There’s no doubt about it, our nation is facing some serious challenges. On one hand there is terrorism and economic upheaval with governmental systems seemingly running awry throwing billions of dollars at problems that no one has yet defined. On the other hand, the average American loses their job, watches their pension and retirement fund dwindle away, as home values drop and health care costs rise out of control. Some might even have the impression that things are beyond control.
Some might say, “But Seagull, the government is spending billions and trillions to fix it, won’t that take care of it?” “Don’t believe it will.” In his 67 years of life it has been his general experience that the government produces nothing of economic value and simply redistributes the economic production of its citizens.
Unfortunately, in the current crises, a lot of America’s past manufacturing capacity is outside her boarders, her military, in terms of both personnel and equipment, is stressed and stretched just about as far as it can be, illegal immigration runs rampant, and, with unemployment and healthcare costs, among others, rising, its citizens have less economic production for the government to redistribute.
If an Ole Seagull were a betting Seagull he’d bet that the very individuals who put the country in this mess made money while doing it and are making money now on the “bailout.” The thing that brought it all into focus for him was the case of financier Bernard Madoff, who is alleged to have bilked people and organizations out of over $50 billion dollars.
Madoff gets to go home to his fancy apartment under house arrest while the people he bilked billions from watch their life style and retirement funds disappear. Hum, come to think about it there are a lot of people these days, Madoff aside, who are watching their life styles change radically.
The frustrating thing is that no one seems to know what the problem is or what will solve it. One thing is becoming painfully obvious; it will not be solved without sacrifice and more financial pain for the average American who can do very little, on an individual basis, to affect the final outcome.
As we look to the challenges ahead, as individuals and a nation, perhaps the words Abraham Lincoln spoke at his first inauguration can give us some guidance and hope. Lincoln said, “Intelligence, patriotism, Christianity, and a firm reliance on Him, who has never yet forsaken this favored land, are still competent to adjust, in the best way, all our present difficulty.”
When Lincoln said those words he was facing challenges that went to the very fiber of a young nation and whether or not it would remain a nation and slavery abolished. It took individual sacrifice of the greatest kind but, the price was paid, the issues decided and the nation was stronger because of it.
In the current crisis, an Ole Seagull can do nothing more than face each day with optimism, do the best he can to support himself, his family, and his community and have faith in “Him, who has never yet forsaken this favored land.” His hope is reflected in the words in the Christmas carol, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” that say, “God is not dead nor doth not sleep, the wrong will fail the right prevail.”
