Change

The Hot Buzzword

If you look up the word “change” in a dictionary, it will probably offer something like: to make different or to exchange for something else. There’s a lot of discussion these days among US politicians about change. The problem is that rhetoric by itself rarely leads to change.

During the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s, Dr. Martin Luther King was an elegant and energetic spokesman for the cause. But it was his actions, like leading marches and negotiating with various groups to find common ground that led to change. It was Dr. King’s actions in addition to his words that inspired President Lyndon Johnson to sign legislation that led to his “Great Society” and ultimately civil rights expansion.

Candidates will talk about change ad infinitum because they believe it is what the public wants and that it will garner votes. Recent speeches chronicle the use of the word change dozens of times. But without action, the rhetoric is nothing more than a daydream.

It is foolish to believe that politicians will change or even derail the status quo. Change begins in each individual home. Individuals change and groups follow.

Only the individual controls his or her free-will behaviors and attitudes; no government is successful in legislating changes for basic human rights. Governments can manipulate or bully people into accepting change but in a society that has the option to say “No”, you cannot legislate behavior and attitude changes.

Behaviors and attitudes are the central issue. People need to sacrifice and be disciplined in order to create change. It takes discipline to control the use of oil and gas. It takes discipline to cut discretionary spending and instead reduce debt to avoid long-term financial complications. It takes discipline to turn off the TV and instead invest in continuing education to keep jobs or create new opportunities.

The president of the United States, congressmen, judges and lawyers are not surrogate moms and dads. Their job is not to bail a person out of bad choices. If a person buys a home that is too expensive and can’t afford the payments, that is their problem. If they fail to complete high school or college, that failure is their problem. If a person chooses to smoke cigarettes despite all the health warnings and gets cancer, that is his or her problem. Government cannot make a law that eliminates bad decisions.

Government is not our parents and don’t expect those in government to change or to create change for a specific socio-economic group. The US is a capitalistic society and the government is a plutocracy. If a person wants change, then he or she needs to change. Perhaps those actions will be an inspiration for others to follow.

Long-time Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill said it best that all politics is local. And so is change.

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