Four years ago, I was in the upstairs room of the Firehouse Grill in Fairfax City, sitting at a table with ten other nine-to-fivers, exchanging the few evening hours I had to sit and talk with this group of strangers in a dark room.
Not only had I temporarily joined the ranks of the Young Republicans, but the next evening I was sitting in the dingy offices of the Fairfax County GOP headquarters, volunteering my time to enter hundreds of mailing addresses into an Excel spreadsheet.
All of this to help get George W. Bush elected President for a second term.
It was a success (inasmuch as such trivial efforts could be of any help), and for a short time, I was highly elated in the days following the election.
But nothing changed. After eight years of having President Bush in office, my life was the same as it ever was. Any improvement in the quality of my life was caused by my own personal victories and learning from my mistakes.
My life became better, when I became a better person. When I started putting 100% effort into my job. When I sought and obtained more training and education in skills that were not only of interest to me, but also highly marketable in my professional life. When I changed bad or limiting behaviors and learned to be a better man.
The positive changes in my life this past decade didn’t come from government policies, laws, or tax relief. Nobody handed me an instant solution to all my problems. I changed and became a better person, because I had enough personal motivation to step out of my comfort zone and make substantial changes in my life.
I actually become angry when I hear and see the “victim” mentality that is dominating this country. People calling for the Government to give them more money, or bail them out of their troubles, or give them more rights. I don’t hear many calls for people to take responsibility for their own predicaments or accept their situation and work towards ways to improve their lives without the Government’s assistance.
I would choke if one of the Presidential candidates blamed the current economic crisis on the greed of the people who bought homes (or other items) they couldn’t afford, using credit recklessly given to them by predatory and irresponsible lenders. Heaven forbid the American people are to blame. Let’s blame corporations, Wall Street, and the Government instead.
The decision to buy on credit lies with the individual. The buck – or should I say credit card – stops there.
A government bailout of any kind doesn’t solve the problem. It only treats a symptom. The reason why the bailout was a bad idea is because it doesn’t teach people how to live without credit. It doesn’t cure the envy in the hearts of those who purchase things with money they don’t have.
And that means we’ll have the same problem later down the road.
Election Day is a week from now, and I don’t care who wins. I’ll still vote for the platform I most agree with (which happens to be the Republican platform), but neither man nominated will affect my life much after they win – despite the hyperbole spouted by both sides. All my dreams won’t come true, if John McCain wins. The world won’t come to an end if Barak Obama wins.
From a Christian’s point of view, will the country collapse if more liberal judges are placed onto the Supreme Court? Will the morals of the county instantly fall into the gutter? Will religious freedom be squashed by the hedonistic, amoral “San Francisco” ethos?
No. I don’t think so.
As a Christian, I do believe there is a higher power, who is sovereign and in total control over everything on this planet. To think His plans for this country would be somehow thwarted by a man (albeit a Commander in Chief) is absurd.
It says in Romans, “there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.”
The Presidential election doesn’t determine the fate of this country or the fate of the world. The President is just one man, who presides over a tiny span of this country’s history. The President doesn’t cause life-changing events to occur.
Could the President stop 9/11? Could the President stop the dot com bubble from bursting? Could the President keep the housing market from plummeting? Maybe you could argue that he could in hindsight. But what about now? What’s the next unforeseen disaster? Can the President keep all possible tragic events from happening? By stopping some, won’t that distract him from dealing with others? And what can he do anyway?
The President doesn’t cause things to happen in this country. Bill Clinton was not the cause of the economic boom of the 90’s. George W. Bush was not the cause of the current market crash. These men were simply presiding over these times, good or bad. The next President will simply preside over the next four years. And will be blamed or praised for however God sees fit to bless this country.
Don’t put your faith in the Government. Neither the President, nor the Government can save you. Take responsibility and ownership of your own life and do what you can to improve it.
The only one who can change your life is you.
