The nation follows California – into the abyss

Can allegations of sexual abuse, groping, and womanizing improve a candidate’s ratings? According to polls, it happened with Arnold Schwarzenegger days before the election. Only in California. Or is it just California? One could argue that it’s not just California, but an overall sign of the ever-declining morality of America.

Can a person win on movie lines, publicity stunts and a theme song “We’re Not Gonna Take It” by Twisted Sister? It looks like Arnold Schwarzenegger did just that in California on Tuesday. Only in California? No, it’s not just California. I’m going to go out on a limb and argue that it’s not just California, but an overall sign of the ever-declining responsibility in America.

Can an actor win on name recognition and charisma only? I know this is not exclusive to California. Elections are won by famous, charismatic candidates all the time. Still, it’s another sign of the declining intelligence and discernment of Americans.

Unfortunately, these attributes of American voters are the very things that destroy free societies. Morality, responsibility and knowledge are key virtues required in Constitutional republics.

The founders recognized this.

In Article 3 of the Northwest Ordinance, Thomas Jefferson wrote, “Religion, morality and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall be forever encouraged.”

A good, moral and knowledgeable society is a society that will secure a free government.

Benjamin Franklin said, “A Bible and a newspaper in every house, a good school in every district – all studied and appreciated as they merit – are the principal support of virtue, morality and civil liberty.”

These were virtues that created America and led to the greatness of our nation.

America separated itself from the rest of the world by our character. Our values and character created our freedom, not the other way around. However, what happens when a people loses the very thing that created the fabric of their society?

Specifically looking at America, responsibility and Judeo-Christian values are what created our society. These things could not have happened with any other set of values. A free society can exist only when people take care of their own problems and stay responsible to God.

John Adams would agree: “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

The California recall was a very interesting event, and I think we all learned a lot from it. However, it paints a very gloomy picture of how elections are won and how people decide on their representation in government.

Of course, this is nothing new to observers of American culture. Too many in society have a self-serving, distorted view of the so-called “American dream.” It’s not about money, a good job, a house, fun or any materialistic thing.

I suppose the true American dream is living life the way life should be lived. Having the opportunity to freely worship, with your responsibility to God, but also having the freedom, within the realms of responsibility, to pursue happiness.

It’s not about carelessly making decisions and voting for anybody who looks good. Rather, it’s all about buying into and preserving American values. It’s all about what the preamble to the Constitution says – securing the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.

Californians didn’t secure any liberty to themselves. They didn’t secure any blessings to their posterity. They followed the mob of politics and voted for a lesser evil.