Question One

We will be having an election soon.  I don’t know how many people are truly paying attention.  I fear that many are not actually becoming the informed members of the electorate that they need to be before casting their vote.  Or, perhaps, they are focused on one issue only, one that is personal to them, and will allow their feelings on that one issue to overshadow everything else and keep them from seeing the big picture.  Or, and we all know this is true, they will allow their hatred for one man (whether real or created for them by the media and the very real Trump Derangement Syndrome) blind them to the actions and accomplishments of that person serving as President for this country and its people. 

This is an important election – perhaps the most important one that I have seen in my 72 years on this earth.  So, I thought that through some posts over the next two months or so I would consider some key questions that this election may very well answer.  Questions that deal less with specific issues and more with the big picture that this election’s results may create.   Here is the first question:      

Who has/should have authority over whom?

That is, how much authority do you want the government to have over you and how much authority do you want to maintain and to have over government?  Stated another way:  How much do you value your autonomy?

Autonomy is a key word here, because the more you expect or demand that the government take care of you, the more autonomy you are relinquishing to other than yourself.

We have two candidates, one of whom stands for small government and the tradition of American individualism, the other stands for large government in the tradition of Socialism.  These two positions are polar opposites and we see their clashing ideology currently not only in the violent streets, but also in the halls of Congress.  There is truly a battle going on for the soul of America and this election will be perhaps a last chance for the people to truly have their say about on which side of the divide they stand.

Donald Trump, whether or not you like the man, is essentially styled in the mold of a rugged individualist.  The America he envisions is one of small government, a government as outlined in our Constitution which provides great autonomy to the people as it protects their freedoms from an intrusive government.  It is an America that aspires to equal opportunity for all, based on their individual talents.  It does not guarantee equality of result, but rather encourages excellence from each individual regardless of and without comparison to his or her neighbor.  It allows each individual to determine his or her own goals and also allows every individual to retain the fruits of their own labor. 

While we may not have that in perfection today, that is the America that Donald Trump strives for.  And we see that many of his accomplishments have worked toward that with such things as the best economy for minorities ever, the positive environment for industry and especially small business start-ups, and, until CoVid, the historic low unemployment especially for minorities. 

A vote for Donald Trump is a vote for maximum individual autonomy to the extent acceptable within a civilized Democratic Republic. 

Joe Biden, on the other hand, leans heavily toward Socialism.  Whether or not he himself is a socialist is up for debate, but his statements on his positions, to the extent that he has currently articulated them, are clearly from the socialist mold.  Rather than an America in which individuals have rights and freedoms that are protected from government by the Constitution, Biden’s America envisions a government that provides rights to the people. 

We must remember that when a government is the provider of a right, it also has the power to take away that same right.  In such a government freedoms such as speech and worship are not inherent in the people and their right to choose, but are determined and allowed or not by those in power who decide for all what “we” will say, believe, and do.   And that is the problem with the Socialist or far-Left dreams for America.  The dream of equal result for all requires that the government determine who will do, say, and have what.  The individual autonomy of traditional America is ceded to the government. 

Joe Biden and the socialist dream may sound lovely – everyone will have all that they need, no one will have more than anyone else – no more privilege, no more income gap, no more educational distinctions, no more ghettos or wealthy gated neighborhoods.  Everyone will be on an equal plane, not only of opportunity but of result.  We will all equally care for our neighbors.  “we” will all be on the same page marching as one to the same drummer.

Sounds lovely, does it not?  The problem is that it doesn’t work.  You can read my previous blogposts about socialism, you can read any history of any socialist system and see what happens.  It may work for a short while, but then reality sets in and not only the economy, but the human spirit is crushed.  People are not all the same, and no amount of government intervention can make them so.  And to ask people to give up what they legitimately have worked for, whether it is material wealth or simply a form of self-esteem and pride, is to destroy their motivation to continue to be who they are.  Indeed, Socialism denies the right of the individual simply to be.

Actually, we have an example of this right here in America.    Following the civil rights demonstrations and legislation of the mid-20^th century, the Democrats created any number of social programs to take care of the Black population (apparently they believed that the Blacks were incapable on their own to handle their new found freedoms).  Those programs required Blacks to behave in certain ways – to relinquish some of their autonomy in order to receive them.  The result was in many instances to destroy individual incentive and ultimately to make a large part of the Black population dependent on those programs. 

This leads to people like Biden saying in the 21^st Century that Blacks are not a diverse population (response to a question from NPR reporter Lulu Garcia-Navarro, 8/5/2020 that he has since attempted to “walk back") and that Black voters “ain’t Black” if they don’t vote Democratic (Interview on The Breakfast Club 5/22/2020, which he has also since attempted to “walk back").  These socialism inspired policies allow Democrats to create a Black victim identity group to use as part of their base in their attempt to gain power and further enlarge government; they do this for their own ends while at the same time destroying individual spirit and thought.

The bottom line is, if you value your individual autonomy, then this is an important election in which you must do your part to deny the Democrats’ push to socialism.   If you are uninformed, it is time to educate yourself about the realities of Socialism, especially in contrast to a Democratic Republic form of government, and also about the realities of what Donald Trump has actually done to promote equality of possibility for all Americans vs. what Joe Biden and his handlers have planned for America.

Perhaps the following chart will help to focus on the bigger picture of what this election means and how it will affect the answer to question 1 and more importantly how it will affect who each of us are, how we will be defined, and what our future will be.

 

Finally, I note that I am not registered with any party, but as an independent thinker and voter I truly believe that this may be one of the most important elections of our lifetime.  I hope that everyone gives it the serious consideration that it deserves.