It-Depends Dance Day

As we usher in the 233rd year of America, recent polling from Pew and Gallop indicates that a small majority of its citizens are genuinely worried about its continued existence, and about theirs. They think the federal government is spending far too much money, money it doesn't have. Many of them voted for change, but not this kind.

I've become convinced that our citizenry has never been more politically partisan; not in my lifetime, anyway. I don't know if the media's partisanship is a cause of it or merely a symptom of it. But our precious free press is a willing hostage to this mess and in the process We the People lose the means by which we are given by our forefathers to keep our government in check and accountable.

For many of us, we are hard pressed to be positive and excited about our national future. We've lost our Hope amidst all of this Change that has set us adrift. To what end all the fuss?

The typical American wants to know he (she) is free to pursue reasonable goals and futures; he'll pay reasonable taxes if they are being spent wisely; and he expects reasonable costs of living which can be overcome with hard work and economy. And he expects society to kick in and chip in for those who aren't as fortunate, but not by changing the entire house decorating scheme.

Americans still operate by and large on a need-to-know basis and with a if-it-ain't-broke-don't-fix-it attitude. Problems annoy him, especially needless ones. So much of the Obama constructs require many months to years of inflated prices for necessities, shortages, unforeseen retooling downtime, and results that don't quite pan out as intended or hoped for. Will Americans endure these without a grumble, or will they revolt and demand another revolution, another civil war?

Right now it's vox nix (six of one and half a dozen of the other), but it won't be long until we begin to know in our guts if these new paradigms take off and create that Brave New World, or sputter and crash to Earth. And, regardless of the outcome, will the hope have been worth all of the change?