Before the apocryphal ham sandwich did her in, Mama Cass Elliot was best known as the lead singer of the Mama’s and the Papa’s. A number of their songs had a dreaming theme that seemed to translate well into chart success. One of my all time favorite tunes was one sung by the Everly Brothers called “All I have to do is Dream.” Dreeeeeam, Dream, dream, dream… dream, dreeeeeam. Perhaps I’m the only one who notices such things, but dreams and dreaming appear to be popular concepts in America. We have the greatest and most prosperous lifestyle in the history of the human race, yet we dream…and dream…and dream. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. electrified the nation with a speech while standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial. He spoke of the dreams of a people who yearned for freedom, who sought to shed the heavy yoke of oppression.
For people who came to America voluntarily, or were transported here in shackles, or were born to the promise of liberty and freedom, the dream has persisted. For some, the dream for freedom has been a consuming passion that defined their lives, and for others it has been a smoldering awareness that must be fanned and nourished. Does the dream still live? Has our understanding of the innate desire for freedom been suppressed by prosperity and indifference? Have our dreams been replaced by fears…will I have a job tomorrow, am I prepared for the inevitable economic chaos that is just over the horizon?
Dreaming glorious dreams is difficult when one struggles to survive, and whatever glimmer of dreams we possess are suppressed by day to day considerations and uncertainty.
If our nation is to achieve what the Founders hoped for…if we are to become the manifestation of their dreams and their sacrifices, then we must begin dreaming again. We must not; we can not allow the political class and the elites to steal our dreams. For the sake of our children, their children and generations unborn, and for our own self respect and dignity, we must recapture the momentum and begin to dream again. This is my dream for you, for us and for the United States of America.
Comment or email: cnpearl@woh.rr.com
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Free Choice
The past one hundred years has been a century of amazing invention. My grandfather was born in 1900…before the Wright brothers’ historic 12 second flight, prior to Henry Ford’s assembly lines, and 12 years before Arizona became the 48th state in our union.
The first radio station of note, KDKA in Pittsburg, went on the air in 1923, and television began to be developed throughout the nation following the end of World War II. My generation, the Baby Boomers, began to populate the country in 1946 (my year) (so, what’s the second thing you did after getting home, soldier boy?).
There is one year that stands out for me in those early times…1952. Eisenhower was running for his first term, and Senator Robert Taft was still a power in GOP politics. Our little farm family leaped into the latter half of the 20th century with three major technological enhancements. We acquired an indoor bathroom by converting an old pantry. We purchased a power mower—a Reo reel-type, and we got our first TV from Spoon’s Hardware in McCutchenville, Ohio. It was a black and white GE model. With our 40 foot antenna we could pick up one station from Toledo---channel 13. Later, when I was in Junior High, we could access a second channel (11). It wasn’t until after I had left home that my parents could get channel 24 by attaching a UHF converter to their set. Today on my little farmette, my little patch of paradise, I receive more than 400 channels and watch eight—RFDTV, BIGTEN, CBS, FOX, Fox News, C-SPAN, C-SPAN II and The Gospel Music Channel. On rare occasions I turn to HGTV and the DIY networks. So that’s ten channels that I utilize out of the hundreds available to me. The bottom line is that I prefer books to TV, and except for Buckeye sports, I would rather read than watch.
When I was a child, I always anticipated a trip to “town” (Tiffin). If the timing were right and the egg money was sufficient, I would be treated to a hamburger at “Johnny’s” on East Madison Street. John and his wife, Mary, later opened a restaurant on Sandusky Street, but those burgers at the old location were the best that I have ever eaten. Today, nearly every intersection is populated with multiple chain restaurants offering a phenomenal variety of culinary choices. From the time that I eagerly awaited the delectable hamburgers from Johnny’s to today when I have difficulty choosing which cookie-cutter eatery to visit, I wonder if my life has improved. We have more choices for eating out. We have more choices on our televisions. We have more choices in nearly every aspect of our daily living, but yet…
As our lives have become less strenuous, and our options for entertainment and diversion have grown, our government has been growing as well. Our meaningless options have dramatically increased, and our significant choices have been reduced. We have the freedom to choose the burger de jour, but over regulation by the Nanny state has shrunk our abilities for vital decision making to a mere vestige of what they once were. I have concluded that I will willingly go back to one good hamburger choice. I will gleefully return to one or two channels of local television… If I must in order to restore the freedom, the liberty that once was mine. While I was staring at the Golden Arches, they took my country away. It stops now…today. No more diversions, no more accepting progress when it is wrapped in tyranny. It…stops…now.
Comment or email: cnpearl@woh.rr.com
The first radio station of note, KDKA in Pittsburg, went on the air in 1923, and television began to be developed throughout the nation following the end of World War II. My generation, the Baby Boomers, began to populate the country in 1946 (my year) (so, what’s the second thing you did after getting home, soldier boy?).
There is one year that stands out for me in those early times…1952. Eisenhower was running for his first term, and Senator Robert Taft was still a power in GOP politics. Our little farm family leaped into the latter half of the 20th century with three major technological enhancements. We acquired an indoor bathroom by converting an old pantry. We purchased a power mower—a Reo reel-type, and we got our first TV from Spoon’s Hardware in McCutchenville, Ohio. It was a black and white GE model. With our 40 foot antenna we could pick up one station from Toledo---channel 13. Later, when I was in Junior High, we could access a second channel (11). It wasn’t until after I had left home that my parents could get channel 24 by attaching a UHF converter to their set. Today on my little farmette, my little patch of paradise, I receive more than 400 channels and watch eight—RFDTV, BIGTEN, CBS, FOX, Fox News, C-SPAN, C-SPAN II and The Gospel Music Channel. On rare occasions I turn to HGTV and the DIY networks. So that’s ten channels that I utilize out of the hundreds available to me. The bottom line is that I prefer books to TV, and except for Buckeye sports, I would rather read than watch.
When I was a child, I always anticipated a trip to “town” (Tiffin). If the timing were right and the egg money was sufficient, I would be treated to a hamburger at “Johnny’s” on East Madison Street. John and his wife, Mary, later opened a restaurant on Sandusky Street, but those burgers at the old location were the best that I have ever eaten. Today, nearly every intersection is populated with multiple chain restaurants offering a phenomenal variety of culinary choices. From the time that I eagerly awaited the delectable hamburgers from Johnny’s to today when I have difficulty choosing which cookie-cutter eatery to visit, I wonder if my life has improved. We have more choices for eating out. We have more choices on our televisions. We have more choices in nearly every aspect of our daily living, but yet…
As our lives have become less strenuous, and our options for entertainment and diversion have grown, our government has been growing as well. Our meaningless options have dramatically increased, and our significant choices have been reduced. We have the freedom to choose the burger de jour, but over regulation by the Nanny state has shrunk our abilities for vital decision making to a mere vestige of what they once were. I have concluded that I will willingly go back to one good hamburger choice. I will gleefully return to one or two channels of local television… If I must in order to restore the freedom, the liberty that once was mine. While I was staring at the Golden Arches, they took my country away. It stops now…today. No more diversions, no more accepting progress when it is wrapped in tyranny. It…stops…now.
Comment or email: cnpearl@woh.rr.com
Monday, February 15, 2010
Wretched Masses.
They had a dream. Some of them sought to escape deadly persecution. Others left behind stagnant economies and failing nations. Many came to avoid famine and starvation. A few were seeking better educational opportunities, and once here, decided to stay. They came here for a variety of reasons, but they shared a common thread…freedom. Whether it was economic liberty, political freedom or just to experience the opportunity to make personal choices, they sought the fresh air of freedom. Ellis Island was a launching point for many. Their first steps in their new lives were on the sacred ground of that little patch of terra firma in the harbor. As they shuffled through the lines of others who were sharing their dreams, they basked in the shadow of Lady Liberty…a massive symbol of hope and new beginnings.
Although their eyes and their dreams were focused on the new land and their new lives, for many their hearts were still captive in the homes that they left behind. Communities, cousins, friends and perhaps siblings, parents or even spouses and children were there waiting, anticipating the letter from the new land that would change their lives too. The dreams of the travelers drove them forward, but their love and their hearts looked back. They continued to long for the land that they had abandoned, but cherished the hope and promise of their new location. Those who were the first of their families to arrive often had to take menial employment merely to survive. As their families joined or were born to them, they taught their offspring about the amazing opportunities available to them in this amazing nation.
The second generation of immigrants used the experience of their parents to vault forward into property ownership and small business success. They maintained the work ethic of their parents and added the benefit of being truly American in their attitudes and preferences. On occasion their thoughts would linger on the land of their parents, but they thought of themselves as Americans. They prospered and sent their children to college. After graduating, some of the third generation returned to the family enterprises while others scattered throughout the country. They married people who did not grow up in the old neighborhood, and the ties to the “old country” were weakened.
More than 17 million people trudged through the processing queues on the island. In many cases the generational changes in the family structure mirror those we have described here. Liberty and freedom…possess a magnetic attraction that draw people from the world, away from kith and kin, to a new land…a land where dreams can come true. Today, those dreams, the yearnings for freedom are endangered. The government that seems to grow exponentially is suffocating the dreamer’s hopes. In the old countries a serf remained a serf. A cobbler and his heirs would always be cobblers. Here and now the state becomes increasingly intrusive into our daily lives. What can we become? What have we become? What is to become of us? Will we see the vision and take the risk that those first generation immigrants did? Do we have the courage to help this nation return to its roots? Do we? Really, do you?
Comment or email: cnpearl@woh.rr.com
Although their eyes and their dreams were focused on the new land and their new lives, for many their hearts were still captive in the homes that they left behind. Communities, cousins, friends and perhaps siblings, parents or even spouses and children were there waiting, anticipating the letter from the new land that would change their lives too. The dreams of the travelers drove them forward, but their love and their hearts looked back. They continued to long for the land that they had abandoned, but cherished the hope and promise of their new location. Those who were the first of their families to arrive often had to take menial employment merely to survive. As their families joined or were born to them, they taught their offspring about the amazing opportunities available to them in this amazing nation.
The second generation of immigrants used the experience of their parents to vault forward into property ownership and small business success. They maintained the work ethic of their parents and added the benefit of being truly American in their attitudes and preferences. On occasion their thoughts would linger on the land of their parents, but they thought of themselves as Americans. They prospered and sent their children to college. After graduating, some of the third generation returned to the family enterprises while others scattered throughout the country. They married people who did not grow up in the old neighborhood, and the ties to the “old country” were weakened.
More than 17 million people trudged through the processing queues on the island. In many cases the generational changes in the family structure mirror those we have described here. Liberty and freedom…possess a magnetic attraction that draw people from the world, away from kith and kin, to a new land…a land where dreams can come true. Today, those dreams, the yearnings for freedom are endangered. The government that seems to grow exponentially is suffocating the dreamer’s hopes. In the old countries a serf remained a serf. A cobbler and his heirs would always be cobblers. Here and now the state becomes increasingly intrusive into our daily lives. What can we become? What have we become? What is to become of us? Will we see the vision and take the risk that those first generation immigrants did? Do we have the courage to help this nation return to its roots? Do we? Really, do you?
Comment or email: cnpearl@woh.rr.com
Friday, February 12, 2010
Digging In
Except for a short time on Monday, I’ve either been waiting for the snow and wind to stop or outside digging a path through the huge drifts that have settled here on the “Luckey Pearl.” One drift was more than six feet high, and naturally, was directly in the driveway area that had to be cleared. Too many landscape features, fences and buildings have created a trapping point for the blowing snow. The pastures are mostly clear, but in the driveway and parking pad sectors…well, woe is me. As of now, 11:15AM on Thursday, I do have a track that goes from the garage to the street (about 200 yards), but I am somewhat hesitant to challenge it with the AWD Ridgeline or the 2WD Silverado. My 40 HP John Deere has done very well except for the hydraulic lines bursting on Sunday. I emerged from the shower of fluid looking like one of those guys you see when an oil well gushes to life. In my nostrils, on my tongue, in my eyes, all over my aging body and “chore” clothes, the stuff was everywhere. It took 40 minutes to get my glasses cleaned well enough for me to see. Fortunately Andy from Wood County Implement plowed through the drifts on Tuesday and restored the 2040 and the loader to full function mode. Sometimes you get the bear. Sometimes the bear gets you. The really great news is that in a month this snow will probably be gone, and we’ll be complaining about the rain and the mud. Ain’t it great.
It’s time to begin thinking about planting. With the statewide campaign for Secretary of State on my plate, I am trying to decide how large (if any) garden to plant. I have purchased some heritage seeds for quality and replenishment purposes, and don’t want to waste them or cause extra work for Pat if I spend a lot of time on the road. So, I’ll decide by the end of the month whether or not to fire up the growing lights to start the seeds. My dilemma is this: start seeds for safe food and risk losing garden because of neglect…or don’t start seeds, get blown out of statewide race, loss election and famish. ShaZaaam! Because at times I have exhibited flashes of managerial and political brilliance, I have arrived at a feasible solution. No starter, no planting and no garden. As I travel the great state of Ohio while embedded in my normal state of confusion, I shall avail myself of the wondrous bounty of delectable goodies that are present in every little corner of Ohio. I shall travel like a pauper, but eat like a king. Bring it on, Buckeye residents. My palate, taste buds and I are running and munching for Secretary of State. Hide the harvest! Bury the bounty! Here I come.
Comment or email: cnpearl@woh.rr.com
It’s time to begin thinking about planting. With the statewide campaign for Secretary of State on my plate, I am trying to decide how large (if any) garden to plant. I have purchased some heritage seeds for quality and replenishment purposes, and don’t want to waste them or cause extra work for Pat if I spend a lot of time on the road. So, I’ll decide by the end of the month whether or not to fire up the growing lights to start the seeds. My dilemma is this: start seeds for safe food and risk losing garden because of neglect…or don’t start seeds, get blown out of statewide race, loss election and famish. ShaZaaam! Because at times I have exhibited flashes of managerial and political brilliance, I have arrived at a feasible solution. No starter, no planting and no garden. As I travel the great state of Ohio while embedded in my normal state of confusion, I shall avail myself of the wondrous bounty of delectable goodies that are present in every little corner of Ohio. I shall travel like a pauper, but eat like a king. Bring it on, Buckeye residents. My palate, taste buds and I are running and munching for Secretary of State. Hide the harvest! Bury the bounty! Here I come.
Comment or email: cnpearl@woh.rr.com
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Coming Soon
Everybody sing: ‘Oh, there’s no business like no snow business.” Or “Drifting along with wind.” Wow, there’s a whole lot of snowin’ goin’ on. The fact that Mom and I are empty nesters (except for Frosty, the Golden Retriever) probably makes the cabin fever somewhat easier to endure. She’s in the main floor office, and I’m safely ensconced in my “man cave” office/entertainment area in the basement. While the lack of mobility has provided a superb opportunity for organizing my office, I find that I’m so “antsy” that I am having difficulty concentrating on easy tasks. Maybe it’s the two pots of Starbuck’s Italian Roast that fired every one of my nerve endings into inattentive hyper-drive, or perhaps it’s the growing awareness that our filing date for Secretary of State looms large. Nine more days until the official filing deadline passes, then we move on to building the base and fine tuning the organization. After the May 4th Primary Election, we shift into full campaign mode. We’ll be crossing the state visiting cities, towns, villages and crossroad clusters of houses. We’ll be attending several dozen fairs and festivals as we seek to meet and greet as many Ohioans as is possible. We’ll appear at various forums and town halls, meetups and service club meetings to share our vision for our state.
These efforts may appear to be a massive exercise in futility, but it wouldn’t be possible at all without some key players. To my wife of nearly 41 years (Mar. 2nd.), thank you, Pat, for allowing and encouraging me to chase this dream. To my children, Kelly and P.J., thank you for being so supportive. Thank you for becoming involved and for your wise counsel. Thank you, also, for your heartfelt concerns about dear old Dad’s health and stamina. For my son-in-law, Kevin, and my daughter-in-law, Heather, thank you for standing with me and cheering me on even though I suspect that you think I’m a tad bit loony. To both of you, thank you so much for promoting my candidacy to your families and friends. Hell, there’s a bushel of votes right there.
For my grandchildren—Shaun, Erin and Sullivan—Thank you for being so special. You are the primary reason(s) that Grandpa (GrampE) is doing this. You are intelligent, talented and loving people, and I want you to live in a country and a state that allows you to reach your full potential. I want a country and a state that will permit you to fail, because when you falter, you get stronger, you become smarter and you understand the pain of others who do not succeed. I want you to be outstanding citizens, passionate members of society and leaders for what is right and good. I love you, and I shudder to think what might become of our nation and Ohio if we don’t act…and act now. I probably won’t have the good fortune to witness your lives as adults, but I believe that if I can light the spark and if your parents will fan the flames, then all of Ohio and the United States of America will be a better place.
Comment or email: cnpearl@woh.rr.com
These efforts may appear to be a massive exercise in futility, but it wouldn’t be possible at all without some key players. To my wife of nearly 41 years (Mar. 2nd.), thank you, Pat, for allowing and encouraging me to chase this dream. To my children, Kelly and P.J., thank you for being so supportive. Thank you for becoming involved and for your wise counsel. Thank you, also, for your heartfelt concerns about dear old Dad’s health and stamina. For my son-in-law, Kevin, and my daughter-in-law, Heather, thank you for standing with me and cheering me on even though I suspect that you think I’m a tad bit loony. To both of you, thank you so much for promoting my candidacy to your families and friends. Hell, there’s a bushel of votes right there.
For my grandchildren—Shaun, Erin and Sullivan—Thank you for being so special. You are the primary reason(s) that Grandpa (GrampE) is doing this. You are intelligent, talented and loving people, and I want you to live in a country and a state that allows you to reach your full potential. I want a country and a state that will permit you to fail, because when you falter, you get stronger, you become smarter and you understand the pain of others who do not succeed. I want you to be outstanding citizens, passionate members of society and leaders for what is right and good. I love you, and I shudder to think what might become of our nation and Ohio if we don’t act…and act now. I probably won’t have the good fortune to witness your lives as adults, but I believe that if I can light the spark and if your parents will fan the flames, then all of Ohio and the United States of America will be a better place.
Comment or email: cnpearl@woh.rr.com
Snowy rhythm
Here I sit with a grimace and a frown
Watching the snowflakes as they fall down
Can I do what must be done?
Or shall I wait for some heat and sun?
Cabin fever can be dangerous they say
As I write these words on this melancholy day.
But I take heart that I’m not alone
I connect with friends by net and phone.
Time crawls on and the goal gets nearer
Working patriots make the objectives clearer
We will prevail come Hell or high water
As the heat on the Duopoly becomes much hotter.
So, come on Snow, do your thing
Victory for Ohio will rule as king.
The charlatans who steal our liberty
Will go down to defeat…ignominiously.
The weather reminds me of what it takes
To overcome those political flakes
Freedom thinkers can win…if you get my drift
And restore our state and nation and heal the rift
The chasm between the politicos and the land
Has grown too large, too out of hand.
From the grassroots comes the shout
Reclaim our nation, and drive the Nannies out.
We must not let this opportunity wither
We should forward…no pause nor dither,
Seize the moment and rebuild our state
Never give up and control her fate.
Charlie Earl
Poet Emeritus, Pontoon Swamp, Ohio
02/09/2010
PS: I do not plan on giving up my day job.
Comment or email: cnpearl@woh.rr.com
Watching the snowflakes as they fall down
Can I do what must be done?
Or shall I wait for some heat and sun?
Cabin fever can be dangerous they say
As I write these words on this melancholy day.
But I take heart that I’m not alone
I connect with friends by net and phone.
Time crawls on and the goal gets nearer
Working patriots make the objectives clearer
We will prevail come Hell or high water
As the heat on the Duopoly becomes much hotter.
So, come on Snow, do your thing
Victory for Ohio will rule as king.
The charlatans who steal our liberty
Will go down to defeat…ignominiously.
The weather reminds me of what it takes
To overcome those political flakes
Freedom thinkers can win…if you get my drift
And restore our state and nation and heal the rift
The chasm between the politicos and the land
Has grown too large, too out of hand.
From the grassroots comes the shout
Reclaim our nation, and drive the Nannies out.
We must not let this opportunity wither
We should forward…no pause nor dither,
Seize the moment and rebuild our state
Never give up and control her fate.
Charlie Earl
Poet Emeritus, Pontoon Swamp, Ohio
02/09/2010
PS: I do not plan on giving up my day job.
Comment or email: cnpearl@woh.rr.com
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Freedom Now
As I travel across Ohio, I am reminded again and again about the phenomenal diversity that we enjoy here. From our mountains in the east (little ones, to be sure) to our prairies in the west, our massive river in the east and south, our bountiful lake in the north all together comprise a topographical and geographical wonderland. Within the boundaries of our roughly-square state are many rivers and lakes, fertile fields, lush valleys and mineral-laden hills. If we were any where else in the world, we would have the foundation for a vibrant little country.
Our diversity is multiplied by the nature of our people and their roots. Each of our large cities and other geographic areas throughout Ohio represent enclaves of many different immigrant groups. Ours is a state that truly does reflect a cross-section of America. Eastern and Western Europeans, Africans, Asians, and South Americans have come to Ohio and thrived. Some have had more success than others, but all have come here with a dream. The great smoke-belching factories, the fertile farmland and the innovative entrepreneurs of Ohio have projected a promise of potential prosperity to all who settled here. The Wright brothers and Charles Kettering were Ohioans. The Libbeys, Proctor and Gamble and the Higbees built their legacies here. Dirty hands provide the evidence of Ohio’s strength—whether the dirt be grease or soil. Times have changed. Ohio has changed. We have changed.
Ohio is struggling now. Our great industrial base is a shadow of what it once was. Our agricultural productivity is being challenged by suburban sprawl, increasing regulation, and, as usual, uncertain markets, high input costs and shrinking opportunities. Ohio’s great retail base has eroded because of the disappearance of companies and jobs. My personal sense is that the “can-do” spirit and innovative creativity that has been so much a part of Ohio’s past has been blunted and stunted. It seems as if Ohio were presently surviving on life support. That’s not all bad. Look to our north. Michigan is on the autopsy table. The operative portion of life support is “life.” We still have a glimmer of life. We can, by following the proper corrective procedures, restore the state. We can restructure the economy. We can rebuild the optimism. We can restore the spirit.
How do we do this you may ask? The easy answer is that we limit the government’s interference in our daily lives and our economic activity. How do we go about achieving a more limited government? The first step is to recognize that there is a problem (AA is right). One can do an economic analysis of regions, states and countries and discern that there is a direct correlation between the influence of the prevailing government and the robust activity in the proscribed area. Now we know that correlation does not necessarily translate into causation, but when one is searching for a remedy for economic stagnation, a correlation may provide a valuable clue. Finding a cure for Ohio’s economic woes is compounded by the fact that we an integral component of the Great Lakes/Midwest region and are one state out of fifty in the United States. It seems reasonable, therefore that any measures taken by Ohioans will be impacted by regional and national considerations. An example would be the plethora of Federal mandates and nation-wide rulemaking that undermines economic energy in Ohio. Our goal should be to do as much as is possible with the tools in our kit, and then, to circumvent or reject the negative impact of the region and the national government.
First of all, the radical realist in me knows/believes that statewide tweaking and half-measures will be fruitless. They would offer a glimmer of hope without delivering the reality. Instead of a scalpel for trimming the edges of a large bloated state government apparatus (the GOP approach), we should fire up a chain saw and reduce the overgrown tree of Ohio government to a stump of basic, fundamental and necessary government. Concurrent with our radical reorganization of Ohio, we should adamantly and forcefully embrace the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States as well as utilizing nullification strategies wherever possible. Personal experience should have taught each of us that half-measures corrupt the ideal, and even if the ideal is by definition unachievable, half –measures distort the ideal into something that becomes unimaginable. If you take a squirt gun into a knife fight, you will soon discover that winning is not a practical objective. You may also learn that survival is doubtful. Enter that same confrontation while packing a 45, and you will note that your perspective about the outcome has changed. So it is with rebuilding, restoring or renewing Ohio. If we use the squirt gun, we will drown in our own blood. If we use the handgun (metaphorically speaking), then we can forcefully open the portals of freedom. We can construct an island of opportunity and freedom right here in the crossroads of the nation. With a new attitude about the role of state government (should be rarely seen and even more rarely heard), businesses and visionaries from surrounding leviathans will flock to our climate of encouragement.
“Outside the box” has become a metaphor for creative thinking and problem solving. Already it is somewhat of a cliché, but if one examines the trajectory of prosperity in Ohio, one might note that we are inexorably drifting toward an inescapable box…a coffin. Our major economic sectors are gasping for air. Our workforce is aging. Our infrastructure is crumbling. Our political leadership is AWOL. The primary key, as I see it, for escaping this inevitable slide is to develop a system that allows individuals to thrive. Historically, the GOP has been perceived as too friendly to corporate interests although the Democrats have their own favorite corporate buddies. The Democrats have been identified as the party of “groups.” Labor, minorities, women…find a group, and the Democrats will promote it, but the Republicans have their own organized groupies.
Governments at every level must recognize the value of the individual if this nation, and this state, wish to reverse our slide into mediocrity…and finally, insignificance. The gift of grace is a promise to the individual. Why can’t governments recognize, acknowledge and encourage individual initiative? Why cannot governments cherish and promote individual freedom? Why do governments seem compelled to constrain, restrain and deny an individual’s dream? Those who represent the government may believe that whatever they do is in the best interest of those they govern, but they often fail to understand that every little speed bump, every tiny hurdle or every arbitrary rule inhibits the free exercise of the creative force of the individual. A community suffers a loss, a state loses a benefit and a nation loses power when the spark of ingenuity is squelched in an individual. Multiply that effect by many people and a nation will suffer the consequences of broken dreams and shattered hopes. The source of wondrous development is not the bosom of government, but it resides in the hearts and minds of people who dream…big dreams and little dreams. Let us dream, let us build, let us be free to be all we can be. Let us fail, for we can get up and try again, and our new efforts will be better than our previous ones. Allow us to consume the heady air of triumph or wallow in the despair of defeat, because we do not need you, Government, to insure our success. Help us by providing a limited set of rules and by your enforcing them, then turn us loose and watch us grow…as will you. Government of the people means that if you allow us to flourish, then you will thrive as well. If you stifle our spirits and our creative impulses, then we will all wither and fade away. Freedom. Freedom. Freedom.
Comment or email: cnpearl@woh.rr.com
Our diversity is multiplied by the nature of our people and their roots. Each of our large cities and other geographic areas throughout Ohio represent enclaves of many different immigrant groups. Ours is a state that truly does reflect a cross-section of America. Eastern and Western Europeans, Africans, Asians, and South Americans have come to Ohio and thrived. Some have had more success than others, but all have come here with a dream. The great smoke-belching factories, the fertile farmland and the innovative entrepreneurs of Ohio have projected a promise of potential prosperity to all who settled here. The Wright brothers and Charles Kettering were Ohioans. The Libbeys, Proctor and Gamble and the Higbees built their legacies here. Dirty hands provide the evidence of Ohio’s strength—whether the dirt be grease or soil. Times have changed. Ohio has changed. We have changed.
Ohio is struggling now. Our great industrial base is a shadow of what it once was. Our agricultural productivity is being challenged by suburban sprawl, increasing regulation, and, as usual, uncertain markets, high input costs and shrinking opportunities. Ohio’s great retail base has eroded because of the disappearance of companies and jobs. My personal sense is that the “can-do” spirit and innovative creativity that has been so much a part of Ohio’s past has been blunted and stunted. It seems as if Ohio were presently surviving on life support. That’s not all bad. Look to our north. Michigan is on the autopsy table. The operative portion of life support is “life.” We still have a glimmer of life. We can, by following the proper corrective procedures, restore the state. We can restructure the economy. We can rebuild the optimism. We can restore the spirit.
How do we do this you may ask? The easy answer is that we limit the government’s interference in our daily lives and our economic activity. How do we go about achieving a more limited government? The first step is to recognize that there is a problem (AA is right). One can do an economic analysis of regions, states and countries and discern that there is a direct correlation between the influence of the prevailing government and the robust activity in the proscribed area. Now we know that correlation does not necessarily translate into causation, but when one is searching for a remedy for economic stagnation, a correlation may provide a valuable clue. Finding a cure for Ohio’s economic woes is compounded by the fact that we an integral component of the Great Lakes/Midwest region and are one state out of fifty in the United States. It seems reasonable, therefore that any measures taken by Ohioans will be impacted by regional and national considerations. An example would be the plethora of Federal mandates and nation-wide rulemaking that undermines economic energy in Ohio. Our goal should be to do as much as is possible with the tools in our kit, and then, to circumvent or reject the negative impact of the region and the national government.
First of all, the radical realist in me knows/believes that statewide tweaking and half-measures will be fruitless. They would offer a glimmer of hope without delivering the reality. Instead of a scalpel for trimming the edges of a large bloated state government apparatus (the GOP approach), we should fire up a chain saw and reduce the overgrown tree of Ohio government to a stump of basic, fundamental and necessary government. Concurrent with our radical reorganization of Ohio, we should adamantly and forcefully embrace the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States as well as utilizing nullification strategies wherever possible. Personal experience should have taught each of us that half-measures corrupt the ideal, and even if the ideal is by definition unachievable, half –measures distort the ideal into something that becomes unimaginable. If you take a squirt gun into a knife fight, you will soon discover that winning is not a practical objective. You may also learn that survival is doubtful. Enter that same confrontation while packing a 45, and you will note that your perspective about the outcome has changed. So it is with rebuilding, restoring or renewing Ohio. If we use the squirt gun, we will drown in our own blood. If we use the handgun (metaphorically speaking), then we can forcefully open the portals of freedom. We can construct an island of opportunity and freedom right here in the crossroads of the nation. With a new attitude about the role of state government (should be rarely seen and even more rarely heard), businesses and visionaries from surrounding leviathans will flock to our climate of encouragement.
“Outside the box” has become a metaphor for creative thinking and problem solving. Already it is somewhat of a cliché, but if one examines the trajectory of prosperity in Ohio, one might note that we are inexorably drifting toward an inescapable box…a coffin. Our major economic sectors are gasping for air. Our workforce is aging. Our infrastructure is crumbling. Our political leadership is AWOL. The primary key, as I see it, for escaping this inevitable slide is to develop a system that allows individuals to thrive. Historically, the GOP has been perceived as too friendly to corporate interests although the Democrats have their own favorite corporate buddies. The Democrats have been identified as the party of “groups.” Labor, minorities, women…find a group, and the Democrats will promote it, but the Republicans have their own organized groupies.
Governments at every level must recognize the value of the individual if this nation, and this state, wish to reverse our slide into mediocrity…and finally, insignificance. The gift of grace is a promise to the individual. Why can’t governments recognize, acknowledge and encourage individual initiative? Why cannot governments cherish and promote individual freedom? Why do governments seem compelled to constrain, restrain and deny an individual’s dream? Those who represent the government may believe that whatever they do is in the best interest of those they govern, but they often fail to understand that every little speed bump, every tiny hurdle or every arbitrary rule inhibits the free exercise of the creative force of the individual. A community suffers a loss, a state loses a benefit and a nation loses power when the spark of ingenuity is squelched in an individual. Multiply that effect by many people and a nation will suffer the consequences of broken dreams and shattered hopes. The source of wondrous development is not the bosom of government, but it resides in the hearts and minds of people who dream…big dreams and little dreams. Let us dream, let us build, let us be free to be all we can be. Let us fail, for we can get up and try again, and our new efforts will be better than our previous ones. Allow us to consume the heady air of triumph or wallow in the despair of defeat, because we do not need you, Government, to insure our success. Help us by providing a limited set of rules and by your enforcing them, then turn us loose and watch us grow…as will you. Government of the people means that if you allow us to flourish, then you will thrive as well. If you stifle our spirits and our creative impulses, then we will all wither and fade away. Freedom. Freedom. Freedom.
Comment or email: cnpearl@woh.rr.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
