The Way Things Are . . . The Way Things Could Be . . .
By William Bailey (09/02/03)
“Some men see things as they are and ask why ? I (others) dream things that never were and ask why not ?”
The above quotation, while penned by author/playwright George Bernard Shaw, is most often attributed to former Attorney General and Senator from New York, the late Robert F. Kennedy because of his use of, and love for, the statement.
I am going to take the liberty to re-phrase the statement as follows:
“Some men see things as they are and ask why ? I dream things that could be and ask why not ?”
At the top of the list of things about which I would ask, “why not ?”, is a rather simple, yet somewhat perplexing issue. Why not return to the provisions of the document that created this nation . . . the Constitution of the United States ? The Founders provided a form of government (known as a Republic) never before tried in the history of mankind. And . . . guess what . . . it worked. At least it did as long as we conformed to the provisions of the Constitution. But, it seems that there were (and are) some who believe they know what’s best for our nation and, instead of spending time reinforcing the founding document, time is spent in trying to find ways to circumvent it. And quite frankly, so far, they’ve been doing a pretty good job of it. Much of this is accomplished by those who claim that the Constitution is a “living” document and, as such, it must be molded to conform to what’s going on today. To me, the argument of the Constitution being a “living” document is somewhat specious. Certainly, the Constitution is a “living” document. If it were not “living”, it would be dead. And we all know that’s not the case. If it were not “living”, it would not have survived these 200+ years. It would not be the model used by those seeking freedom and liberty. “Living” ? You bet it’s living. However, if we don’t start paying some attention to what’s happening to it, it may not resemble what was intended by those who wrote it. As part of the “why not” for this issue . . . why not require that the Congress must identify the specific Article, Section, Clause that authorizes the action(s) sought in specific pieces of legislation. A bill keeps getting introduced that would set such a requirement in place, but it never gets anywhere.
Next, “why not” return to a system of public education that is insistent on the teaching of reading, writing, math and communication skills ? A system that gives students the tools necessary to learn HOW to think. “Why not” depart from the current system that seems to believe its mission is to teach students WHAT to think ? Quite frequently, these days, the media carries stories about how many thousands of teachers are “laid off” and/or terminated because they were unable to pass a competency test. Could it be . . . could it just be that if the emphasis were on teaching skills requisite to teaching a student HOW to think instead of trying to mold and direct the student into WHAT to think, teachers might be able to achieve the desired level of competence ?
“Why not” return to a system of government that says . . . . “if the money’s not there, you cannot spend it”. A system based on fiscal soundness. A system that is followed by most homes and businesses in this nation. When are we going to realize that this business of national debt and deficits are going to “eat us alive” ? Special programs may look, sound, feel and smell good . . . they may appease a certain block of voters, but at what cost to “We the people”. After all, that’s who has to pay for all of these “great” programs. Don’t misunderstand, certainly there are those who, through no fault of their own, need assistance of some type. For them some form of help should be available. However, for those who are not a part of that group, you should not be allowed to exist on the backs of your fellow/sister citizens and taxpayers.
Which leads me to a couple of final points I would make in this context.
“Why not” return to a time when a thing called personal responsibility was foremost in people’s minds and hearts. When we accepted the fact that we are responsible for our own actions . . . when it wasn’t “fashionable” to assume the mantle of “victim”. A time when, generally, people felt that leaving things better than they found them was the responsible thing to do. A time when government was expected to “live within its means”.
Finally, “why not” acceptance of a system based on tolerance and respect ? “Why not” a recognition that this business of “political correctness” and “diversity” has caused great divisiveness in our nation. Common sense seems to tell us that if we approached issues and took actions based on the concept of how each of us, individually, desires to be treated, we could get rid of both of those misguided and divisive philosophies and have a much happier and healthier society.
So, those are just a few of the things about which I would ask, “why not”. There are many, many others that perhaps can be shared at a future time.
“Some men see things as they are and ask why ? I dream things that could be and ask why not ?”
“Why not” think about it ?
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