In recent conversations, I keep coming back to our current economic problems and where we can invest in the future to solve these problems.
Over decades we have allowed our educational institutions from elementary and secondary schools through colleges and universities to become dominated by bias and political correctness. In my view, a distorted view of the role of government, entitlements disguised as social fairness and pseudo science are being preached from the pulpit in schools. Students of today, again in my view, are lacking in skills of critical thinking and understanding of capitalism and the forces and values that forged our nation in the past 250 years. Free speech is only encouraged (or even tolerated) if you agree with the views on offer from the school.
In the near term, I believe our biggest problem is the national debt and the inability of our political system to come to grips with the reality of our situation and to reduce the size of government and government spending. The idea that we as a people could accept a federal bureaucracy that is borrowing almost half of every dollar spent by all branches of government without a written budget to recognize reality and to prioritize spending is so surreal to me that I would not believe it if I were not living it. The problem is that the politicians and bureaucrats do not feel as though government spending is real money. But it is real money and they are taking it from you – possibly excepting the borrowed money and they are going to stick your children and grandchildren with paying that back. 
But long term we need to address the apparent attack on religious and educational institutions by political and social groups that want to create a dependency culture that turns only to government for solutions and for benefits - increasing the power of the politicians and bureaucrats.
There is a serious debate in this country between those who favor an entitlement society dominated by government and those who favor a free enterprise system with limited government and the benefits of freedom and individual opportunity. At the moment, these alternatives are represented by the liberal and conservative wings of the Republican and Democrat parties. But that has not always been the case as all parties have shifted their positions over time as they jockeyed for political advantage and their own success. The divide these days is frighteningly even and I do not know what will be the result in the November election. I know what I believe, I know what my study of history tells me and I know what I have personally seen in the most recent half century. I consider myself (all the votes may not be in on this one) to be a serious and critical observer of our society - and I consider the private sector of the economy to hold more promise for the future as a solution and a way out of the debt than the long term dependence on the public sector. I believe that one only has to look at Greece and the other countries of Europe to see the fallacies of the entitlement societies and to see the coming economic downfall there (sooner) and here (only slightly later). In my view, we do not have a problem of insufficient taxing – we have a problem of excessive spending. And I believe that we are at a fork in the road as a nation; that we as a people must make a decision in this election cycle that is critical and will be long lasting. I believe that this is the most important election I have seen in my lifetime.
I have written in the past about some truths that we should hold to be self-evident as they bear directly on our relationship with life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I will mention two today.
First - that in order for my government to give me a dollar in benefits, they must first take a dollar away from you by force. This is the most basic and elementary function of government: reallocation of wealth by force. I think we sometimes forget this concept. These entitlement programs represent real dollars that have been taken by force from somebody that worked for it.
Second - if we kill the goose that lays the golden eggs today in order to provide dinner for tonight, we give up the future stream of golden eggs that might feed us all in the future. I know that many of us have forgotten this one.
I know that there is a strong temptation to vote for the candidate or party that will promise us more jelly beans for today and hope that the neighborhood government ATM machine will be there tomorrow too to provide more jelly beans. But I believe that the decision made for the good of the country and the long term survival of the society may be the wiser choice beyond tomorrow. Think about what is in your long term best interest and what is best for your family and think about the options on offer in the current election cycle. Vote for your choice – choose wisely – and let freedom ring.
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