Freedom?

There's a lot of talk these days about government restricting our freedoms. Against a backdrop of people without jobs, it's hard to see that government is the problem. But here's a solution.

The military is still looking for a few good people, and it has no unemployment problem. AND THE PENTAGON HAS NEVER BEEN AUDITED - EVER, so it can spend whatever it wants and know that Congress will approve.

So perhaps we should simply expand the military to include all of us. We could then:

1. all have good health care and a pension after 20 years of service;

2. rebuild our aging infrastructure with new roads, bridges, even trains and power lines;

3. keep our young people in line; and

4. continue to arm the world with our own weaponry, thus justifying the continued militarization of the country.

I am only joking a little bit. One of the most discouraging things about this year's election process, was the total lack of discussion about real issues facing all parts of the country. Of course, unemployment and foreclosure are a problem, but they are the direct results of overbuilding and the globalization of manufacturing. Rebalancing globalization with enlightened self-interest makes way more sense than dumping tea into the harbor.

And of course, that makes taxes all the more problematic. If you don't have a job, and can't afford your mortgage, it's tough to figure out how to pay your taxes, too. So the Tea Party had a field day. But so far, they've haven't even begun to deal with real issues. Continued demagogery will simply keep us on the path I've described above - the militarization of the country. But I will know that the Tea Party is serious when they start throwing beer in the harbor, instead of using the antique analogy of Tea, which no one in the Party has probably ever drunk.

In the meantime, when I want to feel free, I go sailing.