Corruption has swamped almost every sector of life in America. It matters not if its politics, (national, state, or local) religion, (local church or denominational) education, (local, state, or national) media, (local, regional, or national) and last of all, Government (local, state, or national). There are so many “little” things going on at every level that are being exposed on a daily and sometimes even an hourly basis, it is impossible to believe that corruption is not everywhere. I do not think the U.S. harbors more corruption or even the same types of corruption as other countries in the world, but it exists, and its sticky tentacles have slithered into sometimes the most revered and sacred sectors of American life. And it is scary.
How far can it/will it go? That’s a good question and I have no good answer. But I have a pretty good fix on its source and what is at stake as it hastily broadens its grip on our country — totalitarianism that will be (and in some cases is being) driven my anarchy as the instrument of establishing a totalitarian America controlled by a small group of evil people.
I am NOT a conspiracy theorist at all. People who know me know that I am a dreamer, a creator, and an eternal optimist. I almost to a fault always give people the benefit of the doubt. That has led me into trouble on more than one occasion, both personally and in business. But “things” in general have seemed to become less believable and people less trustworthy. I am not a sociologist or a psychologist, but I think the reason for all this is the passing on of a kinder, simpler, and more gentile generation of Americans who inherited from the generation before theirs these traits and a specific understanding that you get in life exactly what you put in and nothing more. That means investing in relationships, work, social groups, government, and other people.
American culture has dramatically changed, and I do not believe for the better. Everywhere I see people who have morphed away from their parents’ lifestyle to “Me-ism.” What is “Me-ism?” It’s the philosophy that says, “I’m going to do anything and everything that I want that I possibly can do, no matter what the cost to others. I am going to accumulate personal satisfaction, personal relationships, and personal wealth the easiest way possible. And in doing so I don’t care about honesty, ethics, or hard work, OR the spirit of cooperating and working with someone else to achieve these things or what negative impact my doing so will have on anyone else. It’s all about ME.” “Me-ism” is the necessary element of Corruption.
Do you ask yourself any “Why” questions about the World around us? Questions like:
“Why do people make promises they obviously have no intention of keeping? And why then when they break a promise rather than apologize, they go about like nothing happened?”
“Why do people lie over and over again, knowing full well they’re going to be caught? Why don’t they care enough about getting caught lying to not tell the lies in the first place?”
“Why are people so quick to believe things others say about important things without even a thought of checking out what they’ve been told to verify it’s true? And then why do they make life-changing decisions based on those things they’ve been told and believe with no proof?”
While I don’t know positively the answers to these questions, I have some answers to those questions.
Ideas
Because people have turned inward and get their marching orders from their heads instead of their hearts, they simply do not count the costs for these and other things they do and say. I am not saying they are not smart or that they are stupid. I simply maintain their mindset and that of millions of others have eroded so drastically that the values of their parents and their parents’ parents have slipped from their hearts and minds. They’ve turned inward. They’ve lost their “moral compass.” What’s “moral compass?” A person’s ability to judge what is right and wrong and act accordingly.
People no longer care about respect, responsibility, the future, “what goes around comes around,” you get from something what you are willing to put into it. It is all about “fly by the seat of your pants,” and “Go for it!” We are seeing the results of that thinking and lifestyle, every day increasing in number and severity. And as the next generation assumes power and operating authority over all we know, how will the children of these Millennials cope with life? Our parents and teachers instilled the importance of those things in us over many years. We saw them demonstrated in every aspect of American society. And those are the things that drove the creativity, hard work and persistence, ingenuity, and the gift of persuasion that we have used so diligently to achieve the status as the greatest country on Earth. But it is crumbling before us a little each day.
The Invader
It has always been understood that children are born with very little knowledge or understanding of the circumstances of life in which they find themselves. Through interaction with those in their lives and their life circumstances, they learn responsibilities, what to do and not to do, the costs of choices they make, and the results of their choices. We have for generations watched as children who have learned all these things have pushed the envelope of achievement when they have assumed responsibility. That has been the reason why America has continued to grow and excel on the World Stage. But generations progressively have stopped instilling that understanding in their children in every way: education, social interaction with others, the need for ambition and its successes, how to push through fear of failure to embrace ingenuity and creativity, just simply doing as little as possible to get by. The Invader that has stealthily taken over America is corruption.
Corruption is driven by “Me-ism.” For the sake of time, let’s illustrate how “Me-ism” is creating the corruption that has shackled our Government. Take a freshman Senator just getting to D.C. That Senator has great ambitions springing from the plans he shared with those who elected him. But when he gets there he quickly discovers he cannot get anything done. He’s just a baby. Even though that Senator controls 1% of the votes cast in the Senate on every issue, it’s pretty much worthless. The senior Senators quickly educate that freshman as how things work. The corruption begins. How?
“You have no power alone,” he’s told by the senior Senator. “But we can put you in the right place so that your vote makes a difference.” That senior Senator then approaches a representative of a special interest group and “sells” the votes that have been committed by a bunch of powerless freshman Senators on bills that benefit that senior Senator’s benefactors. The freshman has made a mark and has joined a club that in no way represents the voters of that Senator’s district, but the special interest. That’s corruption.
In a nutshell, this is the simple example of D.C. corruption. I have stated before that in D.C., the drive of politicians is no longer about money — it’s about power. With power they control everything, including money. In that setting it is easy to see how a young legislator could quickly lose control of their stated objective and just go with the flow.
How does this happen? Go back in the life of that freshman Senator and see how “Me-ism” has shown itself in his life. Not having strong teaching of authority and accountability, taking the path of least resistance is always going to be the first choice of a freshman Senator. This story illustrates that path of least resistance that always leads to corruption.
You’ve wondered why so many Conservatives in Congress have withdrawn their conservatism from time to time in taking action on pure conservative issues? Corruption controls the votes in Congress.
The reason Americans elected Donald Trump is to correct the atmosphere of corruption that controls Washington, or in his words, “Drain the Swamp.” The creatures in the Swamp that make it so evil don’t like that idea. And as the water drains and their comfortable life atmosphere changes, they start scrambling for cover. What better way than to attack those who have taken them head-0n with the corruption.
That’s what we are watching — every day.
I cannot believe the strength and determination that continue to drive the President against the almost insurmountable odds he faces. I pray he can sustain and that others will steadily join the quest to make things right in D.C.
