Happy Prose
Okay, so I'm supposed to have a smile on my prose. That was a tall self-imposed order. Fortunately, the pessimistic Lew Rockwell bailed me out. He penned a large piece that he posted yesterday: The Killing and Reviving of the American Dream (emphasis added). It's worth reading. Excerpt: "A people who resent and resist all forms of government control cannot finally be subjugated. . . . According to a recent poll, 64% of Americans are angry at government, and 43% are very angry." That's a good sign. When the devil's at the door, even a saint will arch his back.
After penning my rant last night, I lay in bed for a little while, asking myself, "What hope, Eric, do you hold for America? Are you really that pessimistic?" After reading Rockwell's article, I decided to write down reasons for optimism.
First, I agree with Lew's observation that many people appear to be embracing libertarian views. If the people will throw off the yoke of government, it will be thrown off . . . unless there's a junta of some sort (which, though possible, isn't likely).
In the immediate short-term, I also hold a little (a little) hope that the Republicans won't stab America in the back like they did after the Republican Revolution of 1994 and their subsequent repudiation of the Contract with America. Maybe, just maybe, a handful of politicians (like my man Rothfus) are really beginning to get it: Big government screws the middle class while it benefits the wealthy. Unfortunately, the Republicans have a long history of siding with Big Business to the detriment of the common man, so my hopes for November are probably quixotic. But I still hold 'em.
I also believe in American exceptionalism. Yes, perhaps it's a bit arrogant to think we're unique and great, but the fact remains: We are great. Even in these times, when we're slipping fast and half our citizens receive some sort of State assistance, we are great. And we are unique. No nation in history was founded and developed like we were. No matter what happens in the world, we stand out. The old rules and lessons will never fit us perfectly, so the lessons of history that whacked other great countries won't hit us . . . at least not the same way.
I hold out hope for out demographics. Yes, our middle classes aren't producing nearly enough children, and that's a very bad thing, but we're in better baby shape than Europe. And we have the Mexicans. Deride the Mexicans if you want. In my experience, they're a hard-working people and make good neighbors. Many of them manipulate the system and look for handouts, but the desire for material gain with little effort is endemic to the human condition. We have set up the system that permits the gaming. We need to dismantle the system that allows it, not scream at the people who are intelligent enough to take advantage of it.
I don't see much hope for the economy during the next five years. I simply don't. Things are going to suck. But I don't think a falling standard of living would be entirely bad. How many TVs, computers, and iPods do we need? Would it be bad if the next crop of teenagers have more modest material tastes? Would it kill people not to drive SUVs?
I also like the fact that we have many college drop-out tycoons. The thinking man is beginning to understand what intelligent men have known for thirty years: A college education doesn't add much. It's terribly over-rated and pretty much a scam, albeit a scam aided and abetted by all major institutions in this country, so it's a scam that is real too (kinda like having a fake i.d. that everyone accepts: it's a fake, but if it works, it's also real). The truly talented realize they don't need college. Maybe this will translate to higher education reform. I doubt it, but the drumbeat of "fraud, fraud, fraud" is growing a little louder.
That's it for now, but the above items don't exhaust my reasons for optimism. There are others: the homeschooling movement, the renewed interest in gardening, the decline of liberal Catholics, an increasing distrust of conventional medicine, technology.
And the bottom line is, America has a history of pulling off stunts that blow away the rest of the world, from Concord to Normandy, from Carnegie Steel to Apple. I suspect we have more rabbits in our hat, even if none of us see them right now. Maybe the next rabbit will be an effective way to extract oil from shale, thereby turning Montana into the next Houston . . . and washing away our deficits in a sea of oil. Maybe it'll be a talented wave of Mexicans that transform the Beltway. Who knows, but it wouldn't surprise me at all to see another American rabbit come out of this dark hole.
