"If You Can Keep It"

It is reported that at the close of deliberations during our country's Continental Convention of 1787 Ben Franklin, as he exited Independence Hall, was asked by a bystander: "Well, doctor, what have we got---a Republic or a Monarchy?"  

"A Republic, if you can keep it," came the reply.

On this 4th of July I'm reasonably certain that I'm not alone in my concern for our Republic and its continued existence.  The dictionary definition of a republic is: a state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch.

Time and again history has shown us that republics tend to go aground a couple of hundred years into their existence when the electorate figures out they can use their ballots to reward themselves more goodies than the republic can afford.  Has the United States reached that point?  Obviously there is no shortage of political opinion on this question.  There are days when I am somewhat optimistic and fairly certain that an informed citizenry will wake up and steer our country away from the fiscal and moral rapids we seem destined for and at other times I wonder who I'm trying to kid.

Will we ever elect leaders willing to tell the truth about the terrible straights our profligate spending has created?  Can we come to grips with the very real mess we have made of education?  And, what about our wide open borders?  Will we continue to vote for politicians who promise us goods and services we can neither afford nor deserve as we penalize those who work hard and generously contribute to our gross national product?

It's just my opinion--and only that-- but it seems obvious that one more feckless administration elected on pure guile and possessing a devotion to nothing more than a cloud of symbolism and sentimentality will surely push our ship of state onto the same shoals that have claimed so many well intentioned republics that have gone before.  Are we willing to finally sober up long enough to vote for leaders willing to tell us the truth no matter what the cost to their career?  The most powerful thing we have in our lives is choice.  Let's hope we have a good one in 2016.

In the meantime, I plan to enjoy the fireworks.