So, where do we go from here?  I am almost half way through my 85^th orbit of the sun.  Most of the time, like the majority of my colleagues and relatives, I don’t look beyond the end of my nose unless I am almost forced to do so. 

I have no reason to complain.  I chose some excellent parents, lived through the 30s depression without missing a meal, survived the South Pacific in World War II, got a college degree and was always gainfully employed until I really retired.  I also have been able to volunteer for more than 5,000 hours at the local homeless shelter during the past 14 years.  I have been married to my best friend for more than 60 years and we have a wonderful extended family who love us and are a true blessing in many ways.

This past election particularly bothered me and, actually, I have been discouraged by the political actions of both the state and national legislatures and the individuals who waste millions or billions of dollars getting elected and then waste millions and/or billions of taxpayer dollars after they get the positions they fought so hard to get.  And now, after both parties have ignored the national debt for years and years, it has suddenly become the primary political issue.

I am registered as an “Independent” voter, which means, in Oregon, that I cannot vote for any of the party candidates in the primaries.  In spite of this, I have not missed voting in an election since I voted for Eisenhower for President, way back when (was it really 1948?).  I have always tried to be a good citizen, a good parent, a good husband, and a reliable employee.  I am far from perfect, but my wife and I survived our mistakes without any major catastrophes and ended up with a wonderful family.

In spite of this, I am discouraged.  It seems to me that this country, this society, this culture is going downhill like a runaway toboggan.  Is this just because I am an old fogey?  What are the facts?

1. The real God that we worship in this country is “Mammon” (money)!
2. Materialism is a rampant disease that has completely engulfed today’s society.
3. Church leaders avoid preaching the true philosophy of Jesus because they do not want to be labeled as “socialists”.  The majority of the congregations are “capitalists” who prefer security and materialism to wasteful generosity.
4. The state legislature is little more than a “social” club; the lobbyists write the bills and the voters make the hard decisions.  The budget is their only real chore.
5. The national legislature is primarily concerned with getting re-elected, protecting the corporations and the wealthy, and denigrating the ideological opposition.
6. As noted previously, this nation is supporting a huge illegal drug market that has enabled the drug cartels to paralyze the Mexican government and practically disenfranchise the Border Patrol.
7. We seem to be reverting to the “Old West” philosophy, that is: “I’ve got mine and I’ll share it only if I want to – to hell with paying taxes – and if you haven’t got yours, tough tits.  Let the devil take the hindmost.”
8. That means: “Let someone else take care of infrastructure, education, health care, the environment, the homeless, and the mentally ill.”
9. As soon as the “grass heads” get marijuana legalized the streets and highways will not only have drivers impaired by alcohol, meth and cell phones, but there will be a large influx of  “grassers” impaired by the legal weed to watch out for.

Are we just standing on the shore, swatting mosquitoes, while the bank under our feet is collapsing?