The Road to Perdition

As I ponder the substance of who we are, I am struck by the turn of the American culture.

We were founded on the idea that all men are created equal, yet, since our founding, we have lost our way. We are no longer equal by government mandate. Hence we have affirmative action.

We now value a culture that accepts the killing of unborn children, the inheritors of our lives. What can we say to our grandchildren if they don't exist? What do we say to the survivors that remain in our midst? "You were the lucky ones?" Hence we have a President that supports abortion.

What do we say of a culture that debases life and laughs at the suggestion of raping innocent children? What do we say of apologies that do not change course, but only offer excuses? Hence we have the likes of David Letterman.

How do we respond when our chosen government decides to determine what we can or cannot do, whether it be buying homes, cars or heathcare? What do we do when our government encourages the extermination of our future AND our past, by advocating infanticide and by going down the path to deny life-saving heathcare in the name of cost control? Hence we have the Obama administration.

Why did we ever decide to buy a car, if only to get us work? Why did the government build interstate highways if we're now discouraged from driving? Where is the neighborhood bar that allows us to converse with friends without restricting the right to smoke? Why does the government tax alcohol and cigarettes in the name of health, yet decline to restrict their use? Hence we have liberal policies to curb our abuse.

How did we come to discover that our financial institutions were broken, when our government was in charge of overseeing their health? What happened to create Amtrak and how will that model work for our car companies? Hence we have a new era of government-owned enterprises.

Where have we gone when we can't pay for groceries and the credit card companies continue to call? Why were we encouraged to buy what we can't afford, whether it be a car or a place or an iPod? Hence we have TARP and government-mandated solutions.

Where does this end, if we're not allowed to make our own decisions and must depend on the government to do everything for us? Hence we discover we're on the road to Perdition.