Don't Doubt

I have a beautiful and wonderful friend who very eloquently shared a few words with me today. They touched a cord and I asked her permission to pass this on to those who stumble here...

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As the election, and possibly a new era, approaches, I would like to take the time to reflect on the past, on what got us to where we are today.

Our generation has never experienced major trials. We have seen war, but the general population hasn't been asked to sacrifice anything for it. There have been no drafts, no food rations, and no shortages of panty hose. We have no frame of reference to judge how good we have it even when times are tough. The way things are is the way things have always been.

But things haven't always been this good in this country. Ask someone from the Greatest Generation (hurry before they're all gone) what life was like during the Great Depression or during WWII. Ask them what they had to sacrifice to preserve freedom for you and me. Ask them about what trials they had to endure, how many family members they lost, how much of themselves was lost on the beaches of Normandy.

What we enjoy today has come at no little cost. What would life be like today if our forefathers had not stood up to the tyranny of British rule? Where would we be if we didn't stop Hitler from his ambitions of world domination? Thank God for the brave men and women who kept us from facing those things.

Have we forgotten our history? Have we forgotten what people have given their all for? This is the greatest nation on earth not because of a powerful military but because of the people who populate this land. We have overcome great obstacle by uniting together and doing whatever it takes to get the job done. I believe we still have the same strength out forefathers did. I believe we still have the same will of the Greatest Generation. Don't ever doubt the ability and perserverance of the American people.

I am worried that there is doubt. I am worried that we have come to believe that the government knows better than we do. The government was intended to be a representation of the people and a way to come together to protect us from threats, anything that wants to tear us apart. It is supposed to keep us safe and united, and nothing more. As Thomas Paine wrote in Common Sense, "Here then is the origin and rise of government; namely, a mode rendered necessary by the inability of moral virtue to govern the world; here too is the design and end of government, viz. freedom and security. And however our eyes be dazzled with show, or our ears deceived by sound; however prejudice may warp our wills, or interest darken our understanding, the simple voice of nature and of reason will say, it is right."

We have all seen what happens when the government gets too big. We have all seen how politicians change when they reach Capitol Hill and their eyes grow big with greed seeing all the money flowing through. We have all seen how the government can often do more harm than good. I wish to quote Paine again, "I draw my idea of the form of government from a principle in nature, which no art can overturn, viz. that the more simple a thing is, the less liable it is to be disordered, and the easier to be repaired when disordered." Our government has grown much larger than ever intended, and it has recently taken huge strides in growing much larger. Politicians will make you believe that this is to help us. They want you to believe that they can answer all our problems and save us from ourselves.

But the American people don't need saving. We are a strong, capable, intelligent people who know what's best for ourselves. We know how to handle life's problems. We are willing and capable of helping our neighbors and communities without the government telling us how. Give us a problem, and we'll find a solution on our own. Yes, that might often be the hard way, but it is the most rewarding in so many ways.

Please read about our history. Please understand where we've come from and what has been sacrificed to get us where were are today…and thank a soldier for it. But most of all, when you step into the voting booth, please don't doubt the American people, AND DON'T DOUBT YOURSELF! by Wendy Lawley