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Health & Fitness

Wouldn't Know Peace Existed

Laying responsibility for a better life on the individual, not the government.

Recently, a person whose bio only said that she was a female who'd attended Carnegie Mellon University said, "we wouldn't know peace existed if we didn't see it in tv."

Odd, most Americans, except those with family in the military, wouldn't know war existed except for what they see on TV. The response to 9/11 was justified, but should have included all of America, not just the soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines. Americans have been too isolated from conflict since 1952, the last time the civilian populace was tasked to participate in any form. People who remember WWII can tell about rationing and working in industry to support the war efforts, People who remember Korea can tell about paper and scrap metal drives to support war. People who remember Vietnam had good jobs, bought new cars, new homes, and benefited from high rates of interest while 58,000 of their neighbors' sons and daughters died for the freedom of a little country in south east Asia. People who are experiencing war for the first time with Iraq and Afghanistan have learned to thank soldiers they see at airports, but have not given up one iota of their lifestyle despite seeing the horrible attacks on America ten years ago. Toby Keith made millions rattling a saber he never once thought about holding. John Lennon made millions singing about peace but never offered solutions.

Our next war must be on complacency. The American population must be brought into the battle because the governments have grown so large and unwieldy that they cannot possibly survive without the participation of everyone. Bands of protesters with professionally crafted signs provided by unions will do little to make change unless they also work on finding a solution. Right now they are merely noisily pointing to a problem. Here, in nearby Athens, Georgia, UGA students temporarily succeeded in blocking pedestrian traffic on a public street in front of the university, but they sit there with the accouterments of the good life, notebook computers, laptops, IPads, cellular telephones, and a late model automobile, complaining about the high cost of education.

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Until the American population is charged to take care of itself, no significant changes will be seen. When unions were first established, they served a purpose, but in the last 30 years or more, they've done more to damage the economy than to help workers. Expecting regular increases in pay without any corresponding increase in output is what turned DeSotos into Toyotas, Zeniths into Panasonics, and Harleys into Hondas. Expecting General Motors, General Mills and General Electric to take care of its workers until they die with absolutely no responsibility on the individual has raised the value of Honda, Hyundai and Husqvarna stocks.

It is hard to blame a government you elected unless you take steps to replace that government with people who will make changes for the better. It is harder to blame government when you've taken no steps towards promoting your own well-being. Sitting on your duff complaining about things isn't the solution. If there is something you think is unfair, devise a viable change, take it to your representative in that particular level of government, present a foolproof argument for its adoption, participate in the effort for implementation and, above all, do not expect miracles. But remember, spending money you don't have on things you don't need isn't just for individuals, it is for governments at every level, from neighborhood associations all the way up to Washington, and the word "need" isn't the same as "want."

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