A Sunday Thought to Start the Week Off Right: Election Edition
With our national election now a mere three weeks and two days away, we're in the home stretch. This one's been on the one hand unique, on the other typical. After a quick review of the unique and the typical aspects of the election, we'll bring you an authentically Catholic way of viewing the election, offered by an authentically Catholic priest. You won't want to miss that.
Why the Election is Unique
Unique because one of the candidates rose through the fog of the primary process despite not being in the "club" that usually provides candidates for the most powerful political office (still) in the world. His emergence represented for some a symbol of discontent with the powers that be. Many believe his election will result in real "change" (in quotes because what candidate doesn't promise "change"?).Those of us living in the lower and middle strata of our economic hierarchy have seen both our overall wealth and our prospects for the future (at least in the material, worldly sense) decline since around 1980. Therefore, some believe voting for this "outsider" will force the fat and happy oligarchy to respond to calls for a reversal of the trend that sees the elite "1%" grow richer as the rest or us grow poorer.
Why the Election is Typical
Typical for two reasons:
1) The other candidate, a bastion of the 1%, poses as a champion of various "oppressed" constituencies like (in no special order), women, blacks, poor, gay, immigrants, transgendered (and all other variations), etc. How she manages from her elite perch to connect with such self-identified folks remains a mystery to some of us, but apparently she does. But in the end she offers the typical big government, liberal-left nostrums that haven't improved anyone's lot in any meaningful or lasting way, but which sound somehow always sound like they will if we only apply more of them.
2) The second reason applies to both candidates: When you get right down to it, the desire for power trumps (no pun intended) all other positions proffered as primary objective of the run for President. To be clear, power has always been in the mix when it comes to running for political office. But it's important to understand that overweening ambition has now ballooned to the point that, really, nothing else matters to those running. The reason I believe this to be the case for anyone running these days is simple: the size and power of the federal government - the most powerful government in world history - holds too much temptation to exercise that power for any human being to resist. The exercise of that power entices the person elected to engage in all manner of activities that ultimately corrupt their soul - if it's not already been corrupted in the push to be nominated. As Lord Acton famously noted: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." And with our current government so supremely powerful compared to all other governments throughout history, well, just apply the math and you'll see why the new President (as with all recent President's) will be unable to resist pursuing power in a bad way - if resistance even occurs to them. It will simply consume them.
You don't have to believe me, but I suggest you consider it. It's descriptive of our current situation rather than cynical. But even if you don't believe it, if you're going to vote, there's the matter of how a Catholic should look at the choices before them. And for that we'll defer to Father John Lankeit's homily from October 2, 2016. Whether you consider our current candidates to be driven purely by ambition for power, with disastrous results for their souls (absent the grace of God, of course), I urge you to listen to every word of this brilliant analysis of how any Catholic worth his or her salt must approach their choice for this election.
Happy Sunday!
Why the Election is Unique
Unique because one of the candidates rose through the fog of the primary process despite not being in the "club" that usually provides candidates for the most powerful political office (still) in the world. His emergence represented for some a symbol of discontent with the powers that be. Many believe his election will result in real "change" (in quotes because what candidate doesn't promise "change"?).Those of us living in the lower and middle strata of our economic hierarchy have seen both our overall wealth and our prospects for the future (at least in the material, worldly sense) decline since around 1980. Therefore, some believe voting for this "outsider" will force the fat and happy oligarchy to respond to calls for a reversal of the trend that sees the elite "1%" grow richer as the rest or us grow poorer.
Why the Election is Typical
Typical for two reasons:
1) The other candidate, a bastion of the 1%, poses as a champion of various "oppressed" constituencies like (in no special order), women, blacks, poor, gay, immigrants, transgendered (and all other variations), etc. How she manages from her elite perch to connect with such self-identified folks remains a mystery to some of us, but apparently she does. But in the end she offers the typical big government, liberal-left nostrums that haven't improved anyone's lot in any meaningful or lasting way, but which sound somehow always sound like they will if we only apply more of them.
2) The second reason applies to both candidates: When you get right down to it, the desire for power trumps (no pun intended) all other positions proffered as primary objective of the run for President. To be clear, power has always been in the mix when it comes to running for political office. But it's important to understand that overweening ambition has now ballooned to the point that, really, nothing else matters to those running. The reason I believe this to be the case for anyone running these days is simple: the size and power of the federal government - the most powerful government in world history - holds too much temptation to exercise that power for any human being to resist. The exercise of that power entices the person elected to engage in all manner of activities that ultimately corrupt their soul - if it's not already been corrupted in the push to be nominated. As Lord Acton famously noted: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." And with our current government so supremely powerful compared to all other governments throughout history, well, just apply the math and you'll see why the new President (as with all recent President's) will be unable to resist pursuing power in a bad way - if resistance even occurs to them. It will simply consume them.
You don't have to believe me, but I suggest you consider it. It's descriptive of our current situation rather than cynical. But even if you don't believe it, if you're going to vote, there's the matter of how a Catholic should look at the choices before them. And for that we'll defer to Father John Lankeit's homily from October 2, 2016. Whether you consider our current candidates to be driven purely by ambition for power, with disastrous results for their souls (absent the grace of God, of course), I urge you to listen to every word of this brilliant analysis of how any Catholic worth his or her salt must approach their choice for this election.
Happy Sunday!
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