Moral Apathy and the Decline of the Nation

People who know that I am a conservative would probably think I’m celebrating all the bad press the Obama administration is finally getting this week. The long delayed look at the Benghazi terrorist attack and the huge IRS scandal are actually dominating the news right now. I doubt they would if the Feds hadn’t seized Associated Press phone records in an apparent fishing expedition for whistle blowers. No, none of this is happy news or even surprising.

Instead it feels like a continuation of the slow fall of the United States into a completely corrupt government like all before it. This is the death of the dream established by the founders of the nation, so it isn’t a cause for celebration. Frankly, I only see it as a symptom of what’s going on with the American people themselves.

Honesty, patriotism, service to others, hard work, and many more positive attributes have been out of style for some years now. Some are even vilified in the popular culture. In the end, we have the government we deserve, for it reflects the temperament of the populace. At the moment, we are a corrupt and vain people.

So why are so many surprised by the behavior of our elected and appointed officials? Aren’t they people too and therefore a distillation of our collective culture? It is too easy to blame the problems on one small group or another and far harder to look in the mirror. We are a narcissistic nation of navel gazers rather than true contemplators engaged in rigorous self evaluation. Or to put it simply, there is too much self esteem and not enough self respect.

It has become a “virtue” to say you aren’t interested in politics with only 50-62% of eligible voters turning out to vote in presidential elections the last fifty years. The rates are even lower for Congress and governorships. Yet I notice everyone moans and complains about the government in some way or another. I don’t even want to know what the percentage of those who voted qualify as “low information voters.”

Looking at that, how can I celebrate the moral failings of a criminal administration that was elected not once, but twice by the public? Collectively speaking, we brought this upon ourselves.

No matter what spins out of the current hoopla (impeachment? pfft. Imagine President Joe Biden. Ugh.), one thing is certain and that is the erosion of trust in government by the electorate. Most will never see it as a reflection of themselves, so I expect a growth in apathy rather than outrage.

So no celebration, no anger, but only sadness is felt while watching everything devolve into a clown show. It is even worse in the state of Minnesota where everything will be taxed and businesses will be driven out after the laws passed by the DFL this session. If I could move, I would but at the rate everything is going in the States and Western civilization it is clear there is nowhere to run to anymore.

Do I blame the government for that? Yes, but I blame the people more. God gives us the leaders we deserve.