Keep It Pithy (3 page)

The split between “we” the people and the media is especially severe in the spiritual arena. A survey by the American Society of Newspaper Editors shows that the rate of atheism among journalists is about 20 percent, significantly higher than among the general population, where it stands at about 9 percent. When one in five media warriors does not believe in the existence of a supreme being, it’s not hard to figure out why many press people support secular causes
like unrestricted abortion, gay marriage, and restraints on public displays of faith.

Hard work and discipline lead to economic success. Government handouts and unsupervised policies of pity only rob people of incentive. If tax money continues to be wasted, it becomes morally wrong for our government to confiscate huge percentages of income and property from Americans, even if they are wealthy.

Until the mid-1930s, America was a nation that basically said to its citizens: “Your forefathers have given you freedom, so good luck, see you around, hope you make it.” Then came the Great Depression, World War II, the Great Society, the Age of Aquarius, the Me Generation, and finally the anything-goes Clinton years. Throughout those generations everything changed. While John Kennedy once asked what you would do for your country, modern politicians were suddenly lining up to tell you what they were going to give you, and one of the biggest entitlement pushers around was JFK’s brother Senator Edward Kennedy. Most giveaway programs have been complete failures, but the rhetorical battle continues to this day.

To this day, I keep these lessons close:

       1. Work hard.

       2. Keep a clear head. [That means avoid getting hammered as much as possible.]

       3. Don’t compromise when you know you’re right.

       4. Give most people the benefit of the doubt.

       5. Don’t fear authority.

       6. And definitely have a good time.

Chances are you’re not wealthy
.

Because in America very few people are. That’s the deal. The average annual pay in America is about $43,000 for an individual, about $63,000 for a household. And the celebrated or maligned “1 percent”? In 2012, $343,927 a year would put you in that group. So …

If you don’t believe class is important in your life, you might want to ask yourselves some questions like these:

       • Did my spouse or I turn down a chance for another job because of the fear of “not fitting in”?

       • Did someone in my family not stand up for himself or a family member after some injustice because he didn’t feel he was good enough?

       • Do I miss out on some social or sports activity I like because I’m afraid everyone else involved in it dresses better or has more income?

       
• Have I discouraged my children from chasing an ambitious goal because I’m afraid they won’t be happy or comfortable in an upper-class situation?

       • Do I refuse to learn something—Alpine skiing, computer skills, wine collecting, field hockey—because I think that other people are already way ahead of me and I would be acting “above my station”?

The class situation has not improved over the years
.

Don’t expect it to change in our lifetimes
.

Live with it and make your own way
.

Even people of modest means can have class
.

I’m reminded of conservative humorist P. J. O’Rourke’s definition of the three branches of government: not the legislature, executive, and judicial system we learned about in school, but “money, television, and B.S.”

If I’m right about secular-progressivism in this country (and I am!), we shouldn’t just roll over and submit.…

We have the right to vote. People have died to protect that right. But half or more of us stay home during important elections. When we talk to pollsters, we reveal amazing
ignorance about the issues, the candidates, and even the structure of government.

Who represents you in Congress? And is he or she a Democrat or Republican? What’s his or her stand on abortion, gun control, trade with Communist China, taxes …? You’d be surprised at how many Americans haven’t a clue to the answers to questions like these. And if you’re surprised, I’m amazed. These people make the laws that define our lives, and they decide how to spend the money collected by a confiscatory tax system.

Clue: Were tax hikes an issue in the last national election?

Another clue: Did the election results affect the decisions made to avert the so-called fiscal cliff?

Crazed ideologues on the right who laugh off environmental concerns are just as stupid as crazed ideologues on the left who have somehow determined that human life in the womb is expendable.

Just as with global warming, no one knows exactly when life begins. Only the deity knows. You can
believe
anything you want, but you DON’T KNOW. We do know one thing, however: Scientists have proven that upon conception, human DNA is present. Get it? The fetus already has the codes in place from its biological mother and father. So the “mass of nonhuman cells” argument goes right out the window if you’re an honest person.

In my opinion, the “compassionate” liberal cadre that supports abortion on demand—for any reason at any time—is guilty of gross human-rights violations. Worshiping at the altar of “reproductive rights” is wrong. Abortion should be rare, regulated, and discouraged. Human dignity demands it.

So you can see that the bold, fresh guy has some problems with both sides of the ideological spectrum. But unlike Judy Collins, who sang about not knowing life at all, I am more confident in my views. Independent thought based upon greater good, realism, and, yes, compassion drives my agenda and dictates my analysis.

More on taxes in today’s political climate …

Politicians take your tax dollars and give them to their friends and patrons. How corrupt is that? Well, they get away with it because politicians know that you won’t notice that you’re being stiffed as long as the malls stay open late and your cable system provides twenty-four-hour sports coverage.