Patriotism and Protectionism

With the conflicts being considerable during these days of various stimulus or rescue plans and the economic issues severely affecting the United States of America and virtually every other global economy, it is important to understand the terms being tossed about in media discussion, often times being undefined and misused.

What is protectionism?

"Protectionism is the economic policy of restraining trade between nations, through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, restrictive quotas, and a variety of other restrictive government regulations designed to discourage imports, and prevent foreign take-over of local markets and companies. This policy is closely aligned with anti-globalization, and contrasts with free trade, where government barriers to trade are kept to a minimum." -- Wikipedia

What is patriotism?

"Patriotism is commonly defined as love of and/or devotion to one's country...Among the ancient Greeks, patriotism consisted of notions concerning language, religious traditions, ethics, law and devotion to the common good, rather than pure identification with a nation-state...Scholar J. Peter Euben writes that for the Greek philosopher Socrates, "patriotism does not require one to agree with everything that his country does and would actually promote analytical questioning in a quest to make the country the best it possibly can be."...individual responsibility to fellow citizens is an inherent component of patriotism...Patriotism implies a value preference for a specific civic or political community." -- Wikipedia

Essentially this means that to want to have products and services created by our own country, this amazing United States of America, and to desire to have those jobs available to our citizens is essentially patriotic. We are not necessarily saying that we do not want to have success in other countries or that we do not want to continue to trade with other countries. However, we are saying that we want our own country to thrive and our own citizens to live well, with availability in our economy for their means to be met with honest work on products and services we can be truly proud of.

The desire to promote products and services that are made in the U.S.A. is a patriotic duty, a desire for America to succeed and flourish.

America Needs Your Help!

I received the following email from a friend and found it extremely interesting and eye opening.

"Dear Friends and Family,

I have long been thinking about the direction our beloved country has taken. The Congress has a very low approval rating, yet most of these "Congressmen" have been re-elected to further the problems our country faces. Republicans and Democrats alike are to blame. However, I feel the that most of the blame lies with us, the citizens that elect our government representatives. I have also been thinking about what I can do to change the direction our country is taking, but there doesn't seem to be much just 1 person can do. This email is my effort, as small and insignificant it may be.

My purpose in writing this is NOT to push 1 political agenda or another, support 1 elected official or another, or to say 1 party is better than another. Quite frankly, I think BOTH parties suck. Most representatives should be replaced by someone who actually cares about our country, and all political agendas need to be scrutinized and reviewed by ALL the American people. I am saddened to think how apathetic people have become in regards to being informed about the country in which we live, myself included. We are quick to criticize, blame and complain about our current situations, yet very few of us are willing to act, myself included, until now. We keep electing the same old people into office, and the country is continuing the same old path of self-destruction. Perhaps we just don't know what we can do.

Well, here's my proposal and it just might work if enough people band together and get involved. It's time for the American people to hold our elected officials (local and national) accountable and let them know that they need to EARN our votes. How do we do that? We need to first be informed. We need to know what the issues are, study them, and come to educated and reasoned conclusions about what issues face our country. Secondly, we need to contact our Senators and Representatives and voice our opinions. I don't particularly think it matters who or what you support in these political games. It matters that your Congressmen realize that their voters are watching and care about what goes on in Congress. They MUST realize that their time in office is measured by how well they serve their constituents. Derek has written the Rep in our old district 2 times, and has gotten a response both times. I recently wrote to Senator Hatch and he responded to me as well. They should. If they don't, they don't deserve our vote. There are websites where you can find information on proposed bills, how your representatives voted, as well as their contact information. Here are 2 websites I found in a simple 1 minute

Google search:


thomas.loc.gov

congress.org (you can find and contact your specific elected officials, federal, state and local on this site).


I, like many Americans, was livid when I heard that Congress was planning to give themselves a 4-5% raise. In my opinion, they don't deserve it. My opinion seems to be shared by the majority of the people indicated by their incredibly low approval rating. Our economy is tanking, people are losing jobs and houses left and right, and they have the audacity to give themselves a raise!? Why not use that money to help reduce our national deficit? So, I think we need to make them earn that raise. We are, in essence, their bosses. They don't have a job in Congress without our vote. They seem to have this attitude that we ought to thank our lucky stars that we have them -the all-wise and all-knowing- to dictate our lives. We have been told that "only government can get us out of this economic crisis." Bull. Why should they get away with suggesting that only a few select people are capable of using their brains, while the rest of us "commoners" should just sit tight an let them figure things out? I should mention that one individual (who wishes to remain anonymous) presented Rep. Rob Bishop with a problem, expressed his feelings of what the solution ought to be, Rob Bishop initiated a congressional inquiry that solved the problem based on this person's well-reasoned and well-thought out argument. (Details withheld to protect the instigator from potential repercussions) Clearly the true power lies in us. We are every bit as capable as those people in Congress to use our brains. We each have our strengths and can contribute to our society by using those strengths. It's time for the American people to dictate to Congress how we want our lives to be run.

I know most of us are busy, but we can't afford to not to be involved. We have jobs, kids, houses to care for and volunteer obligations in our churches and schools, just to name a few things that take up our time. However, if we continue our apathetic attitude, we will continue to lose freedoms, and our economy will continue this downward spiral. A few months ago (my son) told me in his sweet little voice, "Mommy, I'm hungry." I thought then that I was so grateful to have food to feed my children, that there was something I could do to help my son alleviate his hunger. I thought about how sick I would feel to hear my child cry for food, and not be able to do anything about it. We are so blessed and we ought to remember our blessings. With those blessings come responsibility. It seems that most of our Congressmen and women have forgotten by whose Hand we have been so richly blessed. Most are seeking for power, and not for the welfare of the country, and certainly not for the will of God. It's time for those of us with faith to call upon our Father in faith and act according to the inspiration we each receive. It's time to involve our Father again in the affairs of our country. We are stuck in the "Pride Cycle" and are being stirred up to remembrance of our God. Let's act and not be destroyed.

Okay, I feel better now :-P Please take the opportunities we all have to be involved. Invite your friends and neighbors to be involved as well. I think we will all be pleasantly surprised at the results.


Love you all and God bless America!"

(I have not disclosed the creator of this email for privacy reasons)

This was one of the replies to the above email.



So, does this world just go around on its own, without our involvement? Does food just wind up on your plate? Does gas just magically fill your car tank? Do clothes magically fill your closet? And, do you magically have an opportunity to practice your religion, to speak your mind, to obtain a good education, to watch TV shows you like, to listen to the music you like? No. None of these things are magic. We are going to lose these freedoms if we don't get involved in the process. I want to keep my freedoms and I want to make it so that other people can enjoy the same freedoms, so I am getting involved. Will you do the same?

We The People...

The Constitution of the United States of America, 1787

"We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our prosperity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

The Articles of the Confederation, Number VIII

"All charges of war, and all other expenses that shall be incurred for the common defence or general welfare, and allowed by the United States in Congress assembled, shall be defrayed out of a common treasury, which shall be supplied by the several states in proportion to the value of all land within each state, granted to or surveyed for any person, as such land and the buildings and improvements thereon shall be estimated, according to such mode as the United States, in Congress assembled, shall from time to time direct and appoint. The taxes for paying that proportion shall be laid and levied by the authority and direction of the legistatures of the several states within the time agreed upon by the United States, in Congress assembled." -- The Articles of Confederations, Article Number VII

Note: All spelling errors are those of the papers themselves - of the different types of spelling during that time (1777).