Last week I wrote about our country being at a tipping point in regard to free speech. I hope that it struck a chord with you because, without you, nothing will be done to preserve the most precious freedom that we have. I believe that this country needs an awakening and a reality check on what our future could look like if we don't start using that freedom of speech to stop the "far left" train from taking over this nation.
Many liberals that might be reading this column would most probably disagree with me because they would be very happy if we moved this country to the "left." They would argue that the liberal position equates "progress," and they are elated that Nancy Pelosi and the Dems are now in a position to stop the man that had the audacity to deny Hillary her birthright as president.
I'm not an idiot, because I could pretty much write the column that might come out opposing my views. Of course, it would most likely start out with some reference to the "scoundrel" that is currently the president. As I have written in the past, if you can't defend your positions, then resort to name calling -- it is a common tactic.
But, I won't dwell anymore on what the "left" might say and tell you why I think we need an awakening. If we don't wake up from our contented disinterest, we are going to find our way of life may be beyond saving. We are going to go even further down the path to socialism than we ever thought possible.
Some may think I am being an alarmist and they would be right. I am sounding the alarm, and I hope that people will wake up, listen to the alarm and not hit the snooze button yet another time.
The Democrat Party now has over 20 people that have announced they are running for president. And, with each new announcement, the race to the left gets more urgent with each candidate trying to "best" the others in regard to their allegiance to "liberalism." They call it something else, but I refuse to use the "p" word to describe their agenda.
And, the national liberal media just continues to fawn over each new entry with delight. A long time ago, they gave up any attempt to hide their love for the liberal agenda and their appetite for hating anything that might not meet a certain narrow conscript of what they think is the right direction for the country.
Couple that with a large number of people who don't really study issues and are swayed purely by populism or charisma, then we have a recipe for disaster in this nation. We have avowed socialists that want to take us down the path that almost every other developed country in the world has rejected and they are gaining support.
Why is it that other countries in the world want to emulate our capitalist model for economic development while many in our nation want to turn to their broken system? It's because ideologues don't understand reality and think that, just because something looks good on paper or in a book, then it must work in the real world.
But, they wouldn't get very far without the duplicity of those that don't have any better understanding of issues than the politicians that propose outlandish solutions to real-world problems. A politician says that everyone should be "given" a basic wage just because they are breathing and should be "given" free health care and free college education and people applaud them.
The politicians don't care how much it will cost because they say the government will pay for it. They and the people who buy into the concept of "free" stuff have forgotten that the government is made up of those who actually pay taxes so someone else can get something for "nothing."
Populism and the charisma that certain politicians exude have taken the place of common sense and an actual understanding of how things work in the real world. And how can you convince someone how things really are when they just want to "rail" on about Trump and how bad he is.
I think it is ironic that liberals want to continue to point out the bad behavior of the current president and for some reason turn a blind eye to the behaviors of past Democrat presidents like Clinton. Of course, all he did was lie to the American public after seducing a young intern in the Oval Office. I guess if you agree with his politics, that is something to ignore.
So, yes, I am an alarmist and proud to own that distinction. If we don't have an epiphany, and quickly, then we only have ourselves to blame for what this nation becomes.
Kevin Wilson is a former state representative who was born in Goodman and now lives in Neosho. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 03/21/2019