We seem to be living in a time when the only people who are held to account are private individuals who play by the rules. These are the people who go to work, raise a family, pay their taxes, make sure they get all the licenses and permits they need to drive a car, purchase a gun, upgrade the electrical in their homes, etc. Heaven forbid if some line on their increasingly incomprehensible tax form should be incorrect, the heavy hand of the IRS shall land upon them. Drive your car with a yearly license sticker that is out of date? Get a ticket! Park too far from the curb? Get a ticket! Use a gas powered lawnmower? You are personally destroying the planet. The list goes on and on how government agencies/bureaus/districts, etc. lay down rules and regulations that the average man or woman on the street must abide by or face the consequences.
On the other hand, we see:
- Bums (is that term still used?) who boldly steal hundreds of dollars of merchandise from a shop, yet they walk free as it is not worth the time to capture them. Don’t worry, the cost will be passed onto those who play by the rules.
- We see government official perjure themselves in front of Congress but they pay no penalty. Hey, he only did it once that we know of.
- The IRS targets certain groups as you do not like their politics, but when the leaders are caught, they are allowed to retire with their pensions. Trust us, it will not happen again.
- Bank failures? There are calls to lock up the bankers but what about the multiple government agencies who failed to act on the problem in a timely manner? Don’t worry, the cost will be passed onto those who play by the rules.
Everywhere we see systemic failure but the buck only seems to stop at one door, the average person who plays by the rules. The two articles attached should make us all sit up and take notice. What is wrong with our system? How have we managed to get so far off track that such degrees of stupidity, greed, lack of honesty and incompetence are viewed as just another normal day.
I have often heard that you cannot change the system and that is just how it works. I have also heard that it is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees. I must admit I prefer the latter of the two and that means that each of us, every day, must demand and battle for what we know is right: for honesty, excellence, justice and the value of merit and honor. We may not make much of a difference in the big picture, but each of us must use each day to hold back the forces which degrade our standards and our possibility for the future. Great societies are built on ideals and doomed societies are destroyed by the acceptance of sloth, lies, deceit, and greed.
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