Whatever Happened to John Wayne?

I've always believed it's better to be a good listener than a fast talker, and
it's always better to speak up when you can add something important to
the conversation, not just to take over the conversation.

My idea of a perfect day is to sit in a boat with a friend listening to the wind,
the birds, the sound of the water lapping against the side of the boat, talking
a little bit, catching a few fish, and watching the clouds go by.  Actually,
I don't even need to catch any fish.

Whenever possible, I like to "live and let live", and it seems to me that motto
always summed up the point of our Country and our Constitution.

So how did we get where we are today?  From the time we get up until the
time we go to bed, we're told what to think, what to eat, how to dress,
what's important and what isn't, who to vote for, what's in and what's out,
what to do to save the environment, what to say and how to behave...in other
words, what to do if we know what's good for us.

Have we reached that tipping point where we need experts to tell us all how
to live our lives?  Are there that many people that feel they need gurus to
run their lives?  Or are there just too many gurus who want to run people's
lives?

When did education morph from teaching students how to think, to teaching
students what to think and what to do?

What cataclysmic event fused the educational establishment, most of our
politicians, special interest groups, big business, and the media into a mighty
conglomeration of holy rollers...dedicated to preaching to the heathens until
we all see the light?  Why should we begrudge them if they get richer as we
get poorer, as long as they get us to Heaven?  Sing Hallelujah!

When did the government make that ever-so-subtle shift from giving its
citizens the best information available to make correct decisions
for themselves, to forcing decisions upon them.  I've been around long
enough to have seen that the "best information available" doesn't always
stay the correct information, and that good intentions of governments
don't always provide good results.

Over the years, our government has moved further and further away from
the Anarchist end of the pendulum to the "Nanny State" end.  It's time to
swing back and find that sweet spot more in the middle, before individual
freedom drowns under a sea of good intentions and an army of elitist,
hypocritical, politicians.