Barbershop Revolt

“I think he is a Communist.” “Our kids won’t be able to pay off all this debt.” “Our votes don’t matter.” “People I know are scared and buying guns and ammunition.” “They don’t care what we want or think.” “We must do something.”

These voices are from a small town barbershop, not Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela. A year ago these same voices were expressing hope and change. They got change. But not what they hoped. Their hope has changed to anger and frustration.

Sitting in a small town barbershop and listening to today’s concerns and thoughts gives one an ear into middle America’s hard working citizens: one person business owners, retired individuals on fixed income, hardworking blue collar workers. This is middle America, individuals who built a strong, prosperous, and generous nation. They believe those who took an oath to protect it are destroying it.

Many voted for President Obama. Not that they felt they had a big choice—or so it seemed. After all, too many Republicans proved unworthy when they controlled Congress, Senate, and White House. A few, who publically championed family values, fell into immoral escapades or financial shenanigans—Republicans, it seems, are expected to hold a much higher moral standard than Democrats. Other Republicans, desiring to buy votes and be reelected, slid into the Democrat Party policy of big government and deficit spending. Then we have East coast liberal Republican’s and their mantra: “We can run it better.” What they did was make government larger, more intrusive, and our National debt bigger.

We cannot, however, blame the Bush Administration for everything going on now. Democrats controlled Congress and Senate the last of President G.W. Bush’s Administration, and added to the problem. Just because the Bush kid down the block set fire to the garbage barrel out back, does not make it okay for the Obama kid to burn down the whole building.

The Obama Administration’s polices do threaten to burn down the whole building. This year’s federal deficit triples last year’s, adding to our soaring debt, further devaluing our dollar. Add the Administration’s rapid attempt to centralize control of America’s financial markets and means of production in order to change us—from the market-oriented system that made America prosperous and powerful—into a stagnant European collectivist system, a secular socialistic man-made utopia that seeks to replace church and family with a dehumanizing state.

Present Administration polices, unless halted and reversed, will plunge us into third world status. As a militant 1950's Anti-Communist and early 1960's Barry Goldwater for President political activist, what is happening should not be a surprise. Warnings Senator Goldwater gave regarding dangers of government growth, excessive debt, and collectivism are even truer today. I know that. Yet, I was surprised how quickly and with such intensity Obama’s Administration sought to control America’s means of production and communication, and how quickly middle-America became alarmed.

Middle-America’s growing anger and the liberal left’s hate are a concern. During past political seasons we had heated debates, charges and countercharges. That is normal. Today’s political season is endless, more sinister.

Bitter seeds of partisan politics planted during President Nixon’s Administration helped produce today’s bitter fruit. The 1972 Watergate break-in and charges of White House sanctioned illegal activities led to the 1974 House Judiciary Committee Articles of Impeachment. President Nixon resigned before a vote could occur.

Partisan anger and bitterness remained. A Republican controlled House voted in favor of impeaching President Clinton for perjury and obstruction of justice. The result of President Clinton’s attempts to cover up his relationship with a 21-year-old White House intern. The Senate conducted an impeachment trial. The vote, not guilty.

Media driven partisan anger and bitterness blossomed into a mindless hate against President G.W.Bush. Cries for his impeachment grew during his second term. Loony liberals in U.S. House and Senate continue to demand both our former president and vice-president be tried for high crimes.

In spite of all this I am greatly encouraged. Middle-America knows something is deeply wrong and dangerous—that is good. But they are deeply frustrated. Their frustration is growing—that is not good. Many do not make the connection between their frustration and the self-serving activities of their own Congressman and Senators—yet.

Anger across the political spectrum and across America in general is reaching combustible levels. Anger and frustration will not reverse the downward direction America is heading, politically and morally. To extinguish the blazing anger threatening our Nation takes repentance and prayer. To replace spiritually bankrupts who rule our public institutions also takes political action.

"The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried." ____ G.K. Chesterton, 1910

There are Christians who believe by keeping silent on controversial political matters they will be left alone. They are mistaken. As Christians we may not be of this world, but we are certainly in it. Also, voting and political action are part of being a good U.S. citizen.

Our trust, however, cannot be in political parties, their candidates, nor their promises. Our trust, hope, and comfort is in the loving God. A God who takes a hand in our daily lives. For us there is always hope.

We can reverse our downward spiral into godless collectivism. It has started. The signs are there. Town hall meetings where a handful came, now a hundred, where there were a hundred, now a thousand. Tea Parties spring up all over and grow. We have middle-America’s growing underground movement, the Barber Shop Revolt.

Middle America—our Nation’s backbone—is starting to awake. You can help. If we influence one person at a time or one hundred, positive changes will take place. But we must be informed and be involved.

For those looking for help in understanding and explaining to others the negative consequences of today’s political and economic actions, may I suggest Economics in One Lesson, by Henry Hazlitt. A book written to help the layperson understand and explain basic economic truths and their implications.

What can you do? For six proven action steps go to Blog Archive at upper right, click on May-11-08, “But What Can I Do?” Pick yours.

Be Informed Be Involved _________ Michael E. Odell

COMMENTS: Your thoughts and comments are welcome. E-mail: MichaelOdell@Lycos.com