By Jodie Stephens-Quintero
There are so many changes happening in America.
I have to admit I am scared.
You ask me what there is to be afraid of.
If you would have asked me a few years back I would have said I am afraid of terrorism.
That seemed to be the only threat hovering over our country at the time. Or maybe I was living in a bubble of denial like a lot of Americans.
Don’t get me wrong I am still scared of terrorism but recently I have opened my eyes to a few more things.
I am scared of a single payer healthcare system.
I’m afraid of the problems that come with that system such as a lottery system just to get a primary care doctor like what some in Canada and the UK have had to deal with.
I am scared of closing Guantanamo.
I’m afraid by Obama putting some of the most hardened Al-Quedian terrorists/criminals into America’s prison system we will be opening a door and breeding new ones right in our own backyard.
I am scared of “redistributing the wealth”.
I’m afraid that if we take from the rich and give to the poor we will soon become a socialist society.
I am scared of becoming a socialist country.
I’m afraid that if we become a socialist country we will lose all of our rights and choices as free Americans as we know it.
I am scared of more tax increases.
I’m afraid as a small business owner that higher taxes will be bringing us one step closer to closing our doors and taking away jobs for many.
I am scared of our country losing sight of what our founding fathers wanted for us.
I’m afraid if we do not protect our constitution America’s government will soon crumble.
I am scared of what Americas future holds for our children.
I’m afraid that all of the government spending and bailouts has dug America so deep into debt that our children’s children won’t be able to dig America out.
This list could go on.
I read this quote and couldn’t help but to be concerned for America’s possible future.
“We can’t expect the American people to jump from Capitalism to Communism, but we can assist their elected leaders in giving them small doses of Socialism, until they awaken one day to find that they have Communism.”– Nikita Krushchev
The thought of this happening to America scares me.
Now some might say that I am using scare tactics and am overreacting to the issues. I beg to differ. If more Americans would get their heads out of the sand and face the reality of all of the things I mentioned they might be scared too.
I don’t know about you but I don’t want to be scared anymore.
So how can we use this fear and change it into something positive?
One thing is to start reading and researching.
“Knowledge dispels fear.”-Simon Walker
If we just sit back and let our government make choices without any input from the citizens then things will never change for the better.
Demand that our congressmen read the ENTIRE healthcare bill. If they won’t then we should. If we don’t like what we see then we need to let our representatives know.
Attend a tea party and let our government know we DO NOT want higher taxes.
Activism brings on empowerment. Empowerment makes us feel strong and fearless.
Using another quote, “Don’t be afraid of opposition. Remember, a kite rises against, not with, the wind.” – Hamilton Mabie
So let’s not let the all powerful government or opposition to our beliefs dictate our fear.
There are many ways to use the fear of where our country might be headed. If we become more proactive and make our voices be heard maybe just maybe we won’t let the governments choices scare us but instead motivate us to take our country back to where our founding fathers intended it to be.
