Quo Vadis? (Whither Goest Thou?)
By William Bailey (02/20/03)
War . . . terrorism . . . bio-chemical, biological and other weapons of mass destruction . . . the economy . . . escalating costs of medical care . . . people out of work, plants closing . . . all very serious and very probing issues of current concern.
There are, however, some others that should be "worked into the mix" of things meriting (and demanding) our attention. It is to some of those that I direct your thoughts. And, I approach it as a means of answering the basic question of, "Whither goest thou, America ?" And, these areas are not submitted for your consideration in any particular order of priority nor importance . . . though, obviously, some would come sooner, on such a list, rather than later.
How much longer are we going to sit by and watch the United States Congress enact laws that demean and diminish the very document that established that body ? As has been stated previously, the Constitution of the United States is quite specific in what it authorizes the Congress to do . . . and to NOT do. (Please see Article I, Section 8, Clauses 1-18; and, the Tenth Amendment). After perusing those sections of the Constitution, I believe you will see what I'm talking about. From all that I have read, the last thing the Founding Fathers intended was to create a strong, all-powerful, central Federal government. And, it must be said, both major political parties must share the responsibility for this . . . along with the complacency of the citizenry.
And, while considering the current state of the Constitution, we must also face the fact that the Judiciary, long ago, crossed the line of interpretation of law vs. making law. That line isn't just blurred . . . it has, in large part, been erased. And, what of the Executive Branch ? I'm afraid it doesn't have "clean hands" either. While we've been going "merrily on our way", Executive Orders have been written . . . severe and stringent regulations written and adopted by Federal administrative agencies (the majority of which are part of the Executive Branch) . . . all having the full "force and effect" of law without having been considered and/or debated by the duly elected representatives of "We the People". Don't you see something wrong with that picture ? So, "Whither goest thou, America ?" . . . do we just remain nonchalant and idle and let it continue ?
"Whither goest thou ?" . . . in accepting our own personal responsibility for our actions and stop looking for somebody else to blame. By allowing the demise of this concept, we have (not necessarily with intent) created an entire segment of the population which now claims the title, "victim". And, quite unfortunately, here comes the magnanimous and compassionate Federal government creating programs and setting policies that furthers this concept. When this happens, government legitimizes (rather than dispels) the notion of "something for nothing". The truth, as most everyone is aware, is that there is no such thing as "something for nothing" ! Somebody, somewhere, pays. Whether this takes the form of increased taxes or higher prices on products and services, there is NO "free lunch". Yes . . . help should be available to those who, through no fault nor actions of their own, find themselves in needy situations. By the same token, government assistance should not engender a lifestyle and a segment of the population that is dependent on government for its very survival.
And, if we're going to seriously consider this business of "Whither goest thou ?", we must consider the state of morals, ethics, principles and standards in this country and in the rest of the world. Unfortunately, the philosophy that came out of the 1960's is still very much alive . . . "if it feels good, do it". And, of course, that is a direct and major contributor to a society of "victims". There's too much of the Scarlett O'Hara approach, "I won't worry about that today, I'll worry about that tomorrow." The only problem is that, for those espousing this philosophy, "tomorrow never comes". On this subject, it is instructive to note an article from Reuters News Service appearing in The Houston Chronicle (2/21/03). Seems that Great Britain has decided that, in order to try to decrease the number of teen pregnancies in the U.K., teachers will now instruct teen-agers on the value and benefits of oral sex. Quoting directly from the article, "Sex education teachers are being trained to discuss with youngsters various ‘stopping points' on the road to full sex in a bid to reduce the number of pregnancies, the government said today." "The idea is to encourage pupils to discover ‘levels of intimacy', including oral sex, that stop short of full sexual intercourse." Is this reflective of a morally sound society ? I don't think so.
In our own country, time and time again, young people (the future of tomorrow) indicate little, if any, interest in entering the field of politics. Why ? Because they see it as a dirty and unprincipled profession. This would, to many, confirm that the state of morals, ethics, principles and standards in the U.S. are not as they should be.
As stated at the beginning, war . . . terrorism . . . bio-chemical, biological and other weapons of mass destruction . . . the economy . . . escalating costs of medical care . . . people out of work, plants closing . . . all serious topics demanding our attention. But, "whither goest thou, America ?" Shouldn't these others get similar consideration ?
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