Tin Cup America

Previously posted November 8, 2008.

I think some may have entirely missed the point of this election. The reasons for Obama's win, other than the repudiation of the Bush administration, what could have changed? I will speculate that enough of the young people in this country that have come of age since 2004 have been enculturated in the tin cup co-dependent socialist democracy and they now represent a larger constituency on the left. As much as young people are hip, internet and tech savvy, they are also pretty ignorant of history, philosophy, and lack the moral compass of generations before them.

In the big picture, look at it like this: In my parents generation, if you weren't out of the house by the time you were 18, and married, you were looked at as somewhat defective. People got on with their lives early, were responsible, and expected that of themselves and others. Their education, while basic by today's standards, was thorough, and they could read, write, and do arithmetic when they graduated high school. Todays youth, whether they need to or not, got to college to somehow get the education they did not get in high school and delay the onset of responsibility.

Is it so odd anymore to see people living at with their parents even until 30? The result of this is that there is a delay in becoming an adult and when this immaturity is coupled with a poor and/or lopsided education, you have a recipe that produces people that believe they are entitled to a lifestyle that is inconsistent with being a responsible adult. In the old days they would call this codling by an over protective mother. The end result is a society that believes the world owes them something.

Vince Cohen, an expert on social issues, say that all of this is the result of the feminization of society. When people are over-nurtured, it delays the onset of responsibility. When you consider socialism, the very idea of Nanny-Statism, at least to me, is puerile in nature. Who as an adult wants to be treated as child? Children are taken care of by Nannies, or Parents. Adults are not.

For some reason, that infantile mentality that the government should take care of every need and even some wants has drifted over from Europe to the United States. The trade off is that when you agree to be "taken care of", the locus of control shifts, you have abdicated your responsibilities and now there are strings attached. You have traded independence for security and made yourself a slave to the wishes, desires and demands of others. When you were a child, right or wrong, irrespective of the consequences, could you do and go as you please? No, of course not, you lived under your parent's roof and you had to obey their rules.

Part of the American experience is that at one time, we were the embodiment of the rugged individual. Forged by personal responsibility and the freedom that is its reward, respect for the rights of others, and the learning from our mistakes. Somewhere, sometime, in the last 40 years, we have become enculturated and educated in such a way that we are not the same people anymore, not as a whole. It seems that with every election, the rugged individuals are pushed back, smaller in numbers, in defeat. In the current election cycle, Obama has shown that he is the conduit for the socialist programming started by the 60's radicals, and it is their last chance to poison the punch. The consequences of this are that socialism will overtake capitalism as the form of government in this country and probably everywhere else, eventually.

You may say, what is so bad with that? I can tell you that philosophically, socialism exists as a way to bring the very lowest in society up at the expense of those further up the economic chain. It's always been about the guaranteed outcomes for the lowest common denominator. You aim low and you hit low. True free market capitalism is about a playing field were everyone gets to play, but outcomes are not guaranteed. There will be a pile of bodies sometimes, but overall, everyone not only gets to play, but most get better at it and the rewards are very high. While not always fair, you are not penalized for being responsible, successful and daring. The reward is that at the end of the day, there are no regrets, as you can call your shots. Are you up for the game? It seems many people today are not. It is a road less traveled anymore.

Thank You for reading this blog.