My wife and I currently are on a book tour
by bus through several states, and I have
been struck by the number of people who
already have read "One Nation," but also by
the large, enthusiastic crowds whose
constituents include all political parties.
People are concerned about our future as a
nation and the poor prioritization of issues
by our leaders, to put it mildly.
We wrote "One Nation" to convince our
fellow Americans that "we the people" are not
enemies and that our strength is derived
from unity and common sense, which should
be ubiquitous. The real enemies are the
forces that are constantly trying to divide and
conquer. They create divisions based on race,
gender, age, education and, especially,
income. It is important that we discuss who
the purveyors of division are and what drives
them to seek a radical alteration of the
American way of life.
We discuss the tools used to manipulate the
populace into feeling that they should be
offended so easily by words, while diverting
their attention away from the real issues that
desperately cry out for a solution. One of the
major keys to avoiding manipulation is
knowledge. Our system of government was
designed for people who could easily
understand the issues and vote intelligently
based on knowledge, rather than blindly
following political leaders who are often
enshrouded with less than honorable motives.
One of the book's major themes is that
knowledge is a formidable enemy of
falsehood and a formidable ally of truth.
There are specific steps that each of us can
take, such as reading about something new
for a half-hour every day for a year. Such a
simple move will profoundly change the life
of the reader and will vastly increase their
effectiveness as an involved and responsible
citizen.
In today's world of widely disseminated
information, a person rapidly can become
knowledgeable in a variety of areas,
regardless of his occupation.
The greatest concerns of the people we are
encountering on the road revolve around the
future of their children and grandchildren as
we continue along the path of government
growth and escalating expenditure of
taxpayer money, essentially ensuring that
future generations have lives characterized
by significantly reduced economic freedom.
The lessons are abundant in America and
throughout the world regarding the
consequences of prolonged fiscal
irresponsibility. Also, historical records are
replete with accounts of the self-destruction
of nations, driven by national debt. Many of
our leaders are complacent about our
precarious financial state because people
seem more interested in reality television and
sporting events than in our imminent
financial collapse. Once again, history
informs us that national leaders seldom
recognize and act upon economic warnings
before disaster occurs.
I think the majority of the American people
know we are rapidly approaching the fiscal
cliff, and they are concerned but not
panicked. It is not too late for people of all
political stripes to put partisan bickering
aside and join forces to combat the
unsustainable debt that threatens our future.
It also is not too late for responsible voters to
notice which leaders refuse to seriously
engage in such endeavors and remove them
from office.
It doesn't matter to me that those who despise
my warnings will say I'm only promoting my
book and trying to make money. From their
perspective, they are probably incapable of
understanding motives that would differ from
theirs. Regardless of what they say, November
2014 will bring perhaps the most
consequential midterm elections in history.
Combined with the elections of 2016, "we the
people" will determine whether traditional
American values and traditional
interpretations of our Constitution are
important to us, or whether we prefer to
continue down the path of ever-increasing
government control of everything, including
our lives. Books such as "One Nation: What
We Can All Do To Save America's Future"
will, by the grace of God, ensure that we go
into that election process with our eyes open.
Not only are there no enemies among us, but
we can and must come together to recapture
the values that made us an exceptional
nation. We must use our intellect and energy
to unleash the most powerful economic
engine the world has ever known. Then we
must concentrate on opening the pathways of
personal empowerment to the millions of
Americans who feel forgotten. Instead of
restraining them in positions of dependency,
we must provide clear pathways to self-
improvement. We can help those who have
made mistakes that make it difficult for them
to pursue an education by providing a
reasonable amount of money for day care.
By demonstrating true compassion as dictated
by Judeo-Christian values, we can make
America a place of dreams and success for
everyone. We must remember that freedom
is not free, and all of us must be involved in
its maintenance.
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