Mr. Smith comes to Courascant
I know there have been many posts today, far more than normal, but a lot is happening and I want those that actually take a stop here now and again for a conservative dose of important news to know what is happening in the world around us.
I just returned from some remarks given by Senator Tom Coburn. Some many know him if they reside in Oklahoma, like Kelsey Hendrix, but most will know him because of his recent outspokenness in the Senate relating to pork-barrel spending, as he has supported the “Porkbusting” effort on part of blogs, to educate the populace about how this works in congress. He has come out strongly on issues such as fiscal constraint and the need to stop the spending problems that the government has, because in spending as such we are bankrupting ourselves (or the government is bankrupting us by saving all of the consequences for future generations).
He is an amazing man, who, as Mark Tapscott mentioned to me “doesn’t care what people think and is in Washington to do his job, and for that he should be immensely respected”. I would agree totally. He recently wrote a book called Breech of Trust: How Washington Turns Outsiders into Insiders. The whole idea here is that Washington isn’t controlled by Republicans, Democrats, or parties; Washington is controlled by careerism, in that people get elected, they come, and they get used to the job, the perks, the posh-ness. Washington takes people with good intentions and morphs them into something they wished not to become, but accept once they do, therefore wanting to stay that way. Congress needs to care about the well-being of the country and not just their own.
In Coburn’s estimation there are Principle Leadership positions in Congress, and then there are Principled Leaders: both are in short supply, but most only want to fill one position and not the other. This is a great point and a hard truth, but one that needs to be considered as Sen. Coburn also stated “the public is crying out for principled leaders”. Not to mention that a great
I’ve mentioned in the past that vision is key, another thing that Coburn touched on – Principled Leaders with Vision. Long-term vision is what is needed in this town, especially in relation to spending, because what sort of legacy is it to leave your children and grandchildren all this debt and fiscal damage? Again, Congress needs to care about the well-being of the country and not just their own.
With the point on vision, blogged a few days ago about the need for the principled leaders in Washington, The Coburns’, Tapscotts’ and others, to mentor the younger ones (like myself) in the ways of how this should be done, versus how it is done. It’s my generation that will be taking over in the coming years and we need modern role models to look to, to emulate. In the Scriptures there are examples to look at: Daniel, Joseph, David, Solomon, Nehemiah, and even what Paul says about government, but I ask where are those in our modern times who take those lessons and implement them for a younger generation to see in action? I believe they exist, but in smaller numbers, much like the remnant of prayer warriors in This Present Darkness.
Here’s another point to consider: If things are not cleaned up in terms of spending, within 10 years the international community will take care of it by setting our priorities for us in devaluing the dollar, then we will learn. When I think about that in light of the argument that Charles Krauthammer made at American Enterprise Institute last year, I shudder. Krauthammer made the argument that for a true international community to exist, there needs to be no hegemonic/super power present on the world stage. This hegemonic power always exerts its influence as long as it is present, so it must be abolished. It is plain to see that the superpower that exists at present is indeed the United States. So the question is this, if the world around us really wants a international community, and for that to happen the US must fall because of its hegemonic status, and the potential devaluing of the dollar, down the road, could lead to that, then why are we running a crash course in reckless spending that will soon catch up with us? Why are we assisting in our own possible demise as a country? Are we not that shining city on a hill that Regan talked about? If something is not done we may turn out to be the lesser in the “Tale of Two Cities” that Mario Cuomo spoke of at the DNC in ’84.
