Shepherds and Sheep

@debrakcarey (19887)
United States
March 26, 2013 9:01am CST
We all make mistakes. We all make poor choices. Most of us learn from them. Those who don't are not successful in life. I think we all agree, there are consequences to not making good choices. But what about the choices made FOR US? http://www.creators.com/conservative/thomas-sowell/shepherds-and-sheep.html [i]Professor Sunstein is undoubtedly correct that "people make a lot of mistakes." Most of us can look back over our own lives and see many mistakes, including some that were very damaging. What Cass Sunstein does not tell us is what sort of creatures, other than people, are going to override our mistaken decisions for us. That is the key flaw in the theory and agenda of the left. Implicit in the wide range of efforts on the left to get government to take over more of our decisions for us is the assumption that there is some superior class of people who are either wiser or nobler than the rest of us. Yes, we all make mistakes. But do governments not make bigger and more catastrophic mistakes?[/i] Do people who claim to be 'free' have a responsibility to reject decisions made for them if those decisions are wrong? Should people go along with government as their 'superior' or should they 'rebel' and refuse to obey when government oversteps its authority and demands compliance to a 'wrong' law or policy? Please take the time to read the short article by Thomas Sowell.
3 people like this
7 responses
@iuliuxd (4453)
• Romania
26 Mar 13
When we were communists we called the US the other Soviet Union so be careful. It is my belief that what happened in the 20th century was only a preparation for the real totalitarian state, one that most of the people will accept it. They are still working on teaching that the human being is just another animal and that there is no absolute truth but one day we will see the US Navy Choir singing Katyusha http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivASIwtHALM
2 people like this
@debrakcarey (19887)
• United States
26 Mar 13
When the communist party endorses a candidate for president of America and the American people embrace that candidate without question, when the communist party complains that the candidate has stolen their 'platform' (tongue in cheek) something is wrong in America. And it is my opinion, and the opinion of many others that this acceptance of communistic principles and the communist 'platfrom' by the American people didn't start with the election of Obama. http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/302031/obamas-third-party-history-stanley-kurtz [i]Recently obtained evidence from the updated records of Illinois ACORN at the Wisconsin Historical Society now definitively establishes that Obama was a member of the New Party. He also signed a “contract” promising to publicly support and associate himself with the New Party while in office. Minutes of the meeting on January 11, 1996, of the New Party’s Chicago chapter read as follows: Barack Obama, candidate for State Senate in the 13th Legislative District, gave a statement to the membership and answered questions. He signed the New Party “Candidate Contract” and requested an endorsement from the New Party. He also joined the New Party. The Fight the Smears website quoted Carol Harwell, who managed Obama’s 1996 campaign for the Illinois senate: “Barack did not solicit or seek the New Party endorsement for state senator in 1995.” Drawing on her testimony, Fight the Smears conceded that the New Party did support Obama in 1996 but denied that Obama had ever joined, adding that “he was the only candidate on the ballot in his race and never solicited the endorsement.” We’ve seen that this is false. Obama formally requested New Party endorsement, signed the candidate contract, and joined the party. Is it conceivable that Obama’s own campaign manager could have been unaware of this? The notion is implausible. And the documents make Harwell’s assertion more remarkable still.[/i] And the American public does not care, there is no outcry from the PRESS or the PUBLIC. I find that very strange and very dangerous. An outright LIE by a sitting president comes to light, and about the fact he joined a socialist/communist organization, and the PRESS is silent and the American people do not care.
@CODYMAC (1356)
• San Diego, California
28 Mar 13
@ iuliuxd... The reason governments love Darwinism is because as they are feeding the people this junk about us humans are really animals, they are watching us destroy ourselves for the total take over, and laughing all the way to the bank. They cause the stupidity with their lies, and then when something crazy happens, like Aurora, or Sandy Hook, then they have the ability to add more suppressing laws that the people think are needed. I think it is funny to watch liberals and conservatives faces when something hits the fan and then they ask themselves "why?". Yes, even conservatives have issues and say that. @debra... To tell you the truth, I know that these guys in these offices do NOT see themselves like they have the public believing they are. Animals? Right. They are the "1%" that keeps this world in bondage. One day it will all end, and the crash of America will come and people will cry and wonder why. All the while the government is living high and watching us surfs scratch for a piece of food to survive. It is so funny to see this. After the liberals have finished worshiping their "god" Obama, and we have a new "forget-the-people" prez, then they will follow him/her to the gallows and thank him/her for the opportunity to die for whatever idiotic reason. I am ranting a little because it is so stupid, and yet, so funny at the same time. Why are these people so blind? There was a woman screaming about how Obama was so wonderful because she was going to get a phone from his freebie plan. But Romney was not going to give her a phone, so she didnt want him to be president. Idiots, every one of them...
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
26 Mar 13
I think we absolutely have a right to reject decisions made by the government that I believe are wrong. The government may disagree and throw me in the pokey for protesting though. And what if I reject something that you agree with? Or that the majority agrees with?
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
26 Mar 13
@Debi - I never thought I'd see it either. @Hopefull - not only that, but peacful protestors completely in compliance with the law have been tested, citizens can have their communications tapped without due process, and I could go on. It's really scary.
@debrakcarey (19887)
• United States
26 Mar 13
You bring up some good points. How far do we let the government go with their 'poor choices' before we speak, before we protest, before we do not comply? And what about throwing us in the 'pokey'? Do we get a chance to defend ourselves, does the government have to prove it's case? Or are we just to languish there without due process until we die or they decide we can go? What about disagreement within the populace? Are we allowed to win folks over to our cause, or are we silenced by the government when we try? And Ultimately....when do each of us decide when enough is enough and take that step, a step that could loose us our reputations, our livlihood, our lives? I never thought that in my lifetime these questions would be asked by anyone in America. Boy was I naive.
2 people like this
• United States
26 Mar 13
debra: Hasn't a law been signed where the government can now arrest someone they think is a terrorist and hold them without due process? That means if we don't think like they do we could be targeted as a terrorist.
2 people like this
@stealthy (8181)
• United States
26 Mar 13
As usually you are spot on about something and provided us with sage advice. Liberals and the left keep wanting a bigger and bigger government with more and more people dependent upon. But what they really want is power and to express their huge egos. Such egos can can seldom if ever even conceive that they are wrong about anything. They often try to hide this by words that are in the end lies. They claim to be offering compromise when actually they are truly only offering their way or no way.
@debrakcarey (19887)
• United States
26 Mar 13
I appreciate your kind words. I would ask, WHO and WHAT wants POWER. Is it JUST individual politicians? Or is there something else behind all of the individual egos?
1 person likes this
@artemeis (4194)
• China
26 Mar 13
Unlike sheep, men are higher in intelligence, conscience and virtuous. Chinese have an ancient saying: "The superior man thinks always of virtue; the common man thinks of comfort." In the first place, since sincerity and truth are the basis virtue, then I have to ask if virtue is ever so remote and difficult to grasp or people are simply using freedom as an excuse to look the other way and choose the easy way out. I don't think I have to elaborate what will happen when the latter happens. We need to remember that in democracy the government is being voted by the people but when the community does not hold high standards on their virtues then how can there be a good government. When the authorities does not claim and exercise the law to allow unsuitable and questionable candidates into politics then I believe at the end of the day the people in the community will have themselves to blame for the failure and eventual collapse. It is in every individual to think no vice so small that one may commit it, and no virtue so small that one may over look it. Only then, can a country and its established system and mechanism function in unison and properly. Confucius once said that the strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home and I am a firm believer of this saying.
@debrakcarey (19887)
• United States
26 Mar 13
I agree Artemeis. Sadly, people want comfort over virtue. They want peace and security over accountability and responsibility. They want the government to solve the problem for them rather than do the hard thing and find a solution within themselves. Unfortunately, true freedom and liberty are not understood by most of them. They have no reference point to judge by. And virtue has been marginalized and made fun of enough, that they do not have the courage to stand up for it.
1 person likes this
@robspeakman (1700)
26 Mar 13
I may be missing the point here Debra... However I will try to link it to shepherds and sheep. Once upon a time our political masters would be our Shepherds, we would elect them to do a job for a set amount of time. This job would involve many things that required doing for the good of the nation - By electing a certain person, we could turn away and allow our Choice to do the dirty work... That was the role of a politician. A classic example of this is Winston Churchill When war broke out Neville Chamberlain was the British Prime Minister - he was a perfectly good PM in peace time, but as a PM during war he was not the man for the job. He resigned 6 months later. Churchill was made Prime Minister - The bloke was a war hero from previous campaigns, who better to give Hitler a fat lip. Churchill came to be a physical representative of Great Britain. The war ended and he was no longer needed, he didn't get the majority he needed in the election after WW2. We know longer have politicians like that - Very few of them actually believe what they are telling us. A politician today will not lead and make the difficult choices, they only do what is popular or what the Twitter halfwits agree with. In the 21st century, not one of our "Masters" will be a shepherd - They have become our sheep. I think this explains why our nations are becoming crap and falling behind. The US with it's military colonisation of the "Brown" folk and the British dithering over whether or not we should be in or out of Europe. We now have professional politicians, people who have never actually done a real job. People who have never gone hungry, never been out of work and never worked in a mundane deadend job. In the US you have the halfwits that are groomed for politics from an early age and in the UK we have idiots that do political studies at University. There are very few self made men and women in politics these days. How can I trust or vote for a weakling that has never got his hands dirty? We get the politicians we deserve and I believe we have earned this sad excuse for Democracy
• United States
26 Mar 13
except for "The US with it's military colonisation of the "Brown" folk" -- open borders cannot work for nations..
@debrakcarey (19887)
• United States
27 Mar 13
For the most part I agree with you robspeakman. We have professional politicians who are in it for fame, glory and power. No man should leave public office richer than when he entered and I am a big supporter of term limits. I am also a supporter of paying them what the median income of the country is at their time of service. No perks except for 'on the job' travel, and a modest home in Washington when they are there on business. Some even recommend that they are only paid when actually 'on the job', no pay for recess time, or after they are out of office. It should be a SERVICE to their country and not a career. So, there, we agree. As for the border thing, I wasn't sure what you meant until I read flowerchilde's response. Let me put it this way; I agree that immigrants are a good thing. BUT, I also believe being an American is a privilege. Anyone who comes here should come here legally, and that legal path should not be tedious and arbitrary. Make the path to citizenship less tedious and don't set arbitrary quotas. Learn the language, learn the Constitution and Bill of Rights, a mini civics class so to speak. DON'T break the LAWS and have a clear path to employment and way to support yourself, either by a sponsor or a actual JOB or Education plan. WE CANNOT AFFORD TO TAKE CARE OF THE ENTIRE WORLD AND WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH CRIMINALS WHO WANT TO COME HERE AND BREAK THE LAW. To me, that is reasonable.
• United States
26 Mar 13
I think the majority of the people are like sheep. As long as they are led to a green pasture and clear calm water they will follow any goat, black or white.
1 person likes this
@CODYMAC (1356)
• San Diego, California
28 Mar 13
Well, the good shepherd will watch over the flock and make sure that they are well fed and watered and healthy. I just do not see that from our government, and that is just sad. We all need to make sure that our own churches and communities are like this too. Not let anyone go off to the wayside.