The Real America... As Viewed By A Real American

By: Les Carpenter III

Rational Nation USA

As is becoming my practice more each week I, and my lovely misses spent a most enjoyable weekend with our eighteen month old grandson.

This weekend was sure as hell a damn site more enjoyable than the usual political focus and babble I have devoted my time to for the last nine months.

I mean listening to the usual political babble from the far left socialist statist proponents, and the far right fascist statist proponents is becoming just plain BORING, and all to predictable.

When one looks at the really important issues in life, with an open mind,  it becomes increasingly clear that  family and loved ones are far and away the most important issues of the day. As I and the misses observed our grandsons behavior over the last several weeks we know that his liberal parents are doing a fine job of raising him up to be a respectful and well behaved individual.

As my wonderful daughter-in-law was away this weekend chaperoning  the senior class on a trip to Disney World we took our son and grandson to a local restaurant for an early dinner. We had a wonderful time and our grandson was the hit of the afternoon with the waitresses. He is after cut from the mold of his Gramps. Which is to say the consummate flirt.

Anyhow, after a very enjoyable dinner (our son and grandson went home to get ready to pick Mom up at the airport) the wife and I went to the lounge to enjoy some quiet time and reflect on our weekend with Travis. We were pleased as the lounge was filled only by ourselves and one other individual who was intent watching the Red Sox and Tampa Bay baseball game. Of course the Red Sox were losing and in time the gentleman watching the game soon lost interest and we were soon engaged in polite conversation.

I am not sure just how it happened, or who steered the conversation to the arena of politics, but the gentleman who I will call Sam and myself were soon engaged in a discussion of American politics and the direction our country was taking. The discussion soon became loud (to the point the bar maid asked us to quiet down) and animated.

Sam, a gentleman whose country of origin is Portugal, is second generation American. He works for the state government and is employed by the local correctional institution.  Sam is also a member of the union representing government employees engaged in his line of work.

Sam is as mad as hell. He is mad because he has not received an increase in compensation in four years.He is mad because the cost of his insurance has steadily risen and his wages have remained stagnant. He is mad as hell because the system that provided the opportunity for his parents generation for a better way of life is disappearing before his very eyes.

Sam is as mad as hell because he sees a country that was once the beacon of hope for liberty and individual achievement, and a better life life, being taken from future generations of Americans.  Sam made it perfectly clear that the market must have some restraints as the natural tendency is for the market is to maximize its own gain, and often at the expense of the wage earning laborer.

Sam made it equally as clear he believes in the POTENTIAL of the free market. Sam clear that by this he meant a market where "to big to fail" didn't exist. Sam said the free market as he understands it is one where the government does not use taxpayer dollars to subsidize businesses of any kind, or for any reason. In other words...  if  there is a market, and the business providing goods or services to that market is healthy and able to survive due to it's excellent product or service it should be allowed to do so without intrusive government regulation.

While I m not an economist this sure sounds like laissez faire capitalism to me.

Sam expressed grave concerns that this country is on its way to a purely socialistic state. I told Sam it is a concern of mine as well but I believe the American people would in the end reject such notions and remain a semi free capitalist nation. Sam is not not so sure.

As the discussion continued (and got more animated) we covered much ground. healthcare, corporatism, term limits, congressional lust for power, Obama's narcissism, the greed of the financial markets and large corporations, and the ineptitude of the American congress.

Our discussion went on for the better part of an hour and a half. There was some disagreement, more a question of degrees than substance. You know, like the differences that exist between the democrat/demican party and the republican/republicrat party.

At the end of our discussion we bid farewell yet knew we would meet again at some probable distant point in the future. We parted company without either asking the other their political affiliation or persuasion. Even given the lack of  asking I am sure Sam is an independent democrat, and I am equally as sure he knows I am an independent conservative.

Such is the real pulse of America and it's direction. For what it's worth we both support Ron Paul. I guess politics make strange bedfellows. But then again perhaps not so much so when the BS of party loyalty is stripped away and the individual pursues a course of honesty, integrity, and consistency in their political and governmental philosophy.

Perhaps there is yet hope for the future of this nation. Fifty two percent of Americans believe His Highness Barrack Hussein Obama is leading this nation to a pure socialist state. Sam, a likely democrat is in agreement.