Are We A Too Nation?

Leslie and I spent a prolonged Labor Day Weekend at a Westin resort in Scottsdale. During our stay I observed the many different "types" of Americans who were also visiting and vacationing at the resort and other locations we visited. I thought, "are we a 'too' nation?"

Does the too trim guy looking at me a bit sideways think I'm too fat? Does the too fat guy think the perhaps overdressed man is too vain? Does the too vain think the mom with the stroller and two kids following behind in Spiderman swim trunks too slovenly? Are we too caught up in appearance and judgement based on appearance?

Nothing allows body and garment judgements like a pool! Too old for that tattoo. Too young for that tattoo. Too gross for that body piercing. Too tight with that bathing suit. Too...too...too hard not to keep looking at that swimsuit. Too quickly we look, we judge, we decide, we objectify.

Too many Americans appear to be too concerned about issues or situations they are not able to control. While too many Americans are too unconcerned about issues or situations they are able to control. Too much time is spent taking too much responsibility away from too many people who have made too many bad decisions. Too often the first place too many Americans look for either blame or assistance is a government. To many Americans many of our nation's problems can be solved if more of our fellow residents were responsible and accountable too.

Do we have too much government or too little? Too many of our political arguments are based on this simple question. To many it seems people and individuals need to do more and government less; too bad they say, we can't provide everything to everyone too many people don't do enough and don't face any consequence. To many it seems the government should be doing more for people and individuals they deem less fortunate; too bad they say, you have too much and we need to take some of that to distribute to those with too little.

To many there are too few consequences for too many bad decisions made by too many people. To many there are too many consequences for too many people who are in the condition they are in because they feel too much history has pre-determined the plight of too many. Too few seem to try to find a balance between too much compassion and too much consequence.

We have too much excess with too much food served on too big of a plate while we complain our waist is too big. We have too many televisions channels showing too many shows that have too many commercials. We have too much fast food at too low of prices so we say it is not too economical or convenient to buy bread, lettuce, tomato, turkey, and cheese so we make too few of our lunches. We have too many cars going to too many of the same places but have spent too much money on other transportation that is too inefficient and wastes too much of too many taxes.

We have too many decisions made that are influenced by too many groups giving too much money and not enough decisions being made by too many who are influenced by the too many voters who determined the outcomes of the elections. Too much of our political debate is focused on the too few who are on the too far extremes on an issue and too little attention is paid to those who are more able to see both sides.

To many too many of our corporations make too much money paying employees too much salary while paying too little in taxes; to many too many jobs are supported by too many corporations and companies that cannot afford to pay too much more in taxes or have too many more regulations are we will have too many more unemployed.

Too many see solutions as up or down, left or right, black or white, an all one way and none of the other. Too many of our leaders see too many solutions only in their too political environment and too few see too many solutions that take neither too much nor too little from the possible options but just the right amount.

Too fat, too thin, too many, too much, too few, too poor, too rich, too strong, too weak, too left, too right, too, too, too.

From our outset our nation has been one of excess and hyperbole. Beckoning adventurous souls to forge a new nation on a new land. Pushing across a great land over plains too big and mountains too high. Ripe with land, minerals and slowly as the decades past people with a spirit and attitude of striving not always for success but for something better for their families and children. Our history is one of success that too many like to mock or degrade or say, "but..." to diminish. Be it individual success or national, too many critics like to put too many modifiers on our achievements. These same critics tend to apply too little responsibility and accountability to those not achieving success and wish to apply too few consequences for their decisions and habits that prevent their success.

Too much blame, too much finger pointing and too much acrimony. Too little acceptance, too little responsibility and too little praise.

Too much attention is paid to too many people who like to say "too, too, too," and not enough attention is paid to almost all the people who ignore these "toos" and just do. Every day they do their jobs, they do their parenting, they do their volunteer work, they do their duties as moms, dads, sons, daughters, employers, employees, neighbors, volunteers, members and citizens.

Are we a "too" nation? Are we too lucky? Too successful? Too powerful? Or we a nation built generation upon generation of many Americans who just do and ignore all the toos? Let's start listening to those who "do" and less from those who start sentences with "too..."

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Villains And Victims

It seems the blame, the victimization, the broad personal attacks, the characterizations, and negative attacks that so fully consumed Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and many of her Democratic allies in Congress and across the country during the Bush Administration are fully ingrained in their character and basic political philosophy. Now that they have full control of Congress and the White House they cannot stop with the finger pointing and name calling. Only instead of their vitriol being directed at a President they hated and spent eight years trying to undermine it is now being directed at the American people. Every issue that arises in our country has someone to blame, someone they can castigate and someone they can attack with character assassinations. In the process the culture of our country takes another step from personal responsibility and accountability. While many Republicans are certainly guilty of the blame game and character attacks, typically they are directed at political rivals and opponents rather than huge swaths of the American public.

When the credit crisis started, Washington immediately put anyone working on Wall Street or in the financial industries in the category of selfish and greedy people looking to make money any way possible. If you listen to commercial radio you have heard the ad from the law firm looking for clients for their loan modification services in which President Obama is blaming "unscrupulous mortgage lenders" who caused all the problems in the housing industry. During a press conference on the Democrats health care proposals Obama accused doctors of taking tonsils out of little children and performing other procedures just so they can make more money. Last week Pelosi told reporters that independent insurance agents "are the villains in this," "this" of course being the problems with our health care system.

From obesity, to gang violence, to the environment, to household economics, to illiteracy, to health, every problem has a victim and every victim is given someone to blame--usually someone faceless. The problem is that no one in America is faceless. Every industry or segment of the country that is the target of some politician or political party's blame consist of good, hard working Americans. But this is lost on those who feel it is easier to promote their political agendas by characterizing some of their constituents as helpless victims who have no choice or ability to make decisions and providing a big, bad target to blame.

Mortgage brokers and independent insurance agents operate in very similar ways, they just offer different products. By having a variety of larger companies that actually fund mortgages or write the insurance policies with whom they have business arrangements, they find the product that matches the abilities, personal histories and needs of their clients. Because they have a variety of competing wholesale lenders or insurers vying for their clients, they also have the ability to shop the rates for the clients to find the best combination of price, service, and product. Our company uses insurance agents to help keep the health insurance costs down for all our employees while still being able to offer a variety of plans from which to choose. Another agent shops our Errors and Omissions insurance annually to make sure we have a product that covers our company at an affordable premium. Life, health, business, auto, home, we have many different insurance products we all use in our daily lives. Local insurance agents sponsor our Little League teams, take out ads in the high school basketball programs, donate to local charities and are at the PTA meetings. Hardly the villains Pelosi wants you to think they are.

The same can be said for mortgage brokers. Or real estate agents. Or local restaurants. Pick a small business in your community and you can find members of that industry or company throughout your community. Are their bad mortgage brokers that screw(ed) people? Yes. Are there bad real estate agents that push(ed) homes on people? Yes. Are there bad insurance agents that over-insure clients? Yes. Are there financial advisers that steer clients to higher commission products? Yes. Every industry, every sector of the economy, every community has those who see as their primary purpose to squeeze as much money out of the market place and their clients as possible. And in every industry these people constitute a very, very small minority of those who work in the industry.

Think of the many different people and companies that provide services for you and your family. Your family doctor, your insurance agent, your financial advisor, your attorney, do you think there primary concern is to help you with your decisions and problems or to take as much of your money as they can? Obama, Pelosi and many of their fellow Democrats think it is the latter. They do not realize that every industry they characterize as "unscrupulous," every nameless person they call "villain," every group they accuse of operating from "greed" consists of Americans that are working hard to provide for their families and improve their communities.

With the health care legislation that was rushing through Congress now stalled until September at the earliest we can expect an August filled with commercials, speeches and appearances on the Sunday morning talk shows vilifying health care providers as charging too much, insurance companies as making too much and employers as providing too little. Your doctor, your neighbor and your boss are all to blame for your health care difficulties. By victimizing you and other Americans and blaming big groups they are setting up an argument based on class warfare, "Us" versus "Them" and everyone is "Us."

At no point in any of these arguments or commercials will any of "Us" be shown taking responsibility for ourselves. My health issues are not because I eat too much, drink too much, smoke too much, exercise too little, have genetic defects, engage in risky behavior, or do not bother with routine check ups. My financial issues are not because I wanted too much, did not stay in school and get a degree, spend and consume too much, borrow too much, save too little, or cannot keep a job because I'm always right and the boss is always stupid. None of my problems are of my own causing because I did not read papers I signed, did not get references, found a "great deal" or did not do any research at all on the individual or company I was going to work for or with. None of the problems I am having are my own causing. I know this because that is what our national leadership is telling me. I am pissed because some unscrupulous, greedy, villainous, professional or company has purposefully screwed me over. If it were my fault I would take some accountability, but since it is not I will blame them.

Abetted by a media that loves to trot out the sob stories and victims, the political philosophy of the new Democrats is working. In California the government has become the Nanny State trying to abdicate every citizen from any responsibility or accountability providing someone to blame and enabling them to create more laws that restrict more freedoms and liberties. Washington under full Democratic control is working towards this direction as well with an objective of total government control over industry, financial services and health care. The more blame that can be placed on an industry the more right the government has to regulate the industry, the more the industry is regulated the less choice we have, the fewer freedoms we enjoy and the less personal responsibility and accountability we must have.

Freedom to succeed also means the freedom to fail. Success is not a right but must be attained through hard work and good decisions. Unfortunately the philosophy of the political majority in our Congress and White House is that the successful need to compensate the unsuccessful, that good decisions can only be made by government and that if you do not work hard and/or make good decisions you need not worry because you will be taken care of, courtesy of the government.

I am proud to be a mortgage broker and the hundreds and hundreds of families I have helped become homeowners in the past few decades. I am proud to know many insurance agents who do great work helping families and small businesses with their insurance needs and being their in those unfortunate times they need those policies. I am proud to know many doctors throughout our community who care about their patients and their health, working to help them create good habits and lifestyles for a healthier future. I am proud to know many real estate professionals who care more about families purchasing the home that fits their personal needs and financial abilities rather than how much commission they can make. I am proud to know many financial advisers who look at the long term goals and current financial abilities of their clients instead of how they can make more money.

Too bad Pelosi and Obama are not as proud of these Americans as I am.

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