“It is only when the people become ignorant and corrupt … that they are incapable of exercising the sovereignty. Usurpation is then an easy attainment, and an usurper soon found. The people themselves become the willing instruments of their own debasement and ruin…” —James Madison (1817)

James Madison, often called the “father of the Constitution,” was the fourth president of the United States, slave and plantation owner. In modern day parlance, “an old, dead, white, slave holder remembered only by presidential scholars and occasional writers of presidential and constitutional history. Probably one of the most learned and influential men of his or any time in the history of the United States. Who is remembered more?

Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and John Kennedy – all are more studied and applauded for what they accomplished or the way in which they lived and died.

I bring up Madison, only because he was a visionary – probably the best we ever had. Now, a person like him is reviled because of being a slave owner.

What other visionaries have we had in our lifetimes in the position of President? In my opinion – none — maybe none since Madison.

However, maybe one was worthy of mention – Ronald Reagan. He took a downtrodden and beaten up American people from the Carter years, bearers of high interest rates, high unemployment, military might and morale at its lowest point and completely turned it around. He knew he had a big job ahead of him in getting the American people to begin to believe in themselves. He espoused his vision of what could be and the American people responded in an overwhelming way.

The tax rates came down, the military was bolstered with new budgets to expand the military and upgrade weapons and personnel to meet the demanding job of defending the country. More people suddenly found there were opportunities awaiting them if they would only believe in themselves and grab the open door and jump on the freight car as the train came by. Democrats screamed bloody murder about the lowering of tax rates, but soon understood the method of Reagan’s madness, the lower rates increased business activity and the Treasury soon had more revenue coming in than ever. This wasn’t supposed to happen, according to his Democrat opposition. It sure didn’t take them long to spend every extra dime in the Treasury.  Within eight years, the tax revenue doubled.

More people were working and moving up the economic ladder than ever before. If you were alive during that time, you realize what I’m writing was true. Only those deniers because they hated Reagan saying it wasn’t so.

The reason I’m giving a history lesson is because people tend to believe it really didn’t happen. Income from 1980 to 1990 exploded because companies were inundated with business orders and activity from pent up demand. Massive expansion happened in just about every industry. Everybody had more opportunity during that time than any time since.

I’m using history and examples as proof it did happen, and it can again. But only if people get their thinking straight and grab the bull by the horns and realize opportunity looks like hard work – it isn’t given to those unworthy or disillusioned because of the past – it is damn hard work. Most people aren’t in good paying positions because they were lazy and took days off work to go fishing or play in amusement parks. They went to work every day, worked overtime when offered, and took jobs they might not have liked but knew good things would come from it because of the challenge and learning experience. If you always are in a comfort zone, you don’t grow intellectually, socially, or economically.

Now I want to reveal the real reason for this article.

Facts:

• There are 46-47 million eligible working age people not working – they are on the unemployment, and/or public assistance in the form of food stamps, aid to dependent children, federal/state assistance (welfare) for housing, heating, electricity, phones, etc. Being on the government dole used to be embarrassing and humiliating, that stigma is long gone.
• There are more businesses failing than succeeding in the past seven years.
• There are more businesses off-shoring their headquarters, changing their business address to escape the burdensome U.S. corporate taxes. Why is that? Because the federal/state/local governments are burdening business with more and more taxes and regulations.
• There are more local and state governments adopting a $15 minimum wage level. This will eliminate jobs for those at the entry level and force some small businesses that cannot pay this wage and stay in business to go out of business. And those that raise wages to the new minimum level will raise prices to make up the difference. Law of supply and demand – the government requires higher wages, the money has to come from some place – you! This will result in more business failures eventually as the burden becomes more excessive and there is no reward for working hard/risk taking.

When you received your first job out of high school or college, before you accepted the offer, did you demand the level of wages and benefits you would receive, and demand three weeks or more of vacation the first year? If you were a young medical student at a hospital internship or residency, do you make the rules and hours you’ll work at your expected salary level or are you told what hours you’ll work and for what level of pay? Or did you smile and say “Yes,” without knowing the answers to any of those questions?

You wanted an opportunity to work and show what you could do and what you were worth to the business, company, workplace or firm. The money, benefits, and vacations would come, but that was not the issue at the time, you just wanted to work. How many beginning entry level workers are like that now?

My first job was in a small factory, making $3.27 per hr. I didn’t know what the pay was until I received my first check. I’m sure I was told what it was, but I didn’t care, I just wanted a job. I was young, dumb, and full of myself and knew they couldn’t help but love me once shown what I could do – that I was a good, dependable, responsible worker. Get along with everyone, treat everyone the way I would like to be treated, behave and not screw up.

“Open your ears and shut your mowf” was the best advice I ever got. The WWII and Korea Army vet, African- American man that told me that was Freeman Flowers, my union steward. He looked out for the young punk I was, but I worked my butt off and moved up to better jobs once they knew I could handle it. More money eventually came my way. I eventually was on an assembly line as an inspector/packer, making more money than most my age and more than my father per hour. This didn’t come because I whined and cried I wanted more money, I earned it. You can do the same thing, but only if you are willing to spend the energy, diligence and effort it takes.

The actor Ashton Kutcher once remarked in a speech “Opportunity looks a lot like work” – no truer words were ever spoken. There are jobs out there, there is opportunity, but if you don’t start somewhere, you’ll never know the feeling of success. Whether starting pay is $8, $12, $15 or $20 per hr., it will take work and perseverance to be successful and move up the pay scale. The road to success isn’t where you start; it’s where you end up. If you never start, you’ll never get off the government dole.