The Shortcomings of America's Government

So I'm looking for inspiration for writing tonight, and some of my best and most provocative writings have come at two in the morning after work walking around campus with my St. Michael hoodie on and just thinking and praying and constructing my thoughts and ideas. I thought to myself just now, "maybe I should ask for divine inspiration for my next post idea. I mean it worked for the CIA chemical lobotomy briefing post, maybe it will work for this one too." So my post idea for tonight is called, "The Shortcomings of America's government," and to start this brainstorm post, I am going to open it with a prayer.:

God, our infinitely powerful Heavenly Father and Creator of the Infinite Existence, I humbly come before you to request your assistance in writing a scathing criticism of the United States government. Father, I know I am but a lowly janitor whose only want in life was to lay waste to the agents of terror and fear, but in all honesty I must confess to you that I am powerless to write a meaningful and well thought out lambasting of the hypocrisy and corruption that has infested the higher echelons of American government without your help. My Lord and my God I beseech you to grant me your grace and the wisdom that comes from fearing and respecting your sovereignty and authority so I can write a deep, meaningful, and thought provoking discussion on how governments only care about control and power, no matter what noble ideals they claim to adhere to. I ask that you fill me with your Holy Spirit and give me a good night's sleep after I am done with work and writing this post. I come before in your son Jesus's name, the Christ and Crown Prince of the infinite creation, Amen

The Shortcomings of America's Government:

Governments are a naturally occuring phenomenon of our species. I would argue that they are inevitable, and necessary. Government isn't an inherently evil thing by itself, but any institution that has the power to make money, the power to set social rules, and the power to destroy property and take human life always has the potential to be corrupted and abused. 

        The U.S. government is no exception. Even though we were founded on noble principles, just like no Christian perfectly emulates the Christ, no government perfectly emulates its values, principles, and ideals. The U.S. government is a screaming example of an epic shortcoming when it comes to meeting the standards, goals, and values of our founding fathers. Even our founding fathers, though brilliant men, were certainly not all saints. Some of them owned slaves. All of them had some corruption, flaw, or sin that caused them to fall far short of perfection. 

     Even so, they did have good intentions with the system they created and tried to develop and protect. However, our current system, with its rampant bureaucracy that micromanages all facets of society and chokes the efficiency and effectiveness of many institutions, the de facto oppression of the poor and minorities through the crippling of upward mobility, our endless cycle of wars in exotic lands to further an economic and resource interest of extremely wealthy people and groups, the innaccessibility to healthcare and education to a significant chunk of our people, the treatment of the mentally ill and homeless, the poor management and harsh and unforgiving nature of our social systems and criminal justice systems, through all of this, America's government and society obviously falls short of  the founders intentions and its principles of liberty, equality, and justice. It misses the damn boat by a light year.

Nobody's perfect. No country is either. However, if you lay claim to be something you are not, you get called a phony and a liar. I don't think America's government has the right to lay claim to being a defender of freedom and a champion of the tired, weary, and poor longing to be free anymore. America's government is the champion of the almighty dollar. It's politicians are in the pockets of billion dollar corporations and self-serving special interests. It's media has the teaming masses manipulated, confused, and brainwashed, terrorizing them occasionally to serve their political agendas. 

    The best funded institution in the whole system here is the military, and from what I have heard from its members, that institution is quite wasteful with its immense resources and has its own efficacy and efficiency problems. 

     The American system doesn't value the well being of the common person anymore, and it doesn't take care of its poor and sick. It doesn't help strengthen the weak and disadvantaged nearly as much or as effectively as it should.

    Our streets have been filled up with protesters the last week who are tired of the maltreatment of minorities by authorities, and rightly so. Even if the media exacerbates the populace and magnifies this stuff, racism should not be a factor this far into the 21st Century.

       America's shortcomings are staggering, but no nation is beyond redemption and healing. I fear, though, that if we don't start taking care of our poor, sick, disadvantaged, and disenfranchised, I fear that we are in for a reckoning for failing to live up to our ideals. The great forces of existence hate hypocrisy.