Looking Forward?

It pleases me that one of my old heroes, Dwight Eisenhower, is quoted today. Here it is:

“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children.”

Of course we have to defend ourselves and be ready for emergencies. That is a good and proper role of government. But it is also the role of government to spend wisely and discern the needs of people. Dollars spent in one way necessarily reduces its presence to pay for something else. Eisenhower knew the necessity of both as a career military professional.

When I was 9 years old, the political talk of the nation was General Eisenhower’s masterful management of America’s victory over both Germany. His efforts were critical in making the world a safe place once the world was rebuilding following the devastation of war. His hero status was well established and well earned.

What surprised many was his shift to policy away from military matters. Although a cool assessor of the Cold War, Eisenhower was also keenly aware of the stresses in a nation that led to unrest, turmoil and war across borders. Quality of life was his focus and how to bring that about for the masses. Not a socialist and certainly not a communist, Eisenhower focused his attention on getting the American war-weary capitalist system working smoothly for the long term future.

He warned us of the military-industrial complex, a massive corporate structure deeply embedded in the nation’s business culture. He feared the manipulation of international issues to boost business interests. He was right to be concerned. Military expenditures continued to soar as the country rearmed itself following World War II and the Korean Conflict. Military hardware was reinvented and engineered in an endless array of armor and capability. Bigger and better was the cry! The armed forces were preened and trained for an Armageddon that might come but never did. Meanwhile, those involved corporations, management teams and stockholders reaped endless riches. 

When the Space Race replaced in some measure the Arms Race, technology held center stage and manufacturing and electronic industries were transformed. We still feel those impacts today as we reinvent our worlds of commerce, science and communications at a continued fast pace. At least now we are building a means to enrich our life experience rather than end it in violence.

We would be wise to listen again to Eisenhower’s admonition. There is a far greater need to avoid war and international unrest than to merely be ready to defend ourselves. The latter creates endless waste and military expense. The former requires us to use our heads and endeavor towards peace. It is possible with effort. And the reward is a deeper appreciation of cultural differences that enrich our lives rather than threaten them. It is the positive task. It is uplifting.

And it is a proper role for government ~ ours at least ~ to pursue. To make the world a better and safer place in which all peoples may live bountiful lives.

Author and political analyst Chris Hayes reported his views on August 11, 2012:

“There is zero – ZERO – evidence that the Republican Party is committed to cutting government in any way; it is a question of who that government benefits. Government as a percent of GDP did not go down under Ronald Reagan. Government as a percent of GDP did not go down under George W. Bush and Tom Delay when they had all three branches of government.

And Paul Ryan was sitting there along with Rick Santorum voting time and time again for things like the Medicare Part D prescription benefit; a completely unpaid for new, very costly bit of social insurance that Paul Ryan cast the deciding vote for.  So the idea is that we want to choose between this grand ideology of Ayn Rand and some collectivist strawman.

I just refuse to concede the premise that Republicans are interested in cutting government because there is no record that they are.”

           

            Hayes has it right. Who benefits from the central government seems to be

the ideological divide. Currently it is the wealthy and high income earners. The poor and young and elderly are not the focus. In fact spreading the cost and pain to these citizen demographic groups appears to be the aim – regardless of the damage done to these brothers and sisters of our tribe.

That is decidedly not the American Dream, or the American Compact witnessed by the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Those cornerstones of our nation bring us together to labor on our common tasks and needs together – not apart.

For the Party of Lincoln, times are bad indeed. They have lost their way and do damage to the very tenets of our republic. So we all suffered under Bush II; and the architects of that debacle of eight years seem to think more of the same is the ticket to the future. No; it is not.

Rather we seek solutions that fairly include us all. The November election is very important. Think seriously and wisely before casting your vote. Do not listen to the uncivil attacks and mean spirited rhetoric. Pay attention to the issues and the solutions offered. Make sure the solutions are thought out and well delivered, not mere rhetorical catch phrases. Think about those solutions.

Reality and maturity require us to engage our intellect and logic. Suffer not the fools of political games and noise. Do not be distracted. Seek peace and understanding.

August 20, 2012