Do you TRUST your government?

This of course is an age old question that many of us have long since decided. The answer I and most of my friends would give is a resounding NO!
Is this because we have become so jaded that we trust no one? Is it because we are so skeptical that we see the worse in everything? The answer to both of these questions, as I see it is "kinda".
But not trusting your government is a natural and healthy thing. Our government is a collection of folks just like the ones we work with and for everyday. Do we trust all of them to make decisions about our finances or health? Most likely not. We elect the most attractive candidates to serve us. Not just physically attractive, but as a whole. In doing so we sometimes visit traits upon them that they do not possess, like good judgement, or a desire to put the welfare of others ahead of their own self interests. We entrust in these folks our safety and national security.
I challenge you to ask yourself a few simple questions with regards to Federal government and the current legislative agenda:

1. Would you trust the Branch Manager of your local Bank, the Manager of your local Starbucks, the Chief Duty Nurse of the ICU at your local Hospital, and 6 of your former high school classmates to decide the fate of the national Banking system?
2. Would you trust your boss and 5 of your co-workers, the cashier at the Walmart, the greens keeper at the local golf course, and 2 soccer moms to make sound decisions concerning your health care coverage?
3. Would you trust a UAW Shop Steward, 3 IBEW local members, and Rupert Murdoch to decide our environmental policy?
4. For those of you that know me or have met me on occasion, would you trust me to represent your interests in Washington? (Please understand this is not a loaded question. I have no intentions of ever running for office. This is just a device to make you think.)

I think that you will find that the questions above bring you to the answer NO in almost every case. Hopefully, especially #4. But if you look at the groups that I put together in the questions, are they not AS qualified to resolve the issues as your current representatives?

You don't know what the IQ of the Walmart cashier is. He/She could be a member of Mensa and working at Walmart as a study of some kind. On the other hand they could be a functioning moron that continues to perpetuate a meager existence out of ignorance. The same type scenario holds true for any one of the folks I listed that are in a leadership position. We all know folks that are in positions of leadership as a result of The Peter Principle or nepotism. On the other hand those in a leadership position may have achieved that status through hard work and/or superior intelligence and talent.

The point is...we really do not know what representation we are getting when we send someone to Washington for the first time. In many cases we do not even know when the come up for re-election, because we do not take the time to educate ourselves.

This is not a partisan rant about either party. This is not a castigation of any one person or philosophy (aside from complacency). I just want folks to ask themselves questions like:

• Who can choose the doctor I visit better than I can?
• Who can decide which car I can afford better than I can?
• Who can decide what food I can buy better than I can?
• Who can choose my living arrangements better than I can?
• Who should decide my earnings potential other than my employer and me?
• Who should decide my sexual partner other than my partner and me?
• Who can decide how to best raise my children better than I?
• Who should choose what my religious beliefs are aside from me?
• Who is ultimately responsible for my actions other than me?

If you answer anything but NO ONE to any of the questions above, I would truly like to have a cordial and in-depth discussion about your answer (s).

The questions above are questions of liberty. If you wish for the Federal government to decide these questions of liberty, do nothing. However, if you feel that even one of these questions strikes a chord with you, one way or another, I urge you to take action and make your feeling known to your representation. Otherwise you will not have been a part of the solution, you will have been a part of the problem.