My heart and prayers go out to the people of Japan for all they are currently facing. May the United States and other Western nations continue gather together and help them through this time. Let us all stay informed on the topic at hand so that we can better help, through any means, those in need at this time. I will be posting more about this topic in the near future.
As I’m sure everyone has seen, the labor debate regarding collective bargaining rights and state union employees in Wisconsin (and now other states as well) has been making major headlines. Now questions abound as this movement shifts to other states and just what role the unions are to play in the future. Some commentators are even beginning to say that this is going to be the key topic for the campaign towards the 2012 Presidential Election. I believe that as part of the informed public, we owe it to ourselves and our country to dig deeper into the issue of organized labor and look beyond the surface of the debate. We need to see if unions help or hinder the American worker in his pursuit of the American Dream.
“The first lesson of economics is scarcity: There is never enough of anything to satisfy all those who want it. The first lesson of politics is to disregard the first lesson of economics.” -Thomas Sowell
The United States Government has obviously played an increasingly important role in the everyday lives of American citizens since the era of former President Franklin Roosevelt. Often we see things that seemingly advance our society, things that on the surface are for the utter good of the people. We see Social Security to help the elderly, welfare systems to help the poor, minimum wage to help the worker, and now the possibility of national healthcare to help those who are uninsured. At a glance these are magnificent achievements of a free democratic society, but rarely do we ever look past this outer shell. Outside of a scarce group of right wing pundits and political personalities we rarely are brought to question the consequences of this increase in Government regulation in our lives.
We often fail to look into it further because it seems like there could be no harm, and for many of the people receiving the aid there definitely isn’t any harm… initially at least. But Mr. Sowell, as quoted, makes an interesting point; are politics in this nature realistic economically? Now that financial times are hard and Governments everywhere are having to attempt to cut spending we are beginning to see some cracks in the system that could possibly lead to complete instability. We must look at these subsidies with a keen eye to see if they really do help society and even the individuals whom depend so heavily upon them. If we do not do these things, how do we know that these benefits are actually aiding anyone in the long run? More importantly, how are we sure that instead of helping a few they might be harming everyone. Could they really be a key in the derailment of the American Dream?
The American Dream is an idea that dates back to the early days of the Revolutionary War. It was what we fought for, the freedoms and rights that we were were to lay down our lives for. The Declaration of Independence states that “among these [rights] are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”, thus it should be said that the idea of the American Dream is freedom (ideologically and practically) for all citizens to pursue opportunity on their own.
This is where most peoples misconception comes into play. The Dream is not simply about obtaining wealth like many would have you believe. Wealth is only an end result should people be given the opportunity to pursue it. From an economic sense the Dream is only the ability that you can work towards an end goal. Should wealth be your end goal, you have an equal opportunity as everyone else to obtain it.
The Dream is supported by Laissez-Faire capitalism, a market free of government intervention where peoples decisions make real outcomes. If you want to be successful and you can work hard then you can achieve some level of success. Under such a free system we saw the industrial giants of Andrew Carnegie, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and Henry Ford rise to prominence by their own hard work and innovation.
In its truest sense, the American Dream is freedom and liberty. It grants us an unhindered ability for success of what we wish to work for and make of our lives. It is not a government stipend, it is not a hand out, and it is not welfare. It is a system that only allows the strive of all hardworking individuals the ability to get ahead and to do what they feel is best for themselves.
With all of this said I must point out one fact, I am not a Libertarian. I understand the necessity for some rules and limitations on people as a whole as well as the value or morality as a mediating factor in peoples lives. I am a Conservative in nature, though you could more properly say that I am a Traditional Conservative or a Paleoconservative. Below are a few links to bring the discussion further. I wont say that I fully approve or disapprove of any of them, but I think they provide an interesting insight and additional information to the topic at hand. Enjoy.
http://www.importanceofphilosophy.com/Politics_Main.html
http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/stone/021121
http://usconservatives.about.com/od/typesofconservatives/a/PaleoCons.htm
“The American people are doing their job today. They should be given a chance to show whether they wish to preserve the principles of individual and local responsibility and mutual self-help before they embark on what I believe to be a disastrous system. I feel sure they will succeed if given the opportunity” - Herbert Hoover
As my first entry I believe it is cordial to announce my intentions with this blog. As an undergraduate business student I have seen first hand how culture and ethic has changed in the United States, and not for the better. Systematically the idea of hard work and the rewards associated with it have melted away to the point of where they are simply a distant dream. The ability for all American citizens to work towards a common goal of bettering the lives of themselves and their families is the root of the classic “American Dream”. Sadly this idea of hard work is coming under fire by a new wave social liberalism in American society and politics. I intend to provide factual evidence in favour of the “American Dream”, in favour of Capitalism, and in favour of what once made this country great. I wish to show overwhelming evidence to the great prosperity that can be had from this old way of thinking. This being said, what is not intended is to do is forcibly change anybodies mind, but to simply provide the information needed for them to draw their own conclusions.
