Not to long ago the Good ol’ boys fought for justice in the countrified TV setting of the “Dukes of Hazard”. The General Lee, their 69 Dodge Charger, hustled Luke and Bo to one adventure after the other. Their crusade was against the status quo and not surprisingly the inept Man. In the best Robin Hood style they weekly and humorously connived for the reform of their unjust governmental figures.
In our real life world, the Good ol' boys are a network of players in politics whose motivation is to take from the powerless and give to the powerful. They are the status quo, their own cause and their own political party disguised with some self righteous label like Republican, Democrat, liberal or conservative. The dollar sign is their weapon of choice and every political ideology is but a cover for their selfish shenanigans. The trick is to know who they are and today it is very difficult to identify the really good guys.
There has always been this political status quo in the American experience. The powerful rightfully brag,“the government works through us”. They are not so transparent as to admit to taking a percentage off the top in the form of money, power or influence in the private or public sectors. The campaign dollars will flow into their coughers as their constituency is paid back. Washington is all about getting into the pockets of taxpayers, even the pockets of the unborn taxpayer. Money and the status quo politicians are in control as never before. How can we survive as a country?
Call any political office and quickly the conversation will be what your elected official can do for you, the voter. Political leadership is about compiling a wish list of every need imaginable to prove his or her essential worthiness for your vote. Do you have a sob story? Do you need a government contract? Do you need citizenship? Do you need a tax break? Do you need a governmental job? Gather your voter friends and pay money to the politician and it may happen. This is not leadership.
Political leadership should first decide what is the greater good for our country. The Good ol’ boys don’t think. Our undereducated citizenry wants more and more from our government but no one wants to pay the bill. We are a disaster close to happening and it may already be to late. Is this an aberrant opinion that can be easily dismissed? Take ten minutes and look around on the internet. Reject any semblance of credulity but can all the warnings be wrong?
You will find many creditable voices sounding the alarm to warn of a near disaster. Jo Cromerford, Executive Director of the National Priorities Project, says that the current tweeking of the budget, as painful as that may be, is merely a temporary fix pushing the impending disaster down the road. Senator Tom Coburn today was interviewed on Fox and compared we Americans to the passengers on the Titanic, partying as the ship is sinking.
Please check out an article on Militant Libertarian.org. Russell D. Longcure details the seeming hopelessness of our circumstance. After detailing the systemic causes of the impending disaster he recommends cession for the more fiscally responsible of our states. Our only option is to pull the plug on Washington. In so doing we would pull the plug on the Good ol’ boys. One may ask, are there no Good ol’ boys at the state level?
Our only hope for the union of American states is to address our systemic problems. They are not hiding from us but our Good ol’ boys would rather go down with the ship than to deal with them. There are only three.
1. Good ol’ boy impossible spending with only a short term accounting using unreal numbers.
2. Good ol’ boy big government mentality that is a tax payer funded elitist job program.
3. Good ol’ boy preoccupation to identify with one world priorities. They promote and govern for free trade and illegal immigration, both of which are job killers for Americans.
The only positive force on the horizon is the Tea Party Movement. Some of us have seen the near future and want to try to make a difference for the sake of our children and grandchildren. We are paddling upstream but if the Good ol’ boys in Washington will give up control there is a chance for all of us. We will not be distracted or vilified for in 2012 we Tea Party citizens will speak again.
G.Goslaw
Victorville, Ca
