In this article written by Thomas Friedman the author makes several bold and controversial statements that some of his audience will like and yet others will put up a general outcry. The article, which appeared in the New York Times, states an opinion that many people in this country are feeling right now, buy many others feel that this opinion is one that can tear the country apart. While no one will argue that we are in a difficult time, with many private industries and people struggling, that is not a reason to abandon what it is that makes this country great, namely our freedoms. To state that nationalization of the banks is a good thing and that he hopes that President Obama will make that one of his first courses of action is not only inflammatory but dangerous. While the majority of the people who will read this article are of a more liberal slate, nationalization of the banks, national healthcare systems, and reforming entitlements are all things that are done in socialistic societies not democratic ones.
While I, and many others, sincerely hope that President Obama does reform some of the current policies and the “business as usual” politics that goes on in Washington, we do not want him to do so at the expense of American ideals and ideology, on what makes us great. Our government is ponderously slow moving and difficult to change, but that is exactly how our founding fathers intended for it to be. They saw what power in one or a limited number of hands did and wanted a way to try and correct that. And while our system of checks and balances is flawed, that does not mean that we need to do radical things to it just because we can. By setting out more entitlements for people that perpetuates the current mold of people not working for their own betterment, why should they when the government will just do it for them. Times of strife and struggle are what make us who we are, as individuals and as a society, and it is important for everybody, and especially our president to remember that fact.
This article, while very well written, and appearing to be addressing itself to the moderates or those to the right of the aisle, actually does nothing more than scare those of us who do consider ourselves “conservative” because it is purporting to do just those things that we fear being done. We cannot hope to better ourselves with one hand out all the time. And despite the pretty idea, there is no such thing as completely equal. There will always be people smarter, funnier, prettier, or with more money than someone else. But this diversity is what makes man so interesting and America so great. You can become whatever you want here if you work hard, we have seen it time and again, and our current president is a shining example of this. The only way to make everything and everybody equal is to lower the majority down to the lowest minority and then everyone suffers equally and then there is nothing to strive for.
