The Danger We Are In

We all know there is a lot of uncertainty in the air. 

Whether it is about the economy, the COVID Pandemic, or the future of Democracy. Everybody is uncomfortable. Everybody is feeling like their clothes are too tight, like their future is in jeopardy, like they're swimming against the tide. 

Surely there are some people who are excited about their job, their new home, new kids and they have no concerns about the fate of our Democracy. They are probably government employees benefiting financially from government largess in the form of contracts in high tech industries, or the medical field. They are living in a bubble that our monstrous government bureaucracy has constructed for them, spending the nation's treasury like drunken sailors.

Some folks are fortunate to be on the right side of the tracks at this time in history. They work on the roads and highways, in education, for the healthcare industry or massive software developers. They work with networking contractors, or in pharmaceuticals, transportation, automotive or energy supply services, or belong to any one of a thousand unions. They don't need to go outside their bubble for sustenance. Their jobs are relatively secure as are their pensions.

Then there are those that are running around with their hair on fire claiming that everyone is out to get them. Many Average Joes are independent contractors always scrambling for their next paycheck. They are under-educated, short on marketable skills and have massive unpaid bills. They work in dirty jobs, drive trucks and resent authority figures, politicians and communists. They are often very religious and don't like being told what to do, and it seems like every time they turn around they are hit with new rules and regulations that don't benefit them.

Average Joe is watching the goal posts being moved every month as taxes, fees and inflation undermine his buying power and investments and leave him in a constant state of anxiety and conflict. He watches the three ring circus in Washington and asks does anyone care about the constitution anymore?

I think there is a war going on and the problem is that few of us recognize it for what it is. We are oblivious to the fact that every aspect of our traditional American open society is under assault. It is a quiet war on our traditions of self reliance, family values and hard work. It is a stealth war on standard definitions of race, gender and equal opportunity. The casualties are mounting: Crime and homelessness is up, education and marriage is down. Birthrates are plummeting while suicide is skyrocketing.

It is a battle using electronic media as a weapon of mass deception. It has effectively hidden the field of battle behind a cloud of obfuscation. It manipulates the news cycle, its saturation bombs us with entertainment, with political and cultural suspense, and it uses social pressure to draw us into a spider web of mutual intimidation and conformity. There is a ground fog of cerebral stimulation that is unrelenting. It is wearing the Average Joe down.

My question is, can politics resolve this war? Who is looking out for Average Joe and can he survive? If I am right, and there is a war currently being conducted, can we count on the traditional methods of running for office and passing legislation to find a solution and provide a formal settlement?

The War On Peace and Tranquility involves one of the most important functions of a free society and it may have conferred massive damage on our traditional election system. If we eventually determine the vote casting and counting process has been corrupted then Average Joe has essentially been disarmed. How do middle class Americans fight back if they can't put their preferred leaders in positions of power? 

Or are they not fighting back because they don't know there is a war in progress? Is the ground fog of media hyper activity distorting our perception of reality? Are we all being deceived?

Have you ever watched a pack of dingos stalking their prey? You feel so bad for the helpless little sheep because they have no idea what danger they are in…

Rick Elkin is a longtime resident of Escondido. He is an artist, author and public speaker. Follow his work at RickElkin.com.

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