Random Rants

In going through coverage of the G-8 summit at Sea Island, I read that protesters are upset that not enough money is being given to project development in Africa. The mood seemed to be that, while world leaders spent their time on inconsequential matters, the real issues are not being addressed. In what world are we supposed to pay attention to people who are getting handouts, but are upset that they're not getting enough? These are not loans. The G-8 are giving money to those who refused to listen to the wisdom of Sam Kinison when he yelled, "Move to where the FOOD IS!" Our leadership is being criticized for not giving away enough taxpayer money to people who have not earned it and will never be called upon to pay it back.

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I'm both amused and disturbed by the way the media has been covering the death and legacy of Ronald Wilson Reagan. Very suddenly, there has been a fresh outpouring of partisan folderol, claiming that his only legacy should be that of Iran-Contra. This is coming from people who objected to his policies ideologically at the time, but had no problem accepting the benefits that his policies created for them.

Reagan's policies may not have been the most popular. I'll give you that. Still, how often can anyone recall hearing of someone that they know sending additional money in to the IRS because they believe that taxes are low? Call it uncaring, if you will. The city of Boston had a little thing added onto a recent ballot initiative that allowed voters to elect to include additional taxes to be levied on them. In that wonderful, large, ideologically correct and progressive city, something like 65 voters elected to pay additional taxes.

Perhaps you don't recall what the country was like at the time that Reagan took office. Inflation and unemployment were out the roof. We lived in constant fear of nuclear war. Our military was stripped to the level that it did not instill any kind of confidence in our national defense. Our economy was keeping us afloat, but Japan was overshadowing us by miles. Military duty in Germany was considered to be hazardous duty, since everyone knew that Soviet tanks would come blasting through the Fulda Gap at any time. African nations were in constant upheaval, torn between self-determination and relying on the help of and subservience to Soviet masters. Fully half of Europe lived in slavery and fear.

Do none of you remember the feeling of a weight being gradually lifted from our nation's shoulders in the early 1980s? It was a tangible thing. Our economy improved at a rate that was astounding. The tax cuts that were instituted by President Reagan did NOT bankrupt the country. Instead, they did exactly what similar and previous tax cuts by FDR and JFK had done: they spurred investment and actually increased the amount of taxes that were taken in. Our military was increased in size, and more emphasis was put on training. Soon, the American military was again regarded as the best trained and most effective military force ever assembled. The shame of bad decisions in Vietnam and Desert One (Iran) behind us, the world again recognized that America was back. Relatively speaking, Africa was stabilized. Europe again gained confidence, including those parts behind the Iron Curtain. Inflation and unemployment dropped dramatically.

Finally, there was the "standoff" against the Soviet Union. It was no standoff. America had a leader who had the courage of his convictions and was determined to defeat what he believed to be the Evil Empire spoken of in the Bible. He drew all kinds of fire for these openly stated beliefs, but he accepted that as the price he had to pay for doing what he believed was right. What is seldom mentioned by the media today is that the country WAS WITH HIM. In retrospect, his ideas and beliefs seem to be too far to the right to have ever gained so much as a foothold. Instead, American citizens realized that this President was something that they had not seen in a long time. This was a man who would do what he said. He had drawn a line in the sand and would not back down. One need only look at the margins of victory over Carter and Anderson in 1980 and over Mondale in 1984 to realize that most of the population of our country found some inspiration in this man.

There were still wide political divides to be forded in the 1980s, as there are today. The difference then was that people recognized that some objections had to be overcome, rather than capitalized upon. People who had traditionally always voted Democrat voted for Reagan because they recognized that he had the leadership, drive and charisma that the nation needed. The people today hang onto their political differences as buoys, the only things to keep them from sinking eternally. In the 1980s, people realized that it was preferable to vote for someone with whom they had differences, but in whom they could believe. Not all agreed with President Reagan, but everyone came to find that they could count on the fact that he would do what he said he would do.

Today, the nation is one in which people seem to define themselves by the ways in which they differ with others in matters of politics, religion and personal freedoms. People are now so proud of their diversity that they fail to seek to find common ground with those whose ideas may differ from their own. People hold onto their beliefs like prayer beads, afraid to put them down and look at another point of view. How common is it, now, for us to hear of lifelong Republicans who are willing to consider gay marriage, or lifelong Democrats who are willing to admit that the tax rolls have been increased following President Bush's tax cuts? It doesn't happen. Those of us who share some ideologies with both sides find that we are the only ones who can see what's going on. The American people are afraid that, by admitting that the other side may have gotten a couple of things right, their entire point of view will be invalidated.

When President Reagan took office, the country was walking on legs like a newborn fawn, unsure of how well it could stand after taking its' next step. Eight years later, the country was sure enough in its' success that there was little mention of how things had used to be. I know. At the time that President Reagan took office in 1981, I was seven years old. I remember doing duck-and-cover drills in school, watching THE ATOMIC CAFE and seeing Todd Thaxton wearing a T-shirt that read "Kill a commie for mommy." At the time that Reagan left office, we had seen the rise of the yuppie, vast expansion of American business interests, dramatic decreases in both inflation and the unemployment rates, consumer confidence at an all-time high, a huge interest in home ownership, and a general improvement in the state of the nation as a whole.

How many Vietnam veterans had received a "Welcome Home" before Reagan took office and reminded us that military service is something that should be honored instead of scorned?

Please don't talk to me about the evils of the Presidency of Ronald Reagan. There were some, and I'll not attempt to refute that. In his case, though, the review of history will show that those eight years did far more good for the United States than they did harm.

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I'm having to sell my house soon. In the last six years, the Gwinnett County Tax Commissioner (now Katherine Sherrington) has seen fit to raise the appraised value of my house to almost double the price that I paid for it. They are either very optimistic, or they have never set eyes on the property. If I can't get the price that I want for it, I think I ought to make them responsible for selling it.

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This next bit will seem really odd to anyone who doesn't know me. I watched Red Dawn not too long ago. By and large, the cast of youngsters has done remarkably well. What on Earth happened to C. Thomas Howell?! It's not like he was horrible. Not great, you know, but I wouldn't say he's as bad as Jennifer Grey is. Did he just select the absolutely wrong agent, or is he just accepting every straight-to-video assignment that he can get?

I love Rowdy Roddy Piper. He's a great guy, a great wrestler and has a very nice daughter. Still, once you're in a movie with the guy, it's like the kiss of death.

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Eleven years ago - June 12, 1993 - I was very close to death. Rather than give in, I elected to live. Since then, living has become something of a habit. It's been a pretty boring habit, for the most part. I believe that I'm on this planet for a real reason, due in no small part to the fact that I'm still talking and breathing.

What are the rest of you still kicking about for? From what I've seen, most people never bother to look for a reason. They live because that's what they've been doing and that's what they think they're supposed to do. They live, they eat, they drink, they reproduce, they get old and they die. They never ask why they had to go through the whole thing.

Is is because they are able to find pleasure in the things that have always seemed mundane to me? Is it because they lack the imagination to truly look into their reason for being?

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My buddy Kemper had a birthday on June 12. I called to wish him a Happy Birthday and never heard back from him. Truth to tell, I haven't heard from him more than a couple of times since he was married a few years ago. It's not like I could be considered a bad influence. Why, then, do I never hear back? I'm just curious. I've reached the point where I don't need as many friends as I did when I was younger and I'm far less apt to put up with bullshit. I'm not horribly bothered by not hearing back from him, but I must admit that I'm intrigued. It would be a good thing to know.