I was just watching Glenn Beck's talkshow and his guest tonight was actor Kelsey Grammer. Both are conservative and support McCain, yet i found it interesting that although both bashed Obama regularly, they were more concerned with the current state of government. Regardless of party affiliation, both Beck and Grammer suggested that a smaller Congress and government in general would be an improvement. This made me think about whether voters are interested in a particular candidate or altering the current state of government. Obama's platform has always been to bring about "change" in Washington and he has been very sucessful.
Grammer said that he fully believed in Kennedy's iconic phrase "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country," and that it appears that all America is concerned with at the moment is what the government is going to do. I am guilty of this as well. I want government to solve all of my problems: social, economic, and political, but is that really fair? We are naive if we believe that government has all the answers. In fact government really should just be the vehicle for organizing the public's ideals. Setting unrealistic expectations for our next President will only lead to disappointment. If real change is going to occur it needs to come from the people. We need to be more responsible with our investments and we need to reduce our our dependence on oil. The government has only a responsibility now to get us out of a national crisis, but if we want permanent change, then we have to be more active in ensuring that the voice of the people is reflected in legislature, not the voice of politicians. I do believe that the government needs to be reformed and that it should be more involved in guaranteeing that Americans have homes and healthcare, but I am also firm in my belief that government should always have in mind the best interests of the entire nation.
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Well, I also like JFK'S quote, but let's also think about the context in which he said it. He said this famous phrase in the middle of the Cold War and right before the Cuban Missile Crises. It is true that the government does not have all the answers, but it can have an impact. The government can lead the way into a positive change for our nation. The current government has in some way tarnished our international image. I do not believe that Senator Obama can fix the whole country in one or even two terms, but he can help improve our situation. I believe that with the right leadership America can again be the exemplar nation that we all remember.
It's true that change should come from the people, but just how would this happen or how long would it take to happen?
There are so many more people that rely solely on the government to solve their problems that I don't think things are looking too good for us right now for individual change. At least for now, and for a pretty long while, I think the government will have to hold our hands towards less reliance on a group of few people, and that's only if they're willing.
Maybe people really will learn from history and find ways to solve problems we have now in the future. I wonder how the world will be when we're old.
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