I started the week with thoughts of blogging about something serious. But I got over it. Maybe later. Maybe not.
Today is a day to celebrate our independence as a nation. As a nation founded, perpetuated and run by human beings, it is not perfect. But in my opinion, and I don't think I'm alone in this, it is still the best ever devised by humans.
And while I'm spouting my opinions, let me share this one with you: the greatest weakness of any democratic government, whether it is a representative democracy (or Republic) like ours, or direct democracy (ridiculed as "mobocracy in days gone by,) is that its continued existance depends entirely upon an educated and informed electorate.
Okay..., take a deep breath now. I didn't say we're doomed.
I know that, with the seven people who actually read my ravings, I'm preaching to the choir here. It's the other 299,999,993 we have to worry about. But they're not all registered voters, so you can cut that in half. We can do what we can.
Allow me to digress for a moment. MANY years ago, shortly after I finished college in 1979, I was talking to a friend who related a conversation he had recently had with one of our high school classmates. He had asked her who she was going (at this point I think "hoping" would be more accurate) to vote for in the 1980 Presidential election. She replied that she hadn't made up her mind between George Bush and Ted Kennedy.
Another deep breath here. In retrospect there really isn't as much difference between those two choices as there appeared to be in 1979. But it still doesn't indicate a strong command of the issues.
But we can do what we can. We can't rely upon the educational system or the media to educate or inform the electorate. What we first MUST do is educate and inform ourselves. We can't change anyone else's opinion through argument. What we CAN do is encourage those who appear to be less informed to educate and inform themselves on the issues. You can lead a horse to water.
I'm going to treat myself to another digression down memory lane. Another second hand story, from another friend. It was during the Savings and Loan scandal of the early eighties. Phil Donohue had a very popular talk show. In that bygone era, talk shows operated a little differently: when the host asked a question, he allowed the guest to answer ..., and actually LISTENED to the answer. Even if he DISAGREED. That doesn't really apply to this instance, but if you can find any Donahue interviews on YouTube, particularly of conservatives, you can see this quaint custom from time immemorial.
But on this show about the Savings and Loan bailouts Donahue was in the audience allowing them to ask questions. One guy stood up and asked "Why should the taxpayers pay for this? Why doesn't the Government do it?" As I say, I didn't see the show myself, but I am told that Donahue, for once, was speechless.
So, when we can, lets lead those horses to water. It looks like I got serious anyway, but this is nothing near what I started the week with.
And I'll be able to start drawing retirement in 226 days. So until then you kids ..., what the heck, it's Independence Day. You can stay on the lawn but keep away from the barbecue pit.
