The issues are piling up like bodies after an earthquake. Coherent domestic energy policy? No. Coherent campaign finance reform? Nah. Rational gun control programs (and yes, I belong to the NRA)? Nuh-uh. The inability of the political sector to even remotely regulate the financial sector? Um, nope. We live in a short attention-span society driven by a 24 hour news cycle, in which shouting takes the place of dialogue and any discernible movement towards real consensus and action is seemingly impossible. In this take-no-prisoners environment, we’ve lost the ability to compromise. But of all the issues out there, the one issue that literally leaves me breathless at its ramifications for my children is that of the NSA’s domestic electronic surveillance programs. This policy is the one thing that scares me when I think of their future.
My goal is that the kids have an understanding of the world in which they not only live but of the world into which they’re moving. Through the years and despite the technological changes, the constant is human behavior and how processes work. I try to assure that the conversations flow about different topics but the reality is that different topics flow better with some kids than others due to age and interest, and occasionally whether or not I’m holding up something else they deem more important in order to cover something that I believe that they need to hear. Yeah Dad, I get it…the goal is to separate us from our wallet contents, now can we please go? Subjects flow from economics to politics to anything else that seems to be either relevant or interesting, whatever is current or is important that they understand. Fracking? check. Fiat money and the Federal Reserve? check. What is this ISIS thing in Iraq and why doesn’t it have something to do with Archer? check. How is it that a Stinger launcher that we ostensibly provided to Syrian rebels, who are only moderate Al Qaeda fanatics versus the fanatical Al Qaeda fanatics, seem to have migrated through various conduits so that they wind up in the Messerschlitz garage down the street and launched to celebrate this most recent 4th of July? check. Stupidity is run amok.