To Tell The Truth...
It's one thing to do something wrong...it's quite the other to follow that wrongdoing up with a lie.
But that is exactly what seems to be going down in Washington D.C.
And it's been going on for some time.
Only NOW, do we see all the falsehoods perpetrated against the American people.
Perhaps we can thank (or is that blame?) the instantaneous acquisition of news, whether it be on TV cable stations or through the Internet.
I for one enjoy the truth, but I also love hearing a good lie (and exposing it)...
The truth might not be what you WANT to hear, but at least you get those "bad" feelings out of the way a helluva lot quicker.
The truth is something we might dread, or something we might look forward to.
There are also levels or degrees of truth.
We've got universal truths, which encompass much of the scientific and mathematic realm. Certain things are immutable and cannot change. They are truths, plain and simple. Always were...always will be.
We've got truth in advertising (we're supposed to anyway...rarely seen these days), Biblical truths, societal truths, and personal truths.
Seems we've got a truth for damn near every occasion.
We also have lies that fill the same requirements (like those little white lies)
.Sometimes, people might s..t..r..e..t..c..h...the truth to keep from being the bearer of bad news, or to cover one's ass.
People will attempt to turn a lie INTO a truth to serve their needs. And then there are the chronic liars...the BS'ers of the crowd.
Take this recent Health Care Bill (please) bouncing about in D.C.
We are told certain "specific" truths, while being lied to at the same time.
Talk about your mixed messages.
Much of the REAL truth behind this bill is not forthcoming from the mouths of those trying to ram this down America's throat.
And whatever "truth" these politicians push at us is still laced with too many things that have us scratching our heads in bewilderment. We're finding (for example) that all these numbers thrown about just DON'T ADD UP!
So, we ask them about the truth BEHIND their truth...and are given the sound of crickets in reply. As a result, we look elsewhere.
We, the people of this nation aren't asking for much...just tell us EVERYTHING and hide NOTHING from us.
As one of those who PAYS the salaries of this overblown government (and it's hoard of minions), I think we're owed THAT much.
We're all but cajoled into this false sense of security when being told how "wonderful" and "marvelous" this health care bill will be for everyone, when in fact, it's designed to bust the bank on an already overspent economic situation in this country.
That's one good thing about numbers...they DON'T lie.
They tell the TRUTH!
Now, I suppose these pundits believe they're being truthful as they describe all the "wonderfulness" attached to this bill, and maybe they're operating on some theoretical "fuzzy-math" dictum, but right here, in the REAL WORLD, those numbers still do NOT add up in any manner which would bring our nation back from the precipice of financial collapse and restore it to prosperity, nor will it financially enhance ANY of our lives in the process.
Okay, so it won't cost us "anything up front"...(heard this one before) but sooner or later, someone's gotta pay the band for all that music we've been dancing to as this all unfolds, should we allow this bill to pass, right?
Maybe the government shouldn't have bought and paid for such a LARGE "hall" to hold this health care shindig in...'ya think?
And maybe we really didn't need to participate either. Maybe we should have sat out this particular dance, as it were.
Now, I'm not saying our health care system is NOT broken, but it IS in need of long-ignored repair....a serious tune up if you will.
We need to bring down costs for those having trouble affording care, and allow cross-state purchasing of health care, as well as tort reform. That's not a perfect fix, but it's a damn sight better than this massive expenditure (at our expense) for "one spin of the wheel".
It's one helluva gamble, and when it comes to this nation's economy being as shaky as it already is, I'm somehow not feeling the urge to go "all in" on this one. Hell, at this point, it might be better to just fold and cut our losses for now.
And I'm sure many of you out there feel likewise.
Wouldn't it make a LOT more sense to be primarily concerned with creating JOBS in this country, so those that cannot currently afford health care COULD afford it?
That ices the cake for me, personally.
I mean, it's going to be difficult enough to recoup all the jobs lost in America over the last 40 or so years (when we were still a manufacturing power on this planet).
Just within the last 150 years, we've changed the face of this nation several times over.
First, we were primarily an AGRARIAN country.
Then, we became an INDUSTRIAL giant with our leaps in technological and inventive ways.
Then, we dropped that in favor of becoming an INFORMATIONAL GATHERING society (back in the 70s).
Now, we've lost that brass ring, and heaven knows what we lead the world in (perhaps debt by the way things look).
We've lost our competitive edge in the global society. And if we're not careful, we might also lose our prominence AS a super power, due to flawed decisions with our economic stability. Our "street cred" is at stake here.
That's the TRUTH of the matter.
And truth be told, we need to remain a world power. We need to be that nation others look to for guidance...and freedom...and prosperity for her people. We need to be that example of truth...not deception.
We need to have our politicians stop lying to the people...and moreover, to themselves.
Like I said, the truth can often be hard to swallow, and might not be what we WANT to hear.
But many times, it IS...what we NEED to hear.
Get out and make a difference today, and above all...
Stay safe out there, America.

((Friday - Fort Wayne suffers homicide #5))