AT WAR WITH OURSELVES

There was a time when the United States was simply one nation. We were just Americans. One for all, all for one. One nation under God. No matter where their country of origin, once the immigrants arrived on our shores they became "Americans."  Yes, because we are human, we have been tainted by racism and religious bigotry, but overall,  our country has achieved greatness because of our cohesion.

Sadly, that cohesion has deteriorated, and the impetus for its destruction has been the growth of the Federal welfare state. It started in the 1930's with Social Security and unemployment insurance. It accelerated in the 1960's with President Johnson's Great Society, which gave us Medicare, Medicaid, Aid to Dependent Children. Today the government will pay for your college, your rent, your kid's school lunch, birth control, abortions, gender reassignment and a host of other services.

What the government has done in essence is given the American people a proclamation: We have billions of dollars to give away. Whichever group shouts, screams, yells and hollers the loudest and longest will get the most money. That's when we began to multiply and divide, as various groups fought one another to receive the handouts. This dicing and slicing of the population received a title.PRESSURE GROUP WARFARE.

No longer are we one people. Now it is whites vs. blacks. vs. Hispanics vs, students vs. seniors vs. straights vs. LGBT vs. union members vs. non-union members vs.handicapped, ad nauseum. The government has pitted citizen against citizen, each group crying out, "Our group deserves it more than your group! Screw you! Give us the money!"

The Civil War split this country into two. Pressure group warfare has split us into an infinite number of pieces, and like Humpty Dumpty, those pieces may not be able to be put back together again.

The government has bought the soul of America. It is time for us to refund the money and regain the spirit that brought us greatness.

ELECTION HACKING OR PUBLIC SERVICE?

The so-called scandal that has been dogging Donald Trump centers around the Trump's campaign staff's alleged  collusion with the Russians to interfere with the outcome of the presidential election. The most recent allegations involve Donald Trump, Jr. and his meeting with a group of Russians for the purpose of receiving damning information about Hillary Clinton. Commentators in the media are saying that this is the scandal that could finally bring down the Trump presidency. After all, how dare a presidential candidate meet with a foreign power to effect election results.

But wait! There is another take on this situation that has not been discussed. If a presidential candidate--regardless of who it is--has damaging information about another candidate--regardless of who it is--should they not make it public? If a candidate for president of the United States has engaged in illegal, immoral or unethical behavior, the voters have a right to know. To have knowledge of such behavior and not disclose it, should itself be a crime. Anyone possessing knowledge of a candidate's illegal, immoral or unethical behavior has a civic and moral obligation to disclose this information to the voters of this country. To withhold it would be a moral lapse and potentially damaging to our nation.

Thus, it could be easily argued that the Trump Jr's. meeting with the Russians had the potential to be of public service. Has it turned out, the Russians had no damaging evidence against Clinton. But if they did, why would obtaining this evidence have constituted a scandal and crime? To attack Trump for attempting to obtain and release incriminating evidence would be the political equivalent of shooting the messenger.