Time to Grow Up, America: Are You Ready to Believe Your Eyes?

We see government abuse every day .. and we can’t believe it. We could take the IRS prosecution of the TEA Party for example, but you can choose any recent scandal you want. Some American’s can’t or won’t believe the news.

Unfortunately, the world has changed. We were taught things as children that don’t apply to us as adults. Our relationship with authority leads the list. At some point we have to believe what we see even if that means we have to grow up and let go of our childish attitudes. Yeah, I know that can burst your bubble, Bubba, but get over it. I want all of us to have the strength of our convictions. Sometimes all it takes to be a hero is to believe what is right in front of you and step forward.

Believing what you see isn’t as easy as it sounds. You see, we don’t see dishonesty and evil very often. It is important to believe it when we see it. Now let’s tune up our eyesight.

— We were told that mommy and daddy will take care of every hurt and make it better. That was true when we were children. I’m sorry, sweetie, but your college loans are due. So is the bar tab from last night and the hangover from this morning. That government debt you heard about, well part of that is ours, too.
— Politicians don’t lie to us. Do they? There are a few good men in public office. The rest are narcissists who are barely kept in line by the constant glare of the news media. Congressman Anthony Weiner and Mayor Bob Filner, call your office, they found your pants.
— The media tells us the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Yeah, the biased and lying media makes me feel sick, too. Sorry about that, but the media is the best solution we have to fight political corruption. Be skeptical of what you see and hear until you study several sources.
— The government is here to help us. Sigh. Look, they ran out of angels at the employment office a while ago. Government employees are out to make their boss look good, just like you do at your job. Lying about Obamacare is the most recent example of government selling snake oil to voters. If you believe government employees really are a host of angels, then I have a school to sell you … in Detroit. Low mileage and only one previous owner. Trust me, you’ll make a fortune with it. Just sign here.

Despite the evidence of widespread corruption, some people insist that government is wonderful and more government is more wonderful. These people have issues with their parents. The rest of us, the ones who’ve grown up, will trust but verify.

We were told that life is simple when we were young and couldn’t handle a complex world. We were told the world was safe when we were too small to bear its burdens. Some people can’t let go of that simple and safe world of their childhood. Politicians know this and play to our fantasy of simple answers and something for nothing. We cling to our own fantasy that politicians don’t abuse their positions and government bureaucrats don’t abuse their power.

The weakness of libertarian self-governance is that it so wants to be left alone that it is willing to hide its eyes and never get off its ass to help someone else. We’ve been there before. Edmond Burke said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men should do nothing.” Many civil libertarians would rather hide behind the attitude, “I didn’t break it. It’s not my job to fix it.” Well you can’t have it both ways.

If you want a smaller state then you have to open your eyes and stand up for self-responsibility. You have to oppose corruption and evil when you see it. We now have a government that is crushing jobs and economic opportunity. It is spying on all of us and restricting our civil institutions like churches, private charities and schools.

Some people refuse to see what it is right in front of them. That is sad … and I don’t think Obamacare will pay for reality therapy to fix it.

Believe what you see and not the media spin.

Image: Courtesy of: http://supaenglish3.wikispaces.com/Marissa