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Introduction
“The road of life is filled with flat squirrels that refused to make a decision.” -Unknown
“The Silent Majority must stop being silent, or it will no longer be the majority.” -Will Luden
That is the subject of today’s 10-minute episode.
Continuing
It is time to stop the wedding, the marriage of our government, our money, and our futures with the call for:
- Defunding the police.
- Severely limiting free speech.
- Medicare for All, along with free education and housing for all.
- Open borders combined with a welfare state.
- Believing that America as conceived and founded is inherently and irredeemably evil rather than flawed but inherently good with the progress to prove it.
- The destructive belief that government, not the individual, is the first place to turn to make ourselves, our communities and the world better.
- And so very much more.
If there is a Silent Majority, and I believe there is, it is time for those in that majority to speak up and act up. Make a difference. Get educated about what is going on. You need to know what might happen if you stay silent, quietly waiting to vote in November, believing that is all you need to do to be effective. If that is what you do, stay silent and wait to vote believing that fulfills your responsibility, the game will be well and truly over before you even suit up. You will run onto the field, only to hear the referee blow the double whistle signifying the end of the game.
This applies to the Silent Majority of liberal Democrats who are standing by while their party is snatched away from them by Progressives, led by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,
AOC, a New York City Representative in Congress. AOC is registered as a Democrat, and describes herself as a Democratic Socialist. Here are only a few of the changes that AOC’s party, the Democratic Socialists, demand. The NYC Democratic Socialist site demands: End The Carceral State; decriminalize most actions, and let people out of prison. Free housing and education for everyone. Open borders. Worker control over the economy. Go to the site and see for yourself; you will not believe me.
This applies to the Silent Majority of voters who are watching as our country is torn apart by forces on the rapidly growing edges of the political spectrum. If you do not like what has been happening when the protests get violent later at night, with vandalism, looting, burning and physical harm–even killings, what are you doing about it? Especially–but not only–if you live in Portland, Seattle, Denver, Minneapolis–and other places. How long is either Silent Majority going to let those who claim to represent us and have our best interests at heart fight like spoiled children, while their clear focus is to get reelected time and again and to seize more power in the process? Yes, there is a swamp in DC, and it includes both parties. You want a place to start with what we should be expecting, and, yes, demanding? Start right here: 1. Term limits. An absolute must. 2. Any law passed by Congress must apply equally to them–and everyone in government. You want Medicare for All? Okay, then truly make it apply to “all”. Get rid of the separate and better healthcare insurance for government workers, and the even more lavish healthcare enjoyed by Congress.
And are you as tired, embarrassed, frustrated and, well, as angry as I am that all of us have to dismiss deep and dysfunctional flaws in both major parties and their candidates in order to vote for our preferred set of principles? Rational voters on both sides are openly dismissing their preferred candidate’s serious defects in order to get the “right” Supreme Court nominees, and the policies they prefer. When Bill Clinton got caught in a huge lie by a semen-stained dress, the Democrats said that character did not matter in a President, and the Republicans claimed that it did. In 2016, things were completely reversed with Republicans saying that character did not count, and Democrats claiming that it did. Now, no one is talking about character as a deciding factor because neither candidate can, with a straight face, claim the character and moral high ground. To paraphrase, “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. Just do what you need to do to get what you want.” How on God’s green earth did character stop mattering in the Oval Office? And this at the same time that any real or perceived character flaw in yesterday’s genuine heroes has so many people wanting to erase them from our parks, schools, history books–and from our minds?
Regulars at Revolution 2.0™ are familiar with its qualified voter position. I am not at all a fan of simply getting out the vote. I am an ardent fan of getting out the well informed vote. Voters who regularly perform in-depth research on both sides of the issues, and all of the candidates running for an office. In other words, don’t vote unless you have done your research with multiple sources, and multiple types of sources, and given all of the candidates and issues thoughtful consideration.
But it is becoming increasingly clear that even casting well informed votes is not enough. The well informed voter, as described here, must be an influencer. With every right comes equal or greater responsibility; the right to vote comes with two responsibilities 1. Being well informed as outlined earlier, and 2. Sharing, in a persuasive way, your beliefs about both being well informed before voting, and what you believe–and why you believe what you believe.
Character most certainly counts with politicians, and especially the President. And it matters in ourselves as individuals, citizens and voters. Remember: if we want better candidates and better office holders, we must be better voters.
Be a deeply researched, well informed voter, and become a force multiplier by influencing others. And start now. From where you are. With what you have.
Tell me what you believe. I and many others want to know.
As always, whatever you do, do it in love. Without love, anything we do is empty.
Contact
As we get ready to wrap up, please do respond in the episodes with comments or questions about this episode or anything that comes to mind, or connect with me on Twitter, @willluden, Facebook, facebook.com/will.luden, and LinkedIn, www.linkedin.com/in/willluden/. And you can subscribe on your favorite device through Apple, Google, or Stitcher.
If you liked today’s episode, other episodes or the revolution2-0.org site itself, comment, subscribe, and encourage others to subscribe with you. Each One Reach One will help spread the word about Revolution 2.0™.
Will Luden, coming to you from 7,200’ in Colorado Springs.
The core, driving principles at Revolution 2.0, are:
1. Personal Responsibility. Take it, teach it.
2. Be Your Brother’s Keeper. Taking care of our brothers and sisters.
If we apply those two core principles simultaneously, we will inevitably be on the right path.
- Supreme Court As A Legislature: Getting It Terribly Wrong(EP.267) - September 25, 2020
- 2020 Presidential Voting Guide: Biden v Trump (EP.266) - September 22, 2020
- The Homogenization of America (EP.265) - September 18, 2020
4 Responses
Hi Will, I trust that you and the family are well. Even though I do not leave a reply, I often read your posts. Your narrative in this current one caught my attention. Though I often disagree with your perspective and opinions, I still find them thought-provoking.
This latest post about the moral high ground is spot on. Regrettably, many in Washington D.C. have forgotten they are elected officials and are representatives of their electorate. For so many, in all three branches of government, the focus is on greed, the acquisition of power, and to maintain that power by any means necessary. Character and a strong moral compass for many, is missing. Those at the highest level of government seem to have lost or put morality and character in a closet and threw away the key. We all are, irrespective of party affiliation, paying a steep price for this. “One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all” given the current state of our country, doesn’t seem relevant today.
We have over 150k dead from Covid-19 and still no national strategy or response. Because of personal and political agendas, we are largely ignoring science. We are not learning from other countries which had high infection rates and death tolls but have now flattened the curve and are experiencing daily and monthly deaths in single or double digits. We are, presumably the wealthiest, smartest, most powerful capable country on earth, yet our leadership in the midst of Covid-19 has been grammar school level at best. And the crisis continues.
Another point I agree with you on is that just voting is not enough. I too believe it is imperative that voters be issue educated voters. Such a large percentage of our voters appear to be blindly following this person, or that person rather than educating themselves on history, facts, and science. Perhaps this is too much to ask; I don’t know. I do know that the individualistic nature of this country, and its failure to get the concept of “we are our brother’s keeper” will keep us under the wrath of Covid-19 for some time.
Dear Dr. J, I am honored that you often read my posts. And I would love it if you would comment more often, perhap especially when you disagree. I am learning tons about myself–and the world–as a podcaster; there is much I can learn from you. Remember; If two people agree about everything, one of them is unnecessary…:).The moral compass is key; mine, as I have declared more than once in the podcasts, is Christ. With everyone having a solid moral compass, we can figure out almost everything else. Cheers, Will
I agree with most of this with one exception. Working in Healthcare I do believe in Universal Healthcare. Not sure what that will look like though. My reasons….I see so many people that cant afford insurance ( in spite of failed Obamacare ) and as a rule they wait until very ill to go to a doctor which means that it essentially costs taxpayers more and raises insurance costs for those who have insurance. ( Yes….you are already paying through Medicaid and some Medicare
programs) The United States spends more per capita for healthcare than any other civilized country in the world. See statistics. If everyone had Healthcare maybe on sliding scale it would actually save us money. Not necessarily government run but as lots of Medicare programs are actually privately controlled by other insurance companies. Just some of my thoughts. Thanks for listening.
Billie, always listening. I agree that reasonable access to healthcare, with market-based and competitive elements, is essential. I am very worried that any all-government approach might very be a cure that is worse than the disease. BTW, both parties are at fault here. What are your thoughts? Cheers, Will