w
Is the United States on Self Destruct?
By F. Anton Stahl
Too many people in our government have a serious disease: CDD. It’s a mental illness and it may have reached pandemic proportions. It’s bringing down our nation. This illness is a self-destruct button and is being pushed regularly by far too many officials in the United States government. What is CDD? It’s Character Deficit Disorder.
Where has integrity gone? And where has the following concept gone? “The people come first for that’s why they elected me. I’m not beholden to power brokers who can fund me so I may be elected, and reelected… again and again.” Has the GMP Factor (Greed, Money and Power) blinded them? Do dollars buy votes for them? Have their power positions so overinflated their egos and that is why CDD is spreading? What do you think?
When I look at congress today, I am reminded of what Lincoln borrowed from the Bible and once said, “A house divided must fall.” I don’t see very much harmony in congress today; do you? How will it survive in the years to come? I believe that it will depend on just how much we can eradicate the mental illness of CDD.
People in government were once ordinary citizens, just like you and I. Have they forgotten that they and me make we and that WE THE PEOPLE must all work together in harmony if we are to remain a free and successful nation? Does greed for money and power so color the judgments of the CDD afflicted that they are forgetting the we part of they and me? Are we, as a nation of freedom loving people, losing it? If we ever do, I contend it will be because of the mental illness of CDD.
Where did CDD originate? It began and has progressively spread as we the people of our great nation began to forget the value of values. I remember back around 1980 reading an article that more and more teenagers were cheating on their school exams. I also remember wondering at that time, how these cheaters will affect society when they become our future leaders in government, business, education and religion. I leave that for you to decide. I know that over the years I have seen integrity on an increasing decline in society in general. Have you noticed?
Like Martin Luther King Jr. I too have a dream: that the people of the future will not be judged by their positions of power, fame and wealth but by the content of their character; and that the people of the future more than ever will ask not what others can do for them but what they can do for others. I strongly believe in the value of people helping people make a difference. When I see people helping others: being considerate of, and kind to others I am assured that all is not lost. I believe in the value of values and have even created a Character Counts Value of Values List of 50.
What We Think About, We Bring About
I have often made the above statement in my talks and classes. It parallels Emerson’s, “A man is what he thinks about all day long” and the Bible quotation, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” What do you think about all day long? How about those in government or the teenagers of today? Our society reflects our thinking.
Freedom is like power, abuse it and you lose it, if not sooner then later. Are we losing ours? Where do you stand when it comes to the GMP Factor or the importance of the Value of Values? How about People Helping People Make a Difference? Are you afflicted with CDD, even if in a minor way? This mental disorder prevents us from perceiving clearly and often includes what I call the Right-itis Affliction: “When I’m right, I’m right. Don’t confuse me with facts. My ignorance is my bliss.” Someone one once said, “Most people don’t think, they only think they think.” I read a quote recently that is said to come from Adolf Hitler: “What luck for rulers that men don’t think.” And here is some Oriental Wisdom to consider: “There are those who don’t know and don’t know that they don’t know. They are ignorant. Then there are those who know and know that they know. They are wise.”
If you’re wondering where you can start your very own Character Counts Campaign, look in the mirror. That’s a great place for all of us to start. It’s never too late to grow ourselves. I’m 78 and still growing and sowing. Join me and all others who truly want to a difference in their lives and the lives of others. Remember, You and Me make We, and WE together can make a bigger difference.
F. Anton Stahl:
Author: Uncommon Wisdom1, Lifetime Strategies for Successful Living
Previous Achievements: Founder and director of Amdo Institute for Human Development, Research, Education and Training in Wayne, N.J.; Human Relations Counselor; Head instructor of 8 Martial Arts schools; Weight lifting Champion; Shopping Mall owner
860 words including resource box and blog
************************************************************************
I wonder what would have happened if…
Instead of Billions for Bailing out big business, banks, AIG and Wall Street, the government fast forwarded the money to We the People? All bank loans personal, small business, mortgages, automobiles, and even credit cards could have been paid off. No bail out of the banks needed; or GM or Wall Street. No home foreclosures would mean a steady flow of real estate tax revenue for the cities, towns, and counties: no dollar shortages for education and community services.
We the People could have gone out and bought new furnishings and appliances for new homes we may have bought, even our paid off homes. There would also be those new homes yet to be built. This would keep the construction industry, furniture and appliance businesses humming along.
Everyone would be producing because We the People would have the money to buy. Production + purchasing = employment; thereby resolving unemployment. Small businesses hiring new employees = more taxes paid to the government. We the People would all be earning an income meaning more tax revenue for the government creating less, if any need for printing/borrowing more dollars and a sure way of paying back the government for the Bail Out. No tax increases necessary.
Oh yes, no need for the “cash for clunkers” bail out either. And what about health insurance for We the People? Would there be a need for any revision of one system to another? We the People would have the money to purchase health insurance without the government getting involved? The stock market would benefit too: more trust in a successful economy.
Oh, but the banks might be hurt by such a program: no one would need to borrow money. And what about those folks who would just take the money and not have the responsibility to wisely use it?
But I do wonder what would have happened? At least future generations wouldn’t be burdened with the huge tax burden that will be there for them to cope with. Perhaps Social Security would be more secure and Medicare fully funded with the new tax revenue. Are we any better off today? I do wonder.
F. Anton Stahl:
Author: Uncommon Wisdom1, Lifetime Strategies for Successful Living
Previous achievements: Founder and former director of Amdo Institute for Human Development, Research, Education and Training in Wayne, N.J.; Human Relations Counselor; Head instructor of 8 Martial Arts schools; Weight lifting Champion; Shopping Mall owner.
418 words with resource box and blog
