Wherein I Acknowledge the Errors of My Ways

I have to confess that, to some members of my family, I am politically a disgrace, leaning so far to the Left as to have abandoned all rational thinking! I believe (or did before my new-found appreciation for the truths of the Right) in social programs to benefit the poor and - wonderful word - the disadvantaged. I was in favor of government programs run by government aimed at promoting the general welfare of the country that being one of the principles enunciated in the Constitution. I even thought that the election of Barack Obama was a good thing! Was I ever foolish?

Recent blogs by those far smarter and aware than I have brought me to my senses. For this I am very grateful to those writers who will never deign to read these posts and thus will never know how much I owe to them.

For example, I can certainly understand how some people detest the invasion of their personal liberty and freedom by an intrusive government. Life would certainly be better, in the words of Gail Collins in the New York Times, "if only the government had not barged in with those intrusive bailouts and saved the banking system. Interference from Washington is a terrible burden to us all, from the simple farmer who yearns to be freed from oppressive crop supports to the elderly who pray to be released from the chains of Social Security."

It goes much further than that! The unrestrained marketplace is the best protection we average folks have against dangerous products in our stores and contaminated foods on the supermarket shelves. Every manufacturer of goods or importer of stuff will be careful to market only the safest of product because, if a few or a dozen or a few hundred people die because of any defect, other customers will avoid that company's product and choose one that will not kill or injure them or their children.

If major companies are allowed to pillage natural resources without intrusive government regulations, we may be able to buy gasoline for a bit less. Who cares about wilderness land or endangered species anyway? Damned Tree-huggers. Besides, what's so great about trees anyway?

On the local level, if the County Commission is free to enable private developers to build and build without direction, we'll have lots more houses and room for lots more residents. Of course, this might also result in development that is so spread out that mass transit is less likely or that builders will have no responsibility when schools are overcrowded or inconveniently situated, but that's unlikely because builders and developers have social responsibility.

I used to believe in reasonable gun regulation and doubted that the average citizen had the need to go forth to work or to the supermarket armed with an AK-47. I was wrong and have seen the need to be prepared at all times to shoot a terrorist (or someone who looks like one). After all, the founders of the nation were pretty clear about the "right to bear arms" and the bit about "a well trained militia" was just tossed in to silence a few trouble-makers. Actually, those who brandish these weapons fear an oppressive central government. Since that government would have the ability to use jet fighters, tanks, rockets and bombs if it were so inclined, along with battalions of Marines to enforce its will, fighting off these forces will necessitate a whole bunch of side arms, but one does what one can.

I fully understand why people attend political "town hall" gatherings with an assault weapon strapped to their back or with a handgun displayed while elected officials try and explain their positions and seek reasonable input from the electorate. One can never be too careful in the event that the country needs to be saved from subversive office holders - whom we elected. The bad guys are a sneaky lot.

For example, to demonstrate the lengths the un-American and anti-Americans will go, consider that some 40 years ago the parents of a kid born in Africa doctored a fake birth certificate, submitted a false birth announcement to newspaper in Hawaii, arranged for school records to be forged - all in preparation for the day when the lad would run for and get elected President of the United States!

Once upon a time, before I was made aware that all government employees are lazy and inefficient, I objected to the continuing and increasing delegation of government duties to private companies. Jeb Bush, when Florida Governor, boasted that he envisioned a day when state office buildings would be vacant. So, he privatized schools, prisons, child and elder protection services. When the private non-government organizations realized that there was no profit in running these operations and the public agencies were stripped of monitoring staff, things were not that bad. The schools were terrible, inadequate health care was provided in prisons and a few kids died, but most of us were unaffected.

On the Federal level, we have wisely delegated military operations to private companies; embassies are guarded by private security organizations; the now renamed Blackwater group following its noble instincts shot into at least one group of non-combatants in Iraq and, thereby, prevented them to become terrorists and endanger all of us. The private company that provides embassy security in Kabul in Afghanistan hired mostly guards who spoke no English and the few who could speak the language ended up taking pictures of themselves cavorting in the nude.

They say that the road to redemption starts with an acknowledgement of flaws.

And I feel much better now.