Red, white and blue are the colors that have symbolized the evolution and destiny of this great nation. Since the American Revolution, the United States has generated a collective pride and energy that culminated during the mid 1700s with a pillar of hope shaping a new nation that became the envy of the world. We advanced our culture with a confidence perpetuated by generations of families, principally from Europe, expanding the voice of freedom throughout the globe.
America was something special, a place to establish a new beginning, a haven for the politically and religiously oppressed. The opportunities were there in abundance for those willing to roll up their sleeves and stand on their own two feet.
Freedom was more than a word in the dictionary, it was a way of life and the challenges were well worth the effort.
How many of you reading this remembers James Cagney in a movie called "I'm A Yankee Doodle Dandy"? Those refreshing days seem to be gone forever. That movie depicted a citizen pride, a belief in community and a willingness to stand up for others without demanding something in return. The American flag was endeared by most and family values were plain, simple and, above all, honorable.
But now, something seems to be going wrong in our beloved country.
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Our world has changed and America has become the wild card in a game of chance so ingenuous and so dangerous that, at best, sincerity, ambition and integrity appear to have been swept away in a world filled with self-serving interests currently fueled by religious turmoil, pure hatred and scientific weapons destructive enough to end all life on this planet.
The solution to all this is apparent, but it won't be easy. We have developed a culture today that is almost completely dependent on government. We don't elect people we know and trust to office anymore; we subscribe to the will and power of a political persuasion and, with our blinders on, we elect idealism over logic. Unfortunately, today's politicians use your money and constantly cry for more. It is a vicious circle of deceit without compromise. We are trapped by this idiocy and continue to accept this nightmare because we are almost totally ignorant of the dangers coming our way.
I probably could write a book on today's political evolution but that is not my intent in the space allowed me.
So here is my spiel, straight off the cuff: Today, here in Duluth, citizens are facing a tremendous debt load for more than one reason. Although you would think it is the employee healthcare issue that is breaking the backs of our citizens, there is more. We have a leadership shortage and it is being spurred on by political dominance, a war between the liberal versus conservative powerbrokers. The majority of the players, the people, are caught in the middle.
We don't vote for local candidates anymore willing to serve our city, school and county needs, we vote for a political persuasion that has the power to direct and dominate. Even here at the local level, government isn't structured anymore allowing average citizens to seek public office, in a part-time manner, and actually have the power to influence local governmental operations. Why is this? Simply because the bureaucrats in government have too much of a free hand and when special interests get involved, representative government takes a serious hit for the worse.
This isn't just happening here in Duluth, it is happening all over the country.
Duluth School Board members once served without pay and that was in the days when we had 27,000 students attending local public schools. It was an honor to serve on the Duluth City Council, now it is a horror of a job and even the inflating compensation cannot justify the means. Local state legislators are making over six times the $4800 per year salary of legislators in the early 1970s and they are now meeting every year and still can't get their work done on time.
My point in all this is simple enough. It's time to take an accounting, involve local business and union leadership, community specialists, just ordinary citizens and demand a pause to this insanity.
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Where do we want to go as citizens of this area? Should we have a voice? That seems like a fair question to me.
And on the lighter side:
Ole asks, "Before day invented golf balls, how did day measure HAIL?"
Dick Palmer is a former editor and publisher of the Budgeteer News. He may be reached by e-mail at rpalmer341@aol.com
