Post No. 72: Country Seeking New Year Resolutions

© 2008, the Institute for Applied Common Sense

Now that the New Year is upon us, we’ve decided, as citizens, to approach it differently. After all, we’re nothing if not eclectic.

Although some suggest that the concerns about the state of our nation (and the world) are much ado about nothing, we’d rather not be lulled into complacency and leave it to our purported leaders to pull us out of this mess.

As stated in our Post No. 71, entitled “Our Responsibility as Citizens,” (http://theviewfromoutsidemytinywindow.blogspot.com/2008/12/post-no-71-our-responsibility-as.html), we believe that each and every one of us can have a significant influence in improving our collective situation.

If we don’t have that belief as citizens, we’re screwed.

And we’ll be left to the devices of the slick, the charlatans, and the cads.

The period in history, which we believe most powerfully reflects the power of individual contribution (at least in a measured way), is WWII. (So was the French Revolution; however, it was not particularly coordinated.)

War bonds, rationing, women lifting riveting machines, dramatic re-tooling of industry, and individual sacrifice, in addition to the men and women fighting on or close to the front line, all contributed to the ultimate success of the Allied forces.

What we’d like for you to do is to come up with a description of something pragmatic and practical, which you are capable of doing in the coming year, as an individual, responsible citizen, which you believe others could emulate. Don’t make it too conceptual.

We all know what we didn’t do during the past 8 years. Now it’s time to stop complaining about the actions of others, and to take charge and do something.

Send what you plan to do to RDGreene@triad.rr.com via e-mail on or before January 1, 2009.

We will review the submissions, and on January 2, 2009, post the Top Ten Actions of Responsible Citizens for 2009 on our blog. We will then take efforts to have them presented to the media and our elected leaders, and go from there.

We look forward to your input.

We’re sure that you’re up for the challenge.

© 2008, the Institute for Applied Common Sense