The Government Will Take Care of You
During a recent rally, a passionate supporter of Barack Obama said the rally was the “greatest moment” of her life and explained why. Her explanation is both telling and troubling:
When Obama is elected president, she said, “I don’t have to worry about putting gas in my car or paying off my mortgage. He’ll take care of me,” she said.
Although there will undoubtedly be many who will say that the woman exaggerates what Obama will do for her, her words indicate very clearly that his speeches and actions give her the impression that if he wins, Obama will “take care” of her. He will be her husband (or father). Instead of telling people to take care of themselves and creating the circumstances in which they will be best able to do so, Obama feeds into the sentiment expressed by the woman in the video.
He tells them that he will take care of them, and he will do so by using money earned by others, “the rich,” who can miss those dollars very easily, of course. It is time for those who earn more than $120,000 a year to “stop” being “selfish,” and time to “take care” of people such as the woman in the clip.
She, in turn, will not merely accept Obama’s “help,” but will embrace it. She is ready and willing to stop taking responsibility for her own life and, instead, completely depend on others. She even took her daughter with her to the rally, thereby teaching her that her goal should be to rely on others. Why go to school, why study, if “Obama” will “take care” of you?
Obama often speaks about “fundamentally transforming” America. Centrists and moderates who support him should think very deeply about what he means by that term. It seems to me that neither he, nor his base believe it to be mere words.
Troubling is that so many Americans are seemingly more than willing to stop taking responsibility for their own lives, and to instead vote for a massive government that divides “the wealth” and “takes care” of them. This bodes ill for the future, whether Obama does or does not win.
