Letter to the Editor

The biggest threat of all? It's apathy

Thursday, September 15, 2011

To the Editor,

With all the political wrangling going on around our country, with the war on terror, with our nation's debt spiraling out of control, and with the debate on the constitutionality of universal healthcare, one might think that any of these issues could very well be the greatest enemy facing our nation. There are those who might say our biggest enemy is foreign powers such as the Chinese economic domination on the horizon, or the imminent Korean or Iranian nuclear threat. There are even those who believe the biggest threat to our nation is a Democrat president or fumes out of exhaust pipes or decaying moral fiber. And yet, there is a threat to our great nation that has been around since the days of the Revolution. It has haunted us through every crisis our nation has faced and every election that has been held. This greatest enemy of all is called -APATHY.

When voter turnout is rarely above 25% and when turnout at town hall meetings has to be staged in order to get a crowd, and when a large number of people admit the reason they vote for one candidate over another is because of the "feeling" they get from that candidate rather than the issues that candidate stands for, apathy is truly a problem. One excuse that has been verbalized for this apathy is a belief that no matter what is done, it won't make a difference anyway. Or, I am just one person, how effective can I be?

These excuses are born from a lack of willingness to try, a lack of motivation to stand up for what might be uncomfortable or out of our realm of expertise. Has waiting for someone else to do it every changed anything for the better?

We say Washington is out of control and is full of corruption and self-serving politicians. We complain about the economy and the jobless rate. We complain about incentivized laziness and the redistribution of wealth. We complain about how we can't stand either party. And yet we are unwilling to get out of our comfort zone and do anything about it.

There is still a glimmer of hope for this nation. It doesn't lie in some regulation that will come out of Washington DC or in some brilliant jobs bill or stimulus package. It isn't in a political catch phrase or campaign slogan. That hope for our future is in the desire of the American Citizenry to remain free and their willingness to stand for the Liberty, granted us by God, and preserved in our Representative Republic form of Government. We must do more than just vote. We must exit our comfort zones. We must rearrange our priorities. We must become part of the solution.

Eddy Justice

Poplar Bluff, Mo.