As my thoughts have centered on the health care debate, they quickly return to the role of government and how our perceptions have changed toward that end. From the frontiersman who ventured deep into the hostile territory of foreign nations (Indians) and expected the government to provide protection in the form of forts and stockades for his own reckless behaviour to our current demands that the government provide "free" condoms, healthcare, education, and everything else we might dream up, we basically have been a nation largely expecting our government to shelter us from the consequences of our own actions.

And it is those expectations that shackle us to mediocrity, that limit real progress and real reform. It is those thoughts that anyone inclined to reform must shake before true progress can be made.

Some years ago, in the fledgling years of Saturday Night Live, Lily Tomlin had a character that was a phone operator. For those young enough not to have lived then, you must understand that "Ma Bell" was a complete monopoly. If you wanted phone service, you went through them. Period. And you didn't own your phones (unless you were very wealthy), you leased them. Through Ma Bell.

Tomlin's character was a switchboard operator (ok, enough explaining...it's google time!) who would respond to customer complaints with sappy, smarmy comments like "well, you can ALWAYS go somewhere ELSE", with the obvious joke being there wasn't anywhere else TO go. The implication was that Ma Bell gave substandard service because they COULD. Because they didn't HAVE to compete. ANd because their customers would be hopelessly, helplessly lost without them.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, I wrote an article entitled "When the Levee Breaks" (http://gideon-macleish.joeuser.com/index.asp?aid=128138) explaining my opinion that our dependence on government was going to be our downfall. I still hold that belief, but am more subscribed to the belief that that same dependence is the government's triumph. See, as long as we remain dependent on the government, it can do anything it wants. Higher taxes? What are you going to do, we're the government. We keep your lights on. Wiretaps on American citizens? See that water tower? We own it. Want drinking quality H2O delivered to your home? You'll do what we say.

Get the picture?

Real reform can't happen because we have no cards to place on the table. We've rendered ourselves incapable of providing for ourselves because we've turned everything over to the government. And because we stand to lose so much should the prospect of revolution ever arise, we will not revolt. We can't. "The Amazing Race" is on tonight and we can't have some government official pulling the switch on the satellite feed.

In the midst of our local loony's ramblings came one salient point. Although he was far off in left field in blaming the Minnesota bridge failure on Bush, he was correct in that the infrastructure is crumbling. It is crumbling because we are asking our government to do more than any government can possibky do with the money we give it. It's not enough for the government to deal with things as they arise, the government must see problems beforehand and protect us from those as well.

The question comes, how does this affect me in my daily life. I firmly believe our dependence on government is a shackle, a ball and chain, that limits us from realizing our full potential. Let me explain in a real and personal way.

See, right now, as many of you know, I am preparing to go into the studio and lay out some of the songs I have written. The idea is to get these songs together, to send them out to people who might be interested in buying them, and hopefully to sell a few at different music festivals if I get a chance to play. This could be a very luicrative project, or I might be putting out the most expensive, most attractive coasters since Dennis DeYoung's solo work (sorry, Dennis...you're prettier than I). At any rate, because there is risk involved, I'm more inclined to put out a quality CD. I'm putting this CD together with the kind of songs I would like to hear, the kind of music I would be proud of...because I believe I stand the best chance of selling something that represents who I am.

Now, if my expenses were paid and I were under contract to put out an album, would I care as much? At this point in life, possibly, but more likely not. It's a lot easier to be careless when you have nothing to lose. The wider the chasm, the more muscle you put forth to leap the chasm, and the greater your effort becomes.

I would encourage anyone who is looking for real reform to look for ways that don't involve the government. Because if we make the government responsible, our individual liberties will be stripped away until there is nothing left. And when that happens it will not be the government to blame, but ourselves.