By Tina Grazier
It occurs to me that life is incredibly ironic. The American people have elected a man, half white and half black, at a point in time when we are challenged to decide whether we shall surrender completely to the tyranny of progressive government (slavery) or choose to return to the liberty granted us by our founding fathers. We have come to this point after having finally fulfilled the civic promise of equality for black individuals during the civil rights movement of the sixties.
A few months ago it seemed the die had been cast. By hook or by crook the progressive wing of the Democrat Party had taken over and was riding high on a wave of triumph. It appeared that America had chosen the progressive way and with Republicans shocked and in a daze things looked pretty bleak. And then a strange thing happened. As the curtain rose on the mystery of hope and change, and the play began to take shape, the reality of what had been promised was made apparent. Many of the people who had hoped for change they could believe in began to experience uncertainty and doubt. Discomfort set in and finally gave way to a wave of resistance. Now a true battle has begun.
It seems clear that the next few months will bring us to a decisive moment in our nation’s history. Having reached an unexpected fork in the road, the people must once again choose. Will the next few years mark the beginning of a new era of Liberty or a continuation of the march into permanent dependency and submission?
Off the top of my head I see the differences between the two paths as listed below; I invite each of you to share your own thoughts on the matter.
The path toward tyranny – Progressivism’s promise: Flexibility, change, fairness, even distribution of goods and services, heavy taxation on accomplishment, marginalization for those who dare to dream of bigger things, the belief that peace will come when all persons live under the same authoritative body. A level playing field made possible by central planning and absolute control. Progressivism’s demand: Surrender of individualism, freedom and choice and a willingness to give up individual thought and expression in favor of the collective sensibilities of the moment.
The Path toward liberty – Freedom’s promise: The unknown, infinite possibilities, self determination, acts of conscience, realization that war and peace are inevitable twins of our existence, opportunity, choice, self expression, celebration of innovation, private property, and limited government. The path toward liberty – Freedom’s demand: Personal and civic responsibility coupled with moral obligations and the duty to pass the torch to future generations.
Over thirty years ago a great man spoke the truth of our present circumstance:
“Now it doesn’t require expropriation or confiscation of private property or business to impose socialism on a people. What does it mean whether you hold the deed to the — or the title to your business or property if the government holds the power of life and death over that business or property? And such machinery already exists. The government can find some charge to bring against any concern it chooses to prosecute. Every businessman has his own tale of harassment. Somewhere a perversion has taken place. Our natural, unalienable rights are now considered to be a dispensation of government, and freedom has never been so fragile, so close to slipping from our grasp as it is at this moment.” – Ronald Reagan
Reagans words from “The Speech,” as his address to the Republican National Convention in 1964 has been called, give us something profound to consider as this administration and the men and women of Congress contemplate the taking over & control of health care, corporate decision making and compensation, education, energy, housing, and the dissemination of information. We should ponder too how we have walked the path of progressive liberalism for decades, skipping ever so slowly toward government supremacy and management, quietly surrendering little bits of our freedoms in order to be agreeable, dutifully cooperating with our sense of decency used against us as a gun to our heads.
Have we gone beyond our capacity to reclaim the basic elements of our heritage? Are we now being pressed so hard and fast there is no chance to take a turn in the road? The party in power is no longer being careful or patient; it is determined to move this nation to the ultimate destination of permanent progressivism. It’s as if they sense that this may be their last opportunity to effect the change they want.
We have reached a fork in the road; a break along the path. An opportunity to move in a different direction has finally and emphatically presented itself. What will America do? What will you do?
Yogi Berra said, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” Even Yogi Berra, finally and a bit ironically, is making sense.