Holloween Candy

I was listening to Glenn Beck on my way to work this morning (Yes I know...I'm an old man.) and he made a great Halloween analogy.

The scene begins as three trick-or-treating children come knocking on your door. You open the door and quickly survey the kids' candy bags. You notice that two kids have lots of candy and the other doesn't have nearly as much. There are several reasons that the one kid doesn't have as much: he might not have been able to get to as many houses as the other two or he might have just been lazy and not have tried as hard to get candy. Seeing the apparent inequity, would you take candy from the other two kids to try and even things out? If you did, the two kids that lost candy would immediately recognize the inequity of that action. The kid's recognize that taking the candy that they've collected and giving to another kid without their consent isn't fair. A parent looking at this situation might encourage the two with more to give to child that doesn't, but probably wouldn't force the kids to do so. It's far more meaningful and appropriate when the child gives because they want to.

I love that analogy because it shows so many truths about this election. Some people would say it sounds stupid or ridiculous, but it shows how Obama's tax plan would play out. It also shows the other side of the Republican argument that the media never really addresses. Republicans aren't about taking from the poor and making them suffer. Rather, we emphasize that it should be an issue that each person deals with on an individual basis rather than passing it off on government. If anything, Republicans are emphasizing personal responsibility. And that, dear readers, is really at the core of the problem with America today. We're are having a crisis of responsibility!

Almost every issue boils down to Americans refusing to take responsibility for their actions and trying to transfer that responsibility onto someone else. I'll admit that that is not the case in every situation, but I would venture that it is the case about 90 percent of the time. Yet one cannot understate the importance of personal responsibility to the future success and strength of America. Without it, we will continue on this present decline until the America that we know and love ceases to exist.