Telemarketers and Politics

Do you ever have one of those days when you want to go completely off grid?  Yep, I do too.  It's the constant bombardment from telemarketers.  It's "open enrollment" time and the telemarketers are calling 3 or 4 times a day.  Now, they are even sending text messages.  I wonder if the companies funding all of the unsolicited calls will ever figure out that they are wasting their time on me!  There must be enough gullible souls out there that make it worth their while.

It is extremely difficult to be anonymous anymore.  You can't even pay cash for something without them asking for a phone number or, e-mail address.  Society is just a small step away from requiring your fingerprint, or some other form of permanent identification in order to do anything.  It seems there is something in the book of Revelation about that.

Some would argue that "if you have nothing to hide, what difference does it make?"  My response is that it is a matter of freedom.  If your every movement is tracked, you are not free, merely an animal in a cage to be exploited by your masters.  I suppose there are enough people who prefer a state of dependence to the risks of freedom; that's why the voters keep sending the same people back to Washington.

Personally, I would prefer to take my chances without their "nanny state" control.  Let me make my own choices with how I spend my money and my time.  I'm willing to take some physical risks if it means not being subjected to "police state-like" conditions at airports and courthouses.  Have you noticed that the heaviest security measures are in place to protect the lawmakers?  Think about that for a minute.  Why are they so concerned for their own security?  Perhaps they think "their subjects" will be upset when they eventually become wise to the fact they are "subjects" and not free citizens.

So, how did I get from telemarketers to security around the lawmakers?  Do you really think your Senators and Representatives get bombarded with telemarketers all day long?  I feel certain their phone numbers are kept out of the lists they sell to the companies that are making the calls.  Come to think of it, most of the telemarketers are selling insurance.  Now, I wonder whose pocket the lawmakers are in....

I Hope You Voted

It is the responsibility

Of each and every citizen

To remain informed,

To be involved

And to exercise the

Privilege to have their voice be heard,

Whether in protest

Or, in support

Of the actions of those

We have sent

To represent our interests.

In this culture of "placing blame"

Be the one

To take action.

An Independence Day of Prayer and Reflection

The day after tomorrow is the 4th of July. Where has the summer gone?

The 4th is honored in celebration of our independence from England. It has been so long ago that we don't truly understand what that independence means. Today, it is a rare individual that even stops to think that the liberties we enjoy arose from that period in the 1770's when previously loyal subjects finally had a belly-full of the capricious actions of the British Parliament designed to extract payment from the colonies for their many wars. It wasn't so much that the colonists didn't want to pay their fair share of the defense of their country (England) it was that they were being taxed without the opportunity of representation in making the decisions. They were treated as less than full citizens of their country.

That desire to have the opportunity to have a voice in the decisions of government is one that in many ways has died among a large portion of our citizenry. Voter apathy is high. Dissatisfaction with the government and leading political figures is extremely low. It is as though a large percentage of the American people have allowed themselves to become less than true citizens. They have been lulled by the relative prosperity that they enjoy and by their feelings of impotence, to merely endure the burdens of the government that they allow to continue on its merry way by their apathy.

It is much like the frog in the kettle illustration with which we are all familiar. If you try to put a frog into hot water he will jump out. If you put him in cold water and slowly add heat, he will boil to death. I believe that a large number of people in this country are allowing themselves to be boiled to death through the gradual creep of economic subjugation through the policies of our government.

This 4th of July is one that I believe should be spent in reflection on where we have been, what we have become and where we are going as a country. It is a time to examine the burden of government on our lives and our livelihood. It is a time to consider the role of each and every elected official and the part that they have played in adding to that burden. Are our lives truly better than they were ten or twenty or even longer years ago? If not, what has changed?

We must get out of the pot and get active. If the heat is building we need to put out the fire. It is time to get involve -- get energized. The election this fall could be a turning point if we will let our voices be heard. I believe in our system of government and I believe there are good men and women both in office and seeking office. I also know that there are those in office and seeking office that have nothing on their mind but their own self aggrandizement, power and wealth. We must seek wisdom in our choices. The only true source of wisdom that I know of is the God that created us. We all should hit our knees in prayer for the future of this great nation. The 4th of July is a great time to start.