Where did we go wrong?

April 25, 2008 05:10 pm

— Is America really in as bad shape as the news media would have us believe? The entire world seems to hate us, yet everyone wants to either come here and eat from our generous trough or profit from lucrative trade arrangements with us. Something about our current state of affairs reminds me of a large, crippled and bleeding beast around which the wolves and vultures are circling, eager to get their portion before it’s too late.
At the present rate of disintegration, I cannot see how our nation can survive, nor do I feel our present lifestyle can be maintained. No one seems interested in establishing long-term sustainable goals to help America continue as the most affluent and envied society in recent history. Everyone seems only interested in maximizing their immediate gains despite inevitable damage to society.
The greed of our corporate interests appears to be insatiable, and a huge segment of our individual entrepreneurs also seem to focus only on monetary return. Consideration for the toll it wreaks on everything in its wake is not a factor. We seem to have developed the mentality of a condemned man about to order his last meal or the terminally ill patient trying to live a lifetime in a few weeks.
What really saddens me is the scope of this self-destructive way of life. From our top governmental leaders all the way down to the typical spoiled brat clamoring for more toys or candy, no level or segment of our society seems immune.
I recently noted a news story about an earmark inserted into a $286 billion federal highway funding bill. Representative Don Young of Alaska, chairman of the House Transportation Committee, stuck in $10 million worth of pork-barrel funding for an Interstate 75 interchange near Naples, Fla. This fraudulent action was done after the appropriations bill had been voted on and approved by Congress. A developer who owned 4,000 acres of land nearby just happened to throw a fundraiser for Young where he brought in $40,000 for his campaign.
This purportedly “Honorable” Congressman from Alaska was quite happy to throw away $10 million of yours and my tax dollars for a lousy 40 grand. He, and the hundreds like him in Washington, should be fined, imprisoned and stripped of all medical and retirement benefits. He should be barred from holding office and disenfranchised for life.
The sad thing about this instance is that it put a petty little violation of the trust given to our elected officials. This type of betrayal of public trust is so rampant as to become standard operating procedure. This disregard of ethical standards is enabled because of an almost complete breakdown of legal accountability.
Corporate America has all but lost any vestige of conscience in business dealings. Few of our trusted major corporations are even owned by Americans, and the effect of their actions on our nation’s future is not a consideration.
Established brand names which once reflected American made pride are no longer to be trusted. Corporate names, trademarks and reputations have for the most part been sold to manufacturers in China, financial conglomerates controlled my oil rich tyrants, Third World dictators or European Union financiers. Corporations buy political influence to such a degree that perhaps it’s time to list corrupt influence peddlers on the New York Stock Exchange and begin taxing them.
Closer to home, local enterprises such as the oil and gas industry and real estate developers are aggressively focused on harvesting a lion’s share of what remains of the Parker County we once knew.
There is a feeding frenzy by the Barnett shale producers to glean every last dollar from this resource, despite the horrendous toll being taken on local infrastructure.
They seem relatively unconcerned about diminishing water supplies, environmental concerns and overall quality of life in the county.
Recently, I saw plans for a development in eastern Parker County for approximately 2,000 new homes to be supplied by well water, and calling for as many as nine houses per acre to be built. Is greed alone responsible for this degree of lunacy?
What can bring back the standards of personal responsibility and accountability? Is it too late to reign in this sickness of self-entitlement and selfish behavior?
We must accept the fact that government does not guarantee us happiness and prosperity. We must recognize that we are free to pursue happiness, we are given equal opportunity to fail, and we must be personally accountable for our actions and their consequences.
If we cannot accept this, America will most surely fall.
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Larry M. Jones is a retired Navy Commander and aviator who raises cattle and hay in the Brock/Lazy Bend part of Parker County. Comments may be directed to nowhearthis @pwhome.com. Columns submitted to The Weatherford Democrat by guest writers reflect the opinions of the writer and in no way reflect the beliefs or opinions of The Weatherford Democrat.