Unveiling the Light

A recent social finding discussed on talk radio stated that the current young generation is the most narcissistic ever. They are focused mainly on themselves, have a very high self awareness and are typically overly confident and overly expectant on the rewards they will receive in life. Meanwhile they are less able to handle a job out of high school and generally lack job skills and a good work ethic. Many customers complain about the lack of service or deference by younger sales clerks. So what is wrong with this generation? Look in the mirror. We are the problem!

We live in a world where the chief executive officer of Lowe’s receives nearly $30 million dollars the same year he is fired for a declining stock price and failing market position. Recently, Delta Airlines announce it was coming out of bankruptcy and would earn about $800 million in its first year. Oh by the way, in bankruptcy it got rid of all the debt it had run up, ran the stockholders value down to zero, and the pensions of its employees over the last 30 or so years is magically gone. What little Delta’s retirees receive will now come from a federal agency, at taxpayer expense. The same thing happened some 20 years ago when Delta bought out a former competitor, and also left the pension liability of that former competitor for others to pay. I am sure that the employees who lost their pension and the many small businesses forced to close because of Delta’s unpaid bills, would like a piece of that $800 million.

There are many other examples of malfeasance in our society. Bank of America and others now no longer require legal documents to give credit cards so that they can join many businesses that circumvent U.S. emigration laws to take advantage of illegal aliens. Meanwhile we have to force businesses to pay higher minimum wages in a market where wages are kept low by illegal immigration and in which many are paid “under the table,” unfettered by minimum wage laws and the need to collect taxes. Politicians have gone so far as to encourage illegal aliens to vote and discouraged any investigations into voter fraud. Cities pass laws that contradict federal or state law or refuse to enforce laws they find politically unacceptable. On a local level, the children of this community were treated as virtual hostages in the midst of a teacher work slowdown. Recently in a public school, a teacher was suspended for “grasping the wrist” of a badly behaved student who was reaching onto the teacher’s desk for a bell.

All of this amounts to a society that has put the individual on a pedestal at the expense of the society itself. Any business practice is considered okay if it makes money and isn’t illegal. Any pressure employers can put on workers, or unions put on employers and innocent bystanders is considered fair for political or financial gain. Even when an individual’s or group's behavior disrupts the many that happen to share their space in this world, that individual or group is held up as the sole arbitrator of their own behavior. Nobody can discipline them, except perhaps parents who are largely absent. When they do react it is with a sense of guilt “for not being there” for them and more often than not take the child’s side despite the facts. If they are adults and shout obscenities, insults, or implied threats … then shame on us for listening.

If we want to find why the younger generation seems so immersed in them selves it is because our society is largely dedicated to the individual’s pleasure, even at a cost to the society itself. Social responsibility is never spoken of, unless it is used to get you to vote for a specific candidate who claims to be above it all, despite their previous record. The message of our movies, books, and the behavior we witness on the news is that only chumps look out for others. Unless you are a comic book hero, the individual is out for him or her self and everyone is on the take. This attitude is reinforced when we are obsessed with work, earnings and the things we buy, at the cost of time with family or sharing the lives of our children.

We need to get off the merry-go-round of self-absorption. We are becoming less and less of a society and more of a group of unassociated individuals trying to climb over others to get ours. From the very top of our society to the very bottom, everyone asks, “What is in it for me?” ‘I could work instead of Welfare but I would not earn much more. I could go back to work but Workman’s compensation is so good. Sure the kids are being victimized but darn it I deserve more money. Oh, you are getting laid off? Too bad you don't have a strong union too. We are sorry about your lost pension and your resulting poverty but how can we make money with you hanging on? Of course I feel your pain, but I have to raise money from these people who can afford to contribute so I can vote myself another raise and increase your taxes again.’

There are many good people in this world who have the integral fortitude to hold up the needs of others and who put themselves secondary to those around them. They are the unsung heroes among us. I see it everyday in our parish, in those who volunteer their time and donate their funds for the sake of others, in those who take in children not their own, and in those who seek to protect a people who it seems could not care less; but all I read, hear or view on the news are those who put themselves first, who are self aggrandizing, self promoting, or who put themselves forward as a victim. The strong, selfless individuals are ignored or, at worst, put down because they have values to live by and these values challenge the lives of others. Being a threat to fragile egos, they are put down or ignored lest we question our own motives and behavior.

I do not think it is too late, or that this society is lost. But I do fear it is headed that way. We need to hold up those who serve their fellow humans and insist on proper moral behavior from leaders, whether or not it is illegal. If laws become the only restraint on behavior, then we are lost and will end up living in a dictatorship of imposed laws to meet the needs of a few. We will be no better than the Pharisees who held up the law in opposition to the Gospel of Jesus. We should be outraged by behavior that is always self serving, by rewards that have lost touch with reality, and perhaps most of all by an acceptance of this behavior by all of us. To forgive is a good thing, to ignore or give acquiescence to such behavior is itself a great sin. It is time to not accept such behavior and to hold each other accountable. We need to support those heroic self giving people among us, and it is time to call ourselves to behave in a manner that realizes we are all part of the same reality and that the actions of an individual can mean a lot to the society as a whole.

Father Steven Foppiano

Posted by Fr Steven Foppiano at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

“The Big Lie” is a term often used during the Cold War concerning the Soviet Union. Reports were that even the Soviets took to using the term. It simply meant that if you are to tell a lie, then tell it convincingly, often and loudly. Make it seem as if it could not be a lie and eventually the world, even perhaps the Soviets themselves, would believe it. It was a convenient way of separating their rhetoric from their actions. They could claim to be the innocent bystander, the victim, or the one with kindly intent, when behind the iron curtain millions died, and throughout the world their ruthlessness went unabated.

This same tactic has now been undertaken by some of our most powerful statesmen, or I should say, politicians. “Statesman” is too high of an honor for most of these self serving narcissists. I am referring here to the damning of the Bush administration. I have recently heard it called corrupt, bankrupt, immoral, and politic driven. Now, I am not a fan of President Bush. He has let me down in many ways and had failed to provide the leadership against his political enemies that this country needs. But I do not think his is a corrupt or immoral administration. In fact, those that use these terms are, like the former Soviet Union, avoiding the clear evidence to the contrary.

As far as corruption, I know of one conviction by a person of authority in the Bush administration and this conviction is not related to any action taken on behalf of the administration but on his answers to a special prosecutor. No wrong doing has been alleged in Mr. Libby. Most unbiased opinions see his conviction as justice gone awry. He was convicted for not saying what he knew several years prior to his questioning. Even if he had said or heard what they claim, no law would have been broken. How many of you can answer to what you were doing three years ago?

There have been many accusations against President Bush and especially Vice-President Chaney, but these are based on who they knew or what they did before they were elected. Chaney is considered guilty of everything because he was once head of Halliburton and Bush worked in the oil fields so, of course, he is corrupt and with Chaney, is in the hands of the oil companies. Never is proof given and never are charges brought, but the accusations keep coming.

When Clinton calls this the most corrupt administration ever, she is conveniently overlooking the lack of any convictions in this administration and the fact the Clinton associates regularly went to jail for influence peddling and financial fraud. The democrats decry that seven Attorney Generals have been released, conveniently forgetting that, to delay action in White Water, President Clinton fired the entire roster of Attorney Generals, nearly 100. How many remember that Clinton fired the travel department of the White House because they would not give contracts to his friends? The former President was convicted of lying under oath and barred from legal practice, and they now have the audacity to call President Bush corrupt?

When the facts are in and history takes a look, it may be shown that President Bush’s presidency became less effective as time went by and that he made political mistakes, but it will also reveal that this has been one of the least scandalous administrations in recent history … while also being the most accused. The left has simply taken up The Big Lie. Say it long enough, loud enough, and with enough fervor and even they will begin to believe their lies.

Of course, these politicians and groups that attack the Administration don’t care of the damage done to the country as a whole. The lack of esteem held by foreigners for our government and the country has more to do with our own media and political rhetoric than on any actions by President Bush. Any attack is deemed to be okay in the name of political gain for a party or cause. No concern is given for the damage to the country.

The worst part of all of this is that I firmly believe a country gains the government it deserves. I just did not think that we, as a people, had fallen this far.

Fr. Steven Foppiano

P.S.

Sorry I got so many of you angry with the above post. Still, except for Libby, none of you have pointed out any crimes or scandals of the Bush administration. The idea that he stole the first election has been thoroughly disproven, even by the papers who actually did a recount. You may hate that he got us into a war but he did so with the yes of Congress fully open and cooperative. They may retreat from their decisions now but the knew as much as Bush did.

I am sure you will tell me how he lied and knew the truth and had some secret agenda. In his Father's administration the ex-President was accussed of flying to Iran in an X-15 to make a deal befoe Reagan came into office. That and these accusations against George W. hole about the same credibility, that is none. Congress is controlled by the democrats so let them come up with some real evidence instead of a heap of accusations they can't back up. Note that even Gonzales who was publicly whipped in a political sense, has been shown to have done nothing illegal.

You may also note that Libby was convicted of the exact same crime as President Clinton, lying under oath. The difference is that many feel that Libby was simply mistaken, not lying. Either way, he should get a punishment no greater than Clinton's. which wasn't much.

By the way, read my writing on having no fear of words. It seems that if you disagree with someone they are assumed to be guilty of a crime. Show me the evidence, otherwise just give me you opinion on the issues.

Thank you.

Fr. Steven

Posted by Fr Steven Foppiano at 10:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

A quick internet search of the bible reveals that “gossip” is spoken of as an evil at least 11 times; many more if you include the descriptive words, “slander” and “evil speaking.” The bible and rules of good social behavior tell us to look to the good in people and to not spread word of their wrong doing. Instead of condemning them, we are told to approach that person and to try to correct their behavior. If this is impossible then we are to remain silent and should hold them in our prayers, asking God to help them.

With this in mind it is time for most of us in this country to stand up and say in unison, “guilty as charged.” As a nation we have taken the troubles of others to be our entertainment and use their antics as a justification for our own behavior, either to make ourselves feel better about our lives or to think that our own bad behavior is acceptable in comparison. We are wrong in all ways. There is no justification for gossip and the sins of others are not events for us to enjoy nor actions of which we are to take advantage. They represent the fallen nature of human kind and the unraveling of the fabric of society. Their actions should cause sorrow, not entertainment.

I am speaking here mainly of the Hollywood personalities and media kings and queens that make up so much of our news today. Their infidelities, numerous marriages, arrests, scandals, and outrageous behavior have become fodder for our daily entertainment. Sure, some say that we should feel sorry for them, but only after watching and commenting on the embarrassing film clip or news item. It says something when we spend more time watching the drama surrounding the likes of Anne Nicole Smith and Britney Spears than we do learning about the reality of the war in Iraq and the real sacrifices and dedication found there on our behalf.

As a nation we need to begin asking some questions about our behavior. How can we instill good morals and behavior in our children when they are inundated with immorality and obnoxious behavior by our icons that are the highlights of conversation? It does not end there. We want them to be conservative in financial affairs yet as a state we have come to depend heavily on gambling for our income and entertainment and advertise this fact on a regular basis. We don’t tell them to work hard and earn a good life, we tell them to hit it big in the lottery. We don’t teach them the benefits of honor and good behavior. Instead the message of society is that only chumps play by the rules and that everybody is on the take. Outrageous behavior is seen as entertainment for the masses and shame is hardly mentioned.

Sure, these exaggerations are largely the result of our media but they are also allowed by our society. I can remember when gambling was frowned upon. Now it is seen as a sport and a saving grace for our schools, despite the documentation that gambling addiction is on the rise and many families are being destroyed by this disease. We adults may hold honor and honesty to be the foundation of a good life but how much time do we spend with the kids teaching them these values both in words and example? The media has a great deal of access to the children. How are we counteracting this access?

It is time for us to quit complaining about the direction this nation is headed and to understand that, wherever it is going, we are leading it. When we ignore our responsibilities, don’t find time for those people most important to us, or give our family duties over to strangers or society, we are yielding to their leadership. Parental responsibilities go far beyond procreation and financial support. Community support of families goes far beyond offering a few facilities for the kids to use.

As a society, we need to take responsibility for shaping the future of this country. Nobody is responsible for a family more than the parents but even parents need help of neighbors, friends, and community organizations; including churches. When we observe the bad behavior, lack of pride and low standards of the younger generations, we need to blame those most responsible. We need to blame ourselves and work to correct our own lives so that we can have a proper influence on those that look to us for guidance. In the end, the government we have, the society we live in, and the families we raise; all reflect who we are and our own standards. Looking around our world, it is hard to be happy with that?

Father Steven Foppiano

How can we instill good morals and behavior in our children when they are inundated with immorality and obnoxious behavior by our icons that are the highlights of conversation?

Posted by Fr Steven Foppiano at 12:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

There is a new government scandal regarding care of our soldiers at Walter Reed Hospital. Now the Secretary of the Army has stepped down as a result of his inaction to better serve our veterans wounded in the service of their country. How could this happen? As far as that goes, how could it happen that billions are found unaccounted for in Iraq? How is it that government programs continually go over budget while also underperforming? Why is such scandalous behavior allowed to occur?

Well, who ever thought that the government could do anything efficiently? It is by its nature slow, expensive, susceptible to corruption, and prone to inefficiency and ineffectiveness. It is the greatest of all bureaucracies and any bureaucracy is less worried about its effectiveness than it is with its own continued existence. Government bureaucracies are the worst because of the layers of stake holders insulating it from the purpose it was designed to serve. This is why great institutions of the government fail to serve their stated purpose.

Walter Reed may say its goal is to serve the veterans in need but its real purpose is the survival of those who run the institution, followed by the needs of the military which funds it, then the re-election of politicians, then to look good to the public, and finally, to serve the soldiers who need their services. The only way soldiers move up the line of priorities is for us to suffer a scandal such as this, when we are shocked at their performance and hold the feet of the politicians and army to the fire. The hospital is not reacting to the people. It is reacting to the politicians and the Army who are suddenly threatened by the scandal.

This should be a lesson to us all to avoid depending on the government for our needs. That has been the trend lately and it is a false hope to think that we can depend on some bureaucrat who answers to a politician, to meet the needs of the people of our country. In doing so, we insulate the process from the market system and add layers of other interests that come into play before our own. In the end we are dissatisfied with the results, horrified at the costs, and threatened by the loss of personal freedom to a bureaucracy that is insulated from us and which only responds to us indirectly. A business that does not meet the needs of consumers will soon go bankrupt. A government bureaucracy that does not meet the needs of the consumer simply asks for more funding, a funding that comes from sources quite different from and insulated from those consumers.

Poor performance by the government should not be a surprise. It costs nearly $1.00 for every $1.00 of welfare delivered to the poor. The bureaucracy takes as much as it gives. Such a performance would result in widespread upheaval in the private system. In government it is seen as normal operating procedures. We have spent hundreds of billions if not trillions of tax dollars on our war on poverty since the 60s. Yet the poverty in this country has increased, not decreased. What’s worse is that bureaucratic rules have broken up families, made fathers largely redundant and sometimes a burden to poor households, and have helped to increase illiteracy, drop out rates, and crime rates exponentially while draining resources from citizens and private industry.

This is not to say that the people in government are evil, lazy or incompetent. There is something to be said for it drawing some of these traits to itself, but most people in government want to do good work. It is simply the nature of the beast. This is the main reason we should limit government and depend on private industry and the individual whenever possible. Handing over our health, welfare, and well being to the government may give us a feeling of security but it is a false feeling. As we are about to find out with government pensions, social security, and Medicare; the government is not able to provide us what we do not give it and it takes a large share of what it receives for itself.

The main danger of a large and bloated government is the potential and real loss of freedom. Bureaucracies tend to assume power to themselves. The danger of big government is that it seeks to control those it is supposed to serve. Our freedoms, to choose what we do with our lives, what we say, how we worship, our right to privacy and to private property, can all be in competition with the needs of the bureaucracy and it will try to control or eliminate that which threatens it.

We have to ask ourselves if a large, nanny government really does us good or are we trading away our freedom and our effectiveness for a sense of security that is both false and fleeting. The reason communist and socialist governments have failed to deliver to their people is not so much the ideology but what the ideology leads to. They lead to a bureaucracy that feels it knows better than the people it serves and that only it has the right to make choices for us. In the end we end up with a system that is bound to fail because it does not promote efficiency and effectiveness. Instead it works for the needs of those in bureaucracy who have wholly different goals.

Walter Reed Hospital is but a symptom of what is wrong with government. It is an ailment of self preservation that is best controlled by limiting its growth. The Fathers of our country knew this and severely limited the ability of government to interfere with its citizens and private commerce. We have been slowly eating away at these limitations, seeking the easy way out by turning over to government those responsibilities we should take on ourselves. Now we will be paying the price as the giant eats more and more production, freedom, and effectiveness at our expense. It has an appetite that is hard to satisfy and it will try to consume all that it does not already control.

Fr. Steven Foppiano

Posted by Fr Steven Foppiano at 05:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)