Isn’t Life Strange?

In January of 1992 I was a teacher at my hometown junior high school. I remember stopping by the classroom of a science teacher who was watching the inauguration festivities of the new President, Bill Clinton. As clear as if it were yesterday, I remember saying to this teacher, “This is a great day for America.”

In complete ignorance and without thinking much about the big picture, I had become a Clinton fan. I thought that day would be the day that everything about the culture of corruption in Washington D.C. would change and a wave of freedom and opportunity for all would wash away everything that he said was wrong with the system. I believed everything that was spoken about the previous President, and much of my opinion was based on the repeated cry that George Bush reneged on his famous “Read my lips - No new taxes” promise.

I learned soon that the philosophies espoused and decisions made by President Clinton were often in conflict with my own, and for the first time I began to critically examine politics and political leaders through the spectrum of my own values. And though I was thankful when Clinton’s Presidency was over, I can look back and say that even though I often disagreed with him, he was not at all a terrible President.

These days I am more educated and informed about politics, about the people in charge, and about their plans for America. This is a sobering time for me, as I am not at all happy or optimistic about the future.

I believe in personal liberty and in freedom. I believe in individualism over collectivism. I believe in the God-given rights enumerated in the Declaration of Independence over the will of the state. I believe that people create wealth and that governments cannot. I believe that the involuntary taking of wealth from one person and giving it to another is theft. I believe that when politicians begin talking about making hard choices for the “common good”, personal liberties, freedoms, and wealth will all be compromised.

Over the past two years, I have paid attention to all the hype, all the talk, everything that has been said about Barack Obama. I have restrained myself from participating in the nonsense of some of the more wild claims about him. It’s pretty stupid to pass along rumors and unverified information that cannot be proved.

It’s not going to be a joyous day for me tomorrow. I will not be watching television or listening to the inaugural address. Based upon his promises and plans, President-elect Obama is diametrically opposed to my values. He intends to make broad, sweeping changes to the fabric of America. He believes in collective power over individual choice. He believes in a strong, central government that limits opportunity for the sake of fairness as defined by bureaucrats.

President-elect Obama will be my President. He will be our leader. This is a sobering thought indeed.

The talking heads have said we should all get behind him and want him to succeed. And though I wish him well, I won’t be able to support him in his plans for America. If he succeeds, the America I have loved, the America that has by its very nature given me the freedom to seek my own opportunities and chase my own dreams, will forever be changed and may be but a dream itself.