Topic: Ron Paul
The Devil You Know Is America really ready for a change?by Raven West, J.D.
(libertarian)
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Change vs the "Devil" you know.
You hear it in almost every candidate's campaign speech every election year; what the country wants is change, and they’re the one to bring this change to the people.
In 1976 Jimmy Carter was "A Leader, For a Change". In 1984 Walter Mondale tried to convince the electorate that "America Needs a Change". In 1992 Bill Clinton, "It's Time to Change America", and now in 2008 Mrs. Clinton believes we’re "Ready for change" but Obama is the "Change we can believe in."
Why is it with so much "change" in the campaign air that nothing ever really changes?
In 2006 the American people demanded change in the way our country was being led. They went to the polls, they voted out the "old" Republican guard and replaced them with the "new" Democratic leaders who ran on platforms of change. Yet, here we are two years later, still millions of dollars in debt, our economy is at an all time low and we’re even more heavily involved in the wars in the Middle East than we were before.
You might say the Democrats did fulfill their promise of "change", except they never told us the change was going to be for the worse.
The average American (if there really is such a thing) has been a member of one party or another since the day they first registered to vote. Once a Democrat, always a Democrat. Once a Republican, always a Republican and very few on either side have the courage or desire to "change", and yet they all believe that the person they vote for will bring about change.
Over the years the lines dividing the two major political parties have become more and more blurred. Where we once had a clear understanding of the differences between conservative and liberal, we now have a sub-category of "moderate", or more specifically Republicat! So there is no real change in electing one or the other since they are all pretty much the same. Which is the way most people like it.
The reality is; people do NOT want change. Change scares them. It’s the old saying "The Devil you know" is better than the Devil you don’t and explains the reason why there are still so many "undecided" voters this close to the primaries. They’re not undecided about the candidates, they’re undecided about making any kind of "change".
Hanging out with the devil we know is common practice. It also is a very destructive one. It keeps us in a constant state of inertia. Instead of moving on and finding new leaders, we fool ourselves with a false sense of comfort. Why invest our time and money and more importantly, our vote for a Presidential candidate who has "no chance" of winning? Even if, especially if, that candidate not only promises "change", but has a definite plan to bring about the change. It’s a terrifying thought because we’ve become comfortable with the status quo.
We’re quite content to have a national debt in the trillions. We’ve all become complacent about our Constitutional rights being violated on a daily basis. We’re not at all concerned that hundreds of lives have been lost in a war which no one can explain or justify. We’ve all become so accustomed to our politicians being corrupt and dishonest, flip-flopping on the issues, manipulating the media, that the thought of actual change sounds more like a fantasy then a possibility.
Don’t question. Don’t complain. Don’t even try to make a difference or else you’re going to be labeled a "kook" and those who follow you are going to be called "crazy". I’m one of the crazy people who are supporting the "kook" who doesn’t have a chance to win the Republican nomination. He’s the one person who not only promotes, campaigns and believes that change is possible and is not afraid.
Ron Paul is the only candidate running for President who has distinguished himself by outlining programs which will bring about a definite change in our country. The question remains; are the American people ready to leave the comfort of the Devil they know to bring about REAL change in America.
The Revolution has only just begun.
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The views expressed in this
article are those of Raven West, J.D. only and do not represent
the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. Raven West, J.D. is
solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an
employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.
I agree with your thesis -- people don't really want change no matter how they pretend to themselves and others that they do. However, it is evident to me that change is desperately needed! I would love to hear your thoughts on motivating people to overcome their fatal inertia.
If the needed change (i.e. Freedom a la Ron Paul) is resisted and / or prevented, devastating change will nonetheless come, like it or not, in the form of irresistable and probably irrevocable national disaster.
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