Column for April 7, 2011

I have been thinking about something that (eventually) President John Adams wrote to his son, the future President John Quincy Adams. He wrote, "...remember that all the end of study is to make you a good man and a useful citizen." My twisted mind works like this. When I hear “to make you a good man”, I think of two things. First is the Biblical concept written twice in the Psalms and once in Romans, “...there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” That is not to say that one can not work to be transformed into a better, more useful man and citizen. It is dealing with the state of sinful mankind and the nature of man under sin. Thankfully, I have Christ and my righteousness is in Him instead of my own self.

My second thought goes to something the character Melvin Udall said, as played by Jack Nicholson in the wonderful 1997 movie, “As Good As It Gets”. When attempting to give a compliment to Carol the Waitress (as referred to by Udall and played by Helen Hunt), he explains that he started taking pills to help him with his personality disorder because, “You make me want to be a better man.”

Though I sometimes feel more like Melvin “good times, noodle salad” Udall, I also wish to follow the advice of John Adams. I have to be honest. Overall, I do like John Adams, but there are some things about his years as President of the United States that make me cringe. Still, that does not negate the good I can glean from him. I feel the same about Ronald Reagan and others.

When the newspaper comes out, do you read it? Do you take the time to learn about what is going on in your community? Do you participate in elections? Do you learn about issues or just whine about them? I have opinions on just about everything, hence the reason that I have this column. However, I still have to look at things objectively rather than just swallowing the proverbial Kool-Aid dished out by any party or lobby.

I feel this way even when I get “the sky is falling” type alerts from groups I wholeheartedly support such as Second Amendment advocates. I got one such email today decrying abrogation of gun rights by executive decree yet there were no details as to the problem at hand in the message. I don’t mind contacting my Congressmen as suggested in the email, but I need information upon which to base a rational decision. Sometimes the cries are legitimate, sometimes they are factually challenged.

I am writing this column just after participating in a two hour long discussion on the history of slavery in the world and eventually in America. It is because I have read on this topic over the years that I can speak somewhat intelligently on it and not be so incredibly emotional about it. I can not tell you how many times people of white and dark skin alike have gotten into heated discussion while I remained calm on the subject. Slavery was on this continent prior to Africans being introduced and was practiced by Black, White, and Native populations alike. I find the idea of owning another human being repugnant, but I also understand how slavery played a roll in world history, not just American history. Those who are factually challenged are generally the ones who are the most emotional about such topics or are willing to drink the Kool-Aid of their overlords of thought.

I cringe when I see people lament budgetary cuts in bloated, unsustainable bureaucratic spending. When looking at things objectively, it is easy to see that America has a spending problem, not a revenue problem at most levels of government. Those on government payrolls (and I used to be one of them) often miss the concept that the government as a whole needs trimming and therefore decry budget cuts. History shows what such unsustainable spending does to a nation. The factually challenged and self interested are again, usually the most emotional.

I encourage everyone to get involved, learn about your government, learn simple economics, study history, and responsibly consider how you vote. Do you want to “be a better man” (or woman) and a useful citizen? Then I passionately implore you to study towards that end.