There is an excellent book by Malcom Gladwell titled, “The Tipping Point – How Little Things Can Make A Difference”. Gladwell defines a tipping point as a sociological term, “the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point.”
Wikipedia says, “Tipping points” are “the levels at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable.”
I believe our nation is at a point of critical mass, and the momentum for change is unstoppable. Never in our nations history has there been so many problems with so few answers. Public approval of our elected officials is around 15%, and for good reason. Government intervention in our lives is responsible not only for an ever increasing loss of freedom, but for the meltdown of the global financial system. The more they try to help, the more problems they cause.
The truth is, our political system is badly broken. Our Founding Fathers never imagined career politicians, but rather true servant-leaders who would truly look out for the best interests of those they governed. Today’s self-serving politicians are vastly different. In the interest of self-preservation, the old guard has created a complex system of laws and rules where outsiders are effectively blocked from entering their sanctum and making substantial changes in the way things are done. Maintaining status quo is the order of the day, and it will remain so, until “we the people” reach the boiling point – that moment of critical mass where we are mad as hell and will not willing to take it anymore.
The truth is, we need a genuine grassroots revolution in this country. People need to stop living in denial. This nation became great because it was built upon a foundation of divine truth. Please take a minute to read carefully this section of the Declaration of Independence and see if you agree that it’s time for another revolution.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”
Has our present government reached this point of absolute despotism? Probably not yet, but we are quickly marching in that direction. Uncontrolled government spending and escalating budget deficits can only result in increased taxation. The winds of socialism are growing in strength. The present bailout plan being bantered about by Congress, when combined with the trillions of dollars in promised entitlement payments will seal the deal. This massive debt is being laid upon the backs of a workforce which is decreasing daily. Baby Boomers have begun piling onto the Social Security rolls and the system will soon reach critical mass.
In just a few short years, our children’s paychecks will be dramatically impacted and the level of resentment will increase exponentially as they find themselves unable to enjoy the fruit of their labors. For them, the American Dream will become an unrealistic fantasy and a painful reminder of the unfairness of this nation. This is a travesty of monumental proportions, and it angers me beyond words because it is a violation of the first order.
While I believe in political reform, our two-party system doesn’t need reformation; it needs abolition. It is outdated and it only serves to perpetuate our crushing, life-robbing problems. We need government, but we do not need the amount of government that we have. Our Founding Fathers gave us a great gift in the founding documents of our nation. I believe they were operating under divine inspiration when they crafted a government where people are empowered to pursue their dreams, enjoy the fruit of their labors, and live in peace and harmony. They restricted government intervention in the lives of the citizens, and provided checks and balances which were meant to keep corruption and blind ambition out of the government process.
Even our judicial branch, the last check in the system has become corrupt in it’s actions. In the past few years, activist federal judges have decided that their opinions are more important than the Constitution they were sworn to uphold. Federal case law has replaced natural law and the intent of the Founders. The rotten fruit of this arrogant folly is rapidly becoming a stench in our nostrils. We are no longer a nation built upon a foundation of justice and righteousness. The sanctity of life and personal freedom are no longer valued by many sit upon their lofty benches.
The mentality of entitlement has replaced the virtues of personal responsibility and stewardship. This is not only destroying families and reducing them to wards of the state, it is eroding our national prosperity and poisoning the minds of future generations who no longer place value on work. We now have a large segment of the population who believes that the government is their source; that they have a right to food and shelter.
In fact, nobody has a right to these things – they have a right to pursue them. They are not free, and as such, someone has to pay for them. Of course, so long as politicians are free to take money away from those who work and give it to whomever they please, they can create a block of parasitic voters who remain in willful ignorance of how the world really works.
This is not a new problem, and the Apostle Paul summed up the scriptural idea of stewardship and responsibility in this way – “he that will not work, neither let him eat.” This is how love operates – it uses the lessens of consequence to teach us how to live in true freedom, rather than being enslaved by being dependent upon others. Of course we have a moral obligation to care for those who cannot care for themselves. But it is not love to promote irresponsibility by stealing from those who work and giving it to those who will not. Man was created to spend his life in fruitful labor. Those who do not but are spared the consequences of their sloth are not only a burden on the rest of society, they often spend their energies in destructive and unlawful behavior. This is one big reason why crime and poverty are often bedfellows.
If America has a future, it will be because we return to the principles that flow from the heart of God for mankind – the principles of the Kingdom of God. Man was born to be free, to have dominion over the works of his hands, and to enjoy the fruit of his labors. We need government to protect us from that which would restrict these freedoms. It is up to WE THE PEOPLE to protect ourselves from the government.
As I look upon the horizon, I see a tipping point in view. It is time for change – not from the top down, but from the bottom up. We need a grassroots revolution. Have you reached your boiling point yet?
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