QUESTION: What do the words "American Dream" mean to you?
ANSWER: The "American Dream" is the Liberty for anyone to do anything they want as long as they do not violate the civil or human rights of any other person(s). It is a "live and let live" philosophy. It is the Liberty to live and the Responsibility to let others live. That philosophy means many things. The Responsibility to let others live is a Responsibility we all have. Laws define those Responsibilities . Most of the time, it is simple. Most of the time, it often boils down to common-sense and a sense-of-fairness. In more complex situations, laws attempt to define the rules.

The government can not guarantee Prosperity, Happiness, or equal Opportunity, but the government has the Responsibility to enforce the laws to ensure that citizens are not discriminated against based on race, color, gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality, etc.

The government has the Responsibility to provide for the national defense, and the Responsibility to make laws and enforce those laws, within the framework of the U.S. Constitution, in order to protect the rights of all its citizens.

If done correctly, people can live and prosper.

Control is not the job of government, but our government seems to think it is. Our bloated, do-nothing, corrupt government, and our irresponsible, bought-and-paid-for incumbent politicians try to meddle and control everything, but usually manage to only make things more dysfunctional.

The government, in its desire to Control everything, continues to grow larger and larger, to nightmare proportions, as it grows more and more fiscally and morally bankrupt.

We, voters and government, are all culpable. The problem is:

• Most people seek security and prosperity with the least effort and pain, because of laziness. Laziness is a natural human tendency, but it is immoral to surrender to it completely.


• Therefore, some people will cheat to obtain that security and prosperity. Cheaters are parasites that use other people for self-gain (to varying degrees).


• People must understand how to account for this natural human desire for security and prosperity with the least effort and pain, and how some people parasitically cheat to acquire it. That is not said in malice. It is simply a fact that is perilous to ignore. Understanding it and dealing with that human factor is an essential prerequisite to any healthy society, government, or organization. When people understand that, and learn how to recognize cheaters and their clever, parasitic tactics to use others for self-gain, the more capable we will be to minimize the harm they do.


• Work-a-day Voters don't take the time to analyze it, too preoccupied with their own microscopic concerns, and do not take the time to "think it through" because of laziness.


• The solution is voter education. Voters need education and understanding to account for that natural human tendency.


• Voters, however, are unlikely to be receptive to education until (a)Voters feel significant pain, or (b)clearly see pain is eminent, or (c)see self-gain, (d) or make the next step to the next level of society, and learn to account for the human factor.


• Voters keep sabotaging their own government re-electing and sending campaign money to the very same irresponsible incumbent politicians that ignore, and use and abuse the voters. It is a result of laziness, and it fuels more corruption, and the ranks of the cheaters grow ever larger.


• Voters are victims of their own laziness, lack of education, and resulting ignorance that allows parasitic cheaters to feed on voters' ignorance. Cheaters confuse, use and abuse the Voters, cleverly divide, and distract them from substantive issues, and trick the voters to continue to empower (re-elect) the very Cheaters that use and abuse the Voters. The Cheaters are confident that the divided, disorganized, distracted voters can never form a majority to oust the incumbent Cheaters.


• If we allow things to continue as is, it can only end badly, someday. But, it is the Voters that will suffer the most for their own laziness, resulting from their own negligence, ignorance, and manipulation by the Cheaters that use and abuse them. The Cheaters have golden parachutes, and most of them will not suffer with the voters.


• Voters' , therefore, preoccupied with their own microscopic concerns, always see the truth too late, despite the fact that they are always the very one's that suffer most from it.


• So, it seems a lack of common sense is the problem, but it is really, once again, plain old laziness, which leads to a lack of education, which leads to a lack of understanding, which leads to their own pain and misery.


• Laziness works for Cheaters, but works against voters. Irresponsible incumbent politicians' laziness works for them, since they also have power and opportunities for self-gain, and unfair advantages to ensure their incumbency. Voters' laziness works against them, because they have to work to understand the issues, and then get out and vote responsibly, instead of pulling the party lever. Voters must take off their partisan blinders, and start voting out (or recalling) the irresponsible Cheaters.


• The irony of the Voters' microscopic self-interest is that it sabotages the Voters' macroscopic goals. Voters fail to see the very thing that is right under their nose to responsibly and peacefully force government to be responsible and accountable too. Education is the key, first step.

Then, hopefully, someday, we will understand why and how we keep shooting ourselves in the foot, and how to stop doing that. It's really that simple, but parasitic Cheaters have tricked us into thinking it is all very complex and complicated, which are really just clever excuses for their failure to address our pressing problems that steadily grow in number and severity. There will eventually be consequences, and when it occurs, the Voters will be those that suffer the most pain and misery for their own laziness and ignorance. And, perhaps that is as is should be, if we are to ever learn from our mistakes. Until then, we all deserve each other.

• Stop Repeat Offenders.


• Don't Re-Elect Them !

Excellent answer, Dan!!!