For some reason, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about what my "ideal" country would look like... how things would be in the country of my dreams. As you can probably imagine, I have a few changes in mind. I'd love to hear your thoughts (as in leave comments)... here are some of mine.
In my dream country, there would be no government-sponsored discrimination. I understand that there is a lot of personal discrimination on all sides, dealing with race, gender, age, etc. I also realize that there will probably always be some of that... you can't change people. But in my dream country, that personal discrimination would remain personal. There would be no government behind it. People would be hired for a job based solely on their qualifications and work ethic. There would be no presidence given to someone because of their skin color or because of their gender. If you're the best person for the job, you get the job. You also wouldn't be more or less likely to get a loan, you wouldn't get a TV channel dedicated solely to your race or gender, no one would receive any kind of special privilege based on their color or sex... we would all start on a level playing field and let our dedication and hard work be the difference maker.
In my dream country, we wouldn't cater everything to the lowest common denominator. We would understand that in almost every scenario, there will be a winner, and therefore HAS to also be a loser. Instead of feeling pity for the loser, or (even worse) instead of trying to make things easier for the loser and harder for the winner, we would encourage the loser to work harder, to try harder to become a winner. And at the same time, we would encourage that winner to continue to strive to win, to keep his or her position as the best. In this country of my dreams, we would teach our children the value of hard work and the joy of winning... that losing isn't the end of the world, but it's also not something that we should be okay with.
In my dream country, we would welcome LEGAL immigrants with open arms, and help ILLEGAL immigrants to find the correct and legal way to do what they're trying to do (enter my country). We would also understand that even though our system is far from perfect, it's even farther than the systems of other countries (such as Mexico, who is MUCH harsher on illegal immigrants than we are). We would understand that immigrants are people and deserve to be treated as such... that they are no worse or better than any of us, and they should be subject to the same rules and laws as the rest of us. They shouldn't be persecuted, but they shouldn't get special treatment either. They would be seen as people in need, people who have willingly or unwillingly broken the law and who need help understanding and following that law... nothing more, nothing less.
Finally, in my dream country, the government would stay out of my personal business. The government wouldn't tell me what doctor I'm allowed to see, what medications I'm allowed to take, what I'm allowed to eat, what I'm allowed to do in my car, or what I'm allowed to believe. In this outlandish, crazy country, I would be responsible for making my own decisions, and I would be responsible for the consequences of the wrong decisions I make. I would be allowed to go to whatever doctor I wish, based on my income and who I trust. I would be able to eat anything I want, but I would also have to deal with the possibility of obesity or other diseases as a result. Likewise, restaurants would be able to put anything they want into their food, knowing that I have a right to question them and find out what I'm eating... but that while it's my right, it's also my responsibility and no one is going to do it for me. I would be allowed to drive while talking on my cell phone, or not wearing a seatbelt, but then I would have to accept the responsibility and punishment for any damage I cause to myself or others because of my poor decisions. I would have just as much a right to believe in God as the next person has to believe in Allah, or Buddha, or science, or nothing at all. There would be no babysitting in this country, no government to make decisions for us, or to restrict us in any way.
Basically, in my dream country, the word "freedom" means what it's supposed to mean. It's a place where we can all live our lives the way we want to live them... where we have to accept the fact that no one is going to be required to help us, where the only thing we can truly depend on is ourselves, where working harder than the next guy makes a difference, where no one is born "entitled" to anything, where we earn our rights and our livings and where "The American Dream" is less about throwing your money away and acting like a douchebag, and more about working hard, raising a family of good people, being honest and genuine, and dying knowing that you've made a positive difference in this world.
Is that too much to ask?
Old News But Important News
I'm sure by now you've at least heard something about Greece falling into shambles. But just in case you haven't, a quick refresher. The country is basically bankrupt. They're in some serious trouble over there, no one has any money, and people are taking to the streets because they're pretty pissed about the whole thing. Not to mention the chain reaction their market crash is causing all over the world. There have been all kinds of rescue plans debated and argued over, but the real question should be how did it ever get to this point? I'll tell you how, and it's one key thing that I've only heard vaguely mentioned: 60% of Greece's population was on the government's payroll.
This should be a warning to everyone else in the entire world. It should be a red flag of caution, a little insight into what may very well become a reality of any country with that much government control. Ultimately, it fails, and history has proven this time and time again.
Think of it this way: you like big screen TVs, right? In an ideal world, everyone would have a gigantic screen tv on which to watch their favorite programs... but the reality is that you've got to pay for that TV, and a lot of us can't afford very big ones. Luckily, there are a ton of different companies out there making TVs, and some are better than others, and some are cheaper than others. This is good for you because it keeps prices down, but it's good for another reason: if one of those TV makers gets into financial trouble and has to go out of business, you've got plenty of others to choose from. NOW imagine that suddenly the TV makers get together and decide that they're going to join up into one giant TV manufacturer, the idea being that they can lower prices and provide more people with TVs. Say they do it, and say at first it looks great because they've got all this money and extra TVs to throw around. More and more people start getting TVs and everyone's happy, but then there's a problem: some TVs are breaking, and more people are getting their own places and want more than one TV in those places. Suddenly this huge TV manufacturer is bleeding money and having trouble staying functional. Eventually they run out, and are forced to go out of business. Now what? there are no other TV manufacturers left... and so now NOBODY has a TV.
That's a very roundabout way of presenting exactly what's happened in Greece, and what could very easily happen to any other country with that much power. Right now in America, if a company goes under, even a big company, lots of people will lose their jobs, but there will be other jobs that they can find and fight over. It sucks, but it's not the end of the world. However, when the government is the biggest employer in the country, you've got a problem like the TV manufacturers up there. If that employer goes bankrupt, then you've got a LOT more people out of work... to many for the other companies to hire. And you wind up with a situation like the one they've got over there: people pissed because they're trying to feed their families, and the only employer in town has no money left to pay them.
So next time you hear yourself thinking "you know, the government ought to do something about that..." think twice. I used to be that way, I used to say the government should regulate oil prices because of how high gas was getting there for a while... but in any scenario you can think of, government control runs the very probable risk of going down the same road as what's happened in Greece. If you're going to go Communism, you have to go full Communism... you can't try to keep a stock market going and at the same time have everyone in the Government's pocket. You can't have it both ways, unless your China, I guess. And I'm convinced that the only reason China has survived like it has for as long as it has, is because the people in that country are so beaten down that they've just given up on trying to make life better for themselves.
I realize that my weekly entries have gotten very political, and I apologize for that. Here's a movie review to say "I'm sorry."
Legends of the Fall
The epic story of a family -- a father and his three sons -- growing up in the early 1900s in North Dakota. This movie follows each of them as their lives drift apart and come back together... as they face hard times and enjoy good times, and as one woman basically destroys an entire family.
I saw this movie first a long, long time ago... way before I was doing reviews. But I watched it again recently, and I figured it's worth noting here, if for no other reason than to show you a true example of what an "epic" is. This movie is long, but not THAT long... what makes it epic is how much ground it covers. During the course of this movie, we see a father age, go to war, deal with the mafia, and watch one woman's power to wreck everything in the universe. It really is incredible.
There's some truly amazing acting in this movie. Anthony Hopkins = amazing. Brad Pitt was also very good, as usual. But though it's an old-timey movie, takes place in a much cornier age, and has some truly unbelievable situations, not once did it ever feel hokey or forced. Okay maybe once (Brad Pitt riding in from war with a bunch of wild stallions? Please...) but for the most part this movie was right on the level. Everyone was believable, and despite the fact that this woman ruined everything this family had going for it, I even felt a little sorry for her in the end. This isn't a super happy movie... it's not "Australia" with all the cheesy one liners and ridiculously fake scenarios. This movie is much grittier, much more real, and I think it makes a big difference in the end product.
I also just want to say that the soundtrack is amazing. I don't know how these guys come up with themes for movies, and sometimes what they're going for really just doesn't work... but in this case, everything clicked very well. And the cinematography was also pretty incredible. I can only imagine how nice it must be to be able to shoot in incredible locations like North Dakota or Montana or wherever they were. Completely isolated yet surrounded by so much beauty... it's hard to believe places like that actually exist. So bravo on the technical side, very impressive stuff.
Now, should you see this movie? Well, I guess it depends. This certainly isn't one you can just pop in at a party for everyone to enjoy. You've got to be in the right mindset for it. I wouldn't put it on the same level as "Saving Private Ryan" as far as how you feel after the credits roll... but it's not one that's going to leave you in a very good mood either. This family is full of noble, good-hearted people, and they all experience some truly terrible, heartbreaking events. Sounds pretty awesome, right? So if you're ready for that, give it a shot... otherwise, pop in something a little more light-hearted.
Alright folks, that's all I got for now. I promise next time I'll try to get away from politics a little more... until then, PAY ATTENTION.
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