how in the world have we reached the point where a newly elected group in D.C. and Austin are empowered to shut us down in the name of us, or cripple us with massive cuts in funding, and celebrate while they do it?

We are our government.

Do you remember 9/11? How about the shooting of Representative Giffords, or President Reagan, or President Kennedy? Remember that feeling that our duly elected people and our hallowed institutions had been attacked? Remember those feelings? That's because our government represents us, it does what we ask it to do. It provides services, it solves problems, it ensures our safety, it monitors our commerce, and on and on. This is not the government of a third world nation. This is the government of a 1st world nation. And it appears to me that it has become popular to attack our own government. How in the world have we reached a state wherein some of us perceive our government as our enemy?

I am a patriotic junkie. In light of full disclosure, I will say that folks who do not stand during the Pledge of Allegiance or take off hats and caps during the National Anthem irk me deeply, though I fully recognize their right to do or not do those gratuitous displays of respect. I feel the same about the folks clamoring for government shutdowns and drastic spending cuts.

Perhaps you believe it is important to do this because of our national debt and the amount of money our government spends. OK, that is a reasonable concern in my book, as long as we are reasonable in the ways we address that concern. I sense we have lost reasonableness.

Our national debt on the day the current President of the United States of America was sworn into office was $11.9 trillion dollars. Today, our debt is $14.9 trillion dollars. Our debt under the current President has grown by $3 trillion. Our previous President inherited a surplus, and in 8 years spent it and racked up almost $12 trillion in debt, and there was no outcry. So why now?

There are those among us who evidently fervently believe that our government is the enemy of the American people. They run for and are elected to office. Once there, they propose policies that would cripple our government and the services it provides, and dramatically reduce those who are government employees including teachers, firemen and law enforcement, military, health and safety inspectors, etc. They argue for this with trust in this mystical hand called the "market" which we know is a functioning motivator for suppliers and demanders. But it is immoral. There is demand for drugs, sex, and rock and roll, only one of which is healthy for us, but all of which will be supplied by the invisible hand of the market. You like the market, then you must have loved the crash of 2008 where unfettered marketers profited immensely while working folks bit the bullet. Most amazing to me, is that the very folks who promote the market stand as social conservatives, arguing against women's right to choose, arguing for prayer in schools, etc. The cognitive dissonance necessary to hold both positions simultaneously blows my mind.

If a foreign national ran on platform to shut down our government and dismantle our institutions, the Department of Home Land Security would be all over them. How then have we elected our own home grown destroyers?

I love America. I believe in America, our institutions, our philosophy, and our commitment to educate every child regardless of income, disability, etc. ad nausea. I remain amazed by the prevailing philosophy that works to do otherwise in the name of tax reduction and the market. From where I sit, that is philosophic cannibalism. Period.