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Jim Hightower: Hoping for a New Ethic in 2010
This special season got me thinking about America’s spirit of giving, and I don’t mean this overdone business of Christmas gifts. I mean our true spirit of giving — giving of ourselves.
Yes, we are a country of rugged individualists, yet there’s also a deep, community-minded streak in each of us. We’re a people who believe in the notion that we’re all in this together, that we can make our individual lives better by contributing to the common good.
The establishment media pay little attention to grassroots generosity, focusing instead on the occasional showy donation by what it calls “philanthropists” — big tycoons who give a tiny piece of their billions to some university or museum in exchange for getting a building named after them. But in my mind, the real philanthropists are the millions of you ordinary folks who have precious little money to give, but consistently give of yourselves.
My own daddy, rest his soul, was a fine example of this. With a half-dozen other guys in Denison, Texas, he started the Little League baseball program, volunteering to build the park, sponsor and coach the teams, run the squawking P.A. system, etc., etc. Even after I moved on from Little League, he stayed working at it, because his involvement was not merely for his kids, but for all.
He felt the same way about being taxed to build a public library in town. I don’t recall him ever going in that building, much less checking out a book, but he wanted it to be there for the community and he was happy to pay his part. Not that he was a do-good liberal, for God’s sake — indeed, he called himself a conservative.
My daddy didn’t even know he had a political philosophy, but he did, and it’s the best I’ve ever heard. He would often say to me, “Everybody does better when everybody does better.”
If only our leaders in Washington and on Wall Street would begin practicing this true American philosophy. Maybe we could help get them in the proper frame of mind by urging a bit of introspection on their part. With New Year’s Day right around the corner, I was working on my list of New Year’s resolutions when it occurred to me that some of the people running our country could benefit from my suggestions for their lists. No need for them to thank me — I’m happy to help!
Let’s start, then, with those proud-and-loud members of Congress who’ve adamantly opposed real health-insurance reform for workaday Americans. Not only do I include the entire block of Republican lawmakers whose vocabulary is limited to the word “no,” but also those pathetic Democrats who’ve compromised the reform idea into corporate mush.
It would be neat (and only fair) for each of these stalwarts of the status quo to make this vow for 2010: “Since I helped kill reform, I will give up the excellent government-paid, socialized health coverage that I get so that I am in the same leaky boat as my constituents.”
And here’s one for the barons of Wall Street, who continue to float on billions of dollars in government bailout money, yet are grabbing bonus payments for themselves, while pouting that the public is not showing them the love they deserve: “I hereby pledge to go through the 12-step detox program of Greedheads Anonymous to cure my narcissism and become a human being again.”
Let’s not forget the Obamacans, either. They came into office on an antiwar, anti-fat cat, pro-middle-class program, yet they’ve expanded their war, catered to fat cats and offered the middle class nothing but “a jobless recovery.”
Here’s the resolution we need from President Barack Obama: “In year two of my term, I promise to Democrat-up by getting some economic advisers who’ve actually met a real worker and downloading some recordings of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt to my iPod. I’ll also require top officials in my administration to volunteer at least one loved one to go to war in Afghanistan.”
If only we can get those in charge to make these pledges, we’ll all have a happier new year!
— Jim Hightower is a national radio commentator, writer, public speaker and author of Swim Against The Current: Even A Dead Fish Can Go With The Flow. Click here for more information, or click here to contact him.
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» on 12.23.09 @ 08:13 PM
WHORES: Why and How I Came to Fight the Establishment by Larry Klayman - my bipartisan Christmas reading… and incentive to VOTE THE BUMS OUT in 2010.
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» on 12.24.09 @ 11:55 AM
Careful Jimmy, you’re wading around in my turf again. Every time some well off, well meaning democrat liberal starts in with the “oh, it’s about the little people” crap my BS radar goes off the charts. Jimmy, I’ll bet your father would never have a thing to do with taxing people for anything in a recession. Why I’ll bet your dear old dad would have looked at the healthcare debacle your party has smothered us with and puked. Never has there ever been such a blatant attempt to highjack a segment of an economy for the express purpose of ushering in economic redistribution. Never, of course, with the exception of the global warming religion.
Don’t pander me with your phony concern for the downtrodden, Jimmy, your one of them, the haves, the haves that want to keep it for themselves and want nothing to do with sharing our shrinking wealth with other opportunists. You feign concern about the working class and praise the spirit of giving Americans are known for then turn right around and say we can’t trust you to give enough so we are going to just take it from you and give to who we think should get it.
Giving is best done voluntarily, Jimmy, not with the fed sticking its hands in your wallet and tell you to. True altruistic behavior implies sacrifice, something you noticed in the “average Joe” and lacking in the wealthy philanthropist. But what kind of sacrifice do you speak of when it is forced? What kind of giving is it that comes by demand of an armed government? Truly caring people already give way beyond the expected. In fact the American people are the most giving and caring in the world. We are the one and only country that consistently shows up whenever there is trouble to help, with or without our governments help.
We don’t need your big government to tell us how to care for one another Jimmy. We don’t need you either. Go back to your liberal wealthy elite neighborhood where I’m sure you’ll be more comfortable. Just stay the hell out of mine phony.
Oh, and just so you don’t think we’re angry with you, have a really merry Christmas and cheers to all!
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