As a casual observer of people, I find it interesting how some people react when presented with facts that challenge many of their long-held beliefs.
Those beliefs can vary widely and include just about anything that people can disagree about.
The one subject that annoys me the most is hypocrisy. It is not in short supply. Parents admonish their children with, “Do as say, not as I do.” Pastors caution their congregation to be morally pure and then get caught having an extramarital affair. Experience has taught me that those who complain the loudest are most likely to be great candidates for being hypocrites.
The granddaddy of hypocrites are those people who rant and rail about big government. I listen to it every day. The conversation is an anthem to hypocrisy.
I don’t have a problem with government, big or small. I live in a democratic republic. Our Constitution allows me redress if I believe that my rights and privileges have been abridged. It was conceived to address the values expressed in the preamble that includes “secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.”
If I have an issue with government, I have many options to address those issues, including contacting my elected representatives and other government officials, and writing to my local newspaper, the Concord Monitor.
Many people have unrealistic expectations of government. They demand all of the benefits that the government offers and then complain that government is too big. This is true of mega-agriculture farmers in mid-America to huge fossil fuel extractors who exploit public lands and waterways, and pay a pittance for the privilege.
There are plenty of examples of big government. Social Security is one of them. We all know that it has problems, problems that reasonable people in government can and should repair.
The same people I hear complaining loudly about big government would be the first to complain if the federal government voted to abolish or lower Social Security, disability and child-assistance benefits. “I contributed all my working life to the Social Security fund and now expect government to help take care of me” is the rallying cry of hypocrites. Social Security doesn’t work like that. Most recipients will collect more in benefits in their lifetime than they contributed to the fund. The fund depends on the contributions of younger workers to keep the fund solvent. It is hypocritical to expect government assistance and then complain about it.
Is government big? Yes, it is. We are a big country. Big in many ways. Big demands ranging from national security to social justice require big solutions.
We are a generous people who have a legacy of being inventive, industrious, noble, and willing to sacrifice our lives and fortunes to help those in need. In the annals of history, we will be remembered as greatest social experiment in the world.
That is something to be proud about and not mock as a failure of a great nation.
I am regularly reminded of the advice that President Kennedy gave us: “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.”
Ask yourself, “What did I do today to make our country a better place to live in?”
Let us be honest and rein in all of the hypocrisy.
(Jim Baer lives in Concord.)