America's Imbalances of Power

In a recent editorial piece in the Virginian Pilot, Thomas Friedman lays America's failure to enact comprehensive energy policy at the feet of George Bush. In fact, the last four presidents have attempted to communicate and address this issue, unsuccessfully. The failure is a failure of the United States Congress AND the American people, who have not faced the facts and demanded accountability from their elected leaders. Over the past 40 year, we have successfully exported a form of free market capitalism to Russia, China, India, and other countries. They have learned to compete globally, using the resources within their own borders. At the same time, we have become narcissistic, socialistic, and complacent. If we are to remain a viable force in the world, we must re-discover our core values and assert them in the world. I believe that these core values are: faith in God as He is revealed in the Bible; freedom to act responsibly and not freedom from responsibility; smaller government that is by the people and for the people; and a bias toward action rather than reaction. People act on what they believe; if they believe nothing or anything, then they either do not act or their actions are unfocused and misguided. Whether it is energy independence or any other issue, I would rather our country seek respect from nations of the world through principled action, rather than seek popularity through political correctness, accomodation, and inaction.