In a bid to rekindle the torch of democracy, a longtime federal executive explores the political discord that has so many people fighting with each another. If you're concerned about the future of the United States and the shortcomings of today's political system, then you're part of an ever-growing club. Author William W. Robé, who spent more than Forty years in the service of his country, is deeply disturbed by the lack of harmony within the halls of government. Social, economic, and demographic changes pose challenges, but Tea Party activists, Wall Street occupiers, and others are only making our problems worse. In this detailed commentary on the current political system, Robé considers a different approach to understanding American economics; truths about the national debt and deficit spending; two flaws in Adam Smith's original version of capitalism; and ways to find common ground on important issues. If the country's citizens remain divided, democracy will collapse. It won't be because of an invading army; it will be because of internal strife. Even so, it's not too late to rekindle the light of freedom through unity. It begins by recognizing that Divided We Fall.
Divided We Fall
Exploring the Keys to American Unity, Survival, and ProsperityBy William W. RobéiUniverse, Inc.
Copyright © 2012 William W. Robé
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4759-4297-2Contents
Acknowledgments...........................................ixIntroduction..............................................xiPledge of Allegiance......................................xvPart 1 The Cause for Government..........................11. The Quest for Freedom..................................12. Individualism versus Unity.............................73. Our Form of Government.................................154. Changing Demographics..................................245. The Great Depression...................................276. Winding Up the Past....................................32Part 2 The Effects of the Past...........................397. Carryovers from the Past...............................398. The Presidency.........................................439. Economic Elements......................................4610. Money.................................................4811. Taxation..............................................5512. The Domestic Spending Cycle (DSC).....................6113. Government Spending...................................6614. Deficit...............................................6915. The Fear Factor.......................................7416. Inflation.............................................8017. Employment Needs......................................8118. Collective Individualism..............................9119. Our Role in the World.................................9320. Environmental Issues..................................9721. Religion and Government...............................10222. Education in America..................................11223. Gun Control...........................................12324. How Government Works..................................126Part 3 Hopes and Aspirations.............................13925. Toward the Future.....................................13926. The All-Important Vote................................14027. The Electoral College.................................14228. Review of Priorities..................................14329. Needed Modifications..................................14530. Troublemakers.........................................14531. How to Improve........................................14832. The American Creed....................................15533. The End?..............................................156Part 4 Appendix..........................................159
Chapter One
The Quest for Freedom (What All People Hold in Common)
Oh, to be free! Free from duty. Free from responsibility. Free from the trials and tribulations caused by others. Free from rules, regulations, and laws. Unrestricted freedom—to come and go at will. To do what we want, when we want. To be subjected to no other human being. What a glorious dream! If one could only find such a life. One would have to be classified as a hermit, a leper, a loner, a social misfit, or perhaps a mountaintop guru or desert Bedouin in order to achieve such a high degree of freedom. The main question is: Can anyone live amid others and be totally free? Or is absolute freedom a myth—an internal siren song beckoning us to be individuals when in fact we are part of something larger than ourselves?
In holy matrimony the concept of two human beings uniting to become one might suggest that such an ideal situation is possible. In a symbolic gesture, the bride and the groom each hold a lighted candle. They go up to the altar and together light a larger candle representing their union. They then extinguish their individual candles, thus signifying that they are no longer individuals but are one in God's eyes. They are united. What a lovely thought. What a beautiful metaphor. It is little wonder that we cry at weddings!
Even in the best of marriages, the success of this concept depends on the couple's ability to give and to take. Each must be willing to give a little in order to strengthen the union. To do otherwise is to invite a strain in their relationship. They give up a portion of their freedom through love and not because of a law. Their loving partnership could weaken and will eventually become something less than a perfect union if one is always the giver, and the other is always the taker. Resentment has an ugly way of entering a once beautiful relationship.
When larger groups of unrelated humans come together to form a society, individual freedom must be sacrificed to a much greater degree in order for the various members to coexist in peace and harmony. During our Colonial and Revolutionary periods—back when people enjoyed more space and were not stepping on each others' toes as much—the need for rules, regulations, and restrictions was minimal. We must remember that the members of each colony held many moral and social views in common. The more we have in common, the safer we feel because of mutual understandings. Locks on doors and windows are less necessary. A simple handshake seals a business transaction. Jeffersonian thinking about small government was right for that time period, but alas, things have changed. (Our society is no longer a homogenous group of colonies but rather a blending of people from all over the world. What worked so well in 1776 has to be modified in order to keep up with those changes in our society.)
In their quest for freedom, the early settlers on the American continent tired of "taxation without representation" and rebelled. They wanted freedom from the English government—not freedom to run amuck. They wanted a government that was not oppressive and afforded personal freedom consistent with maintaining social order. Their craving has become our craving. As a result of the Revolutionary War, freedom is our heritage! It is now our birthright!
As we transformed from a rural to a more urban society, law and order with its many rules, regulations, and restrictions became increasingly necessary. This could be interpreted by many as a decline in individual freedom. The give-and-take associated with love and mutual respect must give way to obeying laws designed to maintain social order.
Part of belonging to a modern civilized society requires the ability to live in harmony with other human beings. We must allow others to seek their measure of freedom as long as they allow us that same consideration. It is once again a matter of give-and-take. It is being reasonable. It is being slow to anger and quick to forgive—or at least tolerate—the actions of others. This places restrictions and responsibilities on all of us as citizens and members of a society. Absolute freedom is a craving that can never be entirely satisfied if one is to live with others.
If we cannot have absolute freedom, then let us seek the maximum amount of freedom possible. The only way maximum freedom can prevail is through obedience to law. All laws should be enacted for the betterment of the common good. They must be fair, and they must be enforced; otherwise they are meaningless. A free society thus becomes a law-and-order society. Anything less will not guarantee a maximum amount of personal freedom. Toward this goal our government was established. As our population grows, the number of rules and regulations will, out of necessity, increase. A law-and-order government thus becomes the referee in the game of life so that one man's freedom does not become another man's enslavement. This is...
