The Responsibility Of The 99%

Finally, people are seeing our nation's problems as something more than Republican or Democrat.  How well this will withstand the upcoming elections is hard to say.  I feel a glimmer of hope that we are finally coming together to force changes and tell government we have had enough.  Our representatives have ignored us for their own gain for too long, and corporations bought the country decades ago, a problem that spans every generation since the factory boom at the turn of last century.

Movement is good, but as the direction of our country changes it is important that we see our role in the future.  It's not enough to get attention through a protest and not show the change in ourselves.  We must demand more from government and hold our public servants accountable.  We must also shoulder some of the burden of getting our country back on track.  Voting is the easiest thing we can do to shape our nation, but choices we make every day will also have an impact.  How we raise our children, spend our money, educate ourselves and commit ourselves to doing better will do as much for redeeming our future as who we elect.  Instead of looking to leaders to support us, we should support ourselves and take responsibility for our decisions.  In a generation bred to look for a fast payout and taught to blame others, that is a mighty goal.

Those old people we make fun of?  Those guys know what's going on and they are trying to tell us.  The men and women who survived when they had nothing and no government backup, those guys see what we're facing.  We could do more to support our country, and I'm not talking throwing taxes.  We could all take more action, read more articles, fact check those urban legends.  Even our poorest have something to give to those less fortunate.  There is always someone less fortunate who can benefit if we are willing to share.  As a country, we have lost our scope, our sense of scale.  Our poorest are often living better than the middle class in other parts of the world.  We forget that while we go without cable or air conditioning that some people are born and die without ever having a full stomach once.  You have to hunt hard for that level of suffering here, while other huge populations accept it as their lot in life.

It's time we get a dose of reality.  Our country could break apart if people don't get some peace and prosperity soon.  We cannot afford to fight a war while the states starve and scrape to maintain.  We hear reports that the economic death spiral is slowing, but our eyes see something different.  It's time we got in touch with our inner scrappiness and reform the country from the inside.

Government starts with us.  If we demand better, and keep the greater good in mind, we can turn this around.  If we wait for our candidates to sort it out for us we may as well give up now and enjoy the good times while we have them.  The choice is ours, and we make it every time we choose whether to do the honorable or the convenient thing.

If the 1% dominates, it is the fault of those who stood by and let it happen.