Commentary

February 11th, 2010

I sense a revolution brewing within our nation. All the signs are there. An unhappy public, legislators who don’t listen . . . and tasks that do not get done.

The revolution I see is not against the Republican Party, or the Democratic Party. It’s against the government; the legislators whom we have trusted to represent our interests and who, instead, represent either their own interests or that of big monied lobbyists. That collective group forms “the government” or, at least, that element of the government that lots of angy Americans are ready to jettison, by whatever means. Revolutions are not gentle things; they are demanding of change. The execution of that revolution can get mighty dangerous and could well lead to violence, not unlike the revolution our nation went through in the 1700’s.

While most of us remember 1776, that was the year we declared our Independence. In fact, there were a number of years where the British Parliament pushed, and pushed, and pushed . . .and did not listen, did not listen, did not listen to the angry colonists. It all began around 1764 when Britain began throwing its weight around and imposing unreasonable restrictions on the colonists. First it was the Sugar Act, then the Quartering Act, then the Stamp Act. The British Government pushed, pushed, pushed and did not listen, listen, listen. The colonists took it. For awhile.

It was not until six years later, in 1770, when violence finally erupted with the Boston Massacre. More and more violence followed and while we declared our Independence in 1776, peace did not come until 1783 when our new Congress ratified the Peace Treaty. Britain was beaten!

A governmental body that push, push, pushes . . . and doesn’t listen, listen, listen. Doest that now begin to sound familiar?

If the federal government wants to avoid another revolution, this one with and within its own nation, it needs to start listening to the people and to respond to the needs of the people. Otherwise, I fear, all hell will break loose. It won’t happen this year. Maybe not next year. But I expect to see another American Revolution within my lifetime . . . at least within the lifetime I have left.

Bottom line: It is time for our federal legislators to start listening, to examine their own integrity as to their representation of the people, not lobbyists, and they need to take action and get meaningful legislative work done. This nation is hurting.

Federal legislators need to wake up and recognize that America is speaking and they are not listening. They ignore America at their own peril. A nation will only hurt so much and then the people will take action. The end result, history shows us, is not always pretty. Think Mussolini. Think Ceacescue.