WhatFinger


Nothing's over until we decide it is.

Overcome bad news anxiety in your own life, and remember America's done it before



Back in August, I wrote a commentary that looked at the “bad news anxiety” that seemed to be afflicting the nation. Between the crisis at the border, malfeasance in Washington and the refusal of our leaders do anything serious about it, I got a clear sense from callers, listeners and readers that folks were on edge about it.
I get that same sense now. ISIS is advancing as President Airstrikes Only refuses to embrace a strategy of fighting to win. Labor force participation is declining as food stamp dependence reaches record levels. Racial tensions in Missouri are not abating. ObamaCare continues to wreak havoc on our nation’s health care system even as Democrats and their media allies try to convince us it’s “working.” Between assaults on religious freedom, abuse of federal regulatory power and the out-of-control spending that never abates, it’s hard to escape the conclusion that we’re simply on a path to disaster. Even the polls that show Republicans sweeping to huge victories in November only encourage folks so much because recent history offers little confidence that GOP majorities in both houses of Congress will lead to serious policy improvements. So before you wring your hands and abandon all hope, I am here to remind you of two things: First, you can rise above this in your own life, and you must. And second, we’ve been here before, and things did get better. That can happen again.

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I want to start with you. I always encourage people to stay involved, stay informed and stay active concerning what’s happening in our nation. You need to do that. If you don’t, there will be no one to counter the stupid people who will otherwise ruin this country! (And are doing a pretty good job of it right now.) But staying involved and informed doesn’t mean you need to let the stupid people ruin your own life. You know that activist who is on Facebook and Twitter multiple times a day venting anger and rage over the latest thing Obama did or didn’t do, or Harry Reid’s most recent horrible statement, or Nancy Pelosi’s latest absurdity? Don’t be that. Or at least, don’t be only that. Enjoy your life! Surely something good must be going on with you. Positive news from your family, your kids, your church, your neighbors, your favorite team . . . it’s healthy to take joy from these things. If you can’t enjoy your life because you’re constantly grinding your teeth over politics, you’ve passed involved and informed and moved straight into the realm of the obsessed. Get out of there. It does you no good. And don’t buy the thinking that because the government is such a disaster, things can’t be prosperous and hopeful for you personally. That is not true. Bad government policies are problems that make it harder to succeed, but effective people overcome problems. I know plenty of people who are succeeding in spite of Obama and his allies. They have to work harder, and they have to deal with more setbacks along the way, but they don’t let that stop them from enjoying success. Finally, if you’re old enough, you’ll remember that the nation was experiencing a lot of anxiety back in 1979 and 1980 too. It was Jimmy Carter himself who said we were beset with “malaise,” which we certainly were in large part due to his failed leadership and ill-advised policies. Inflation and interest rates were sky high. Unemployment was through the roof. We were being humiliated by radical Islamists in the Middle East. It seemed like we were a nation in decline, and if we’d kept going in the same direction, that would have been true. But we found a leader in Ronald Reagan, and things turned around. The people showed wisdom in electing him, and when Democrats and the media tried to tear him down, the people knew better than to listen to their nonsense. That can happen again. I am not saying I necessarily see the second coming of Reagan on the horizon, and I certainly don’t mean to tab any particular contender as being the new Reagan. I don’t even think it’s healthy to try to do that, because Reagan was the leader we needed in 1980. It’s a different time now and in 2016 we will need a different leader with traits all his (or her) own – although clearly many of the same conservative principles remain the core of what we need to embrace as a nation. My point, though, is that just when you think things are so bad that no one is up to the task, history shows that good people rise to the occasion. Don’t forget that, and don’t let the media tell you that Hillary Clinton is inevitable as our next president. No one has cast a vote yet! And the American people have shown in the past they were wiser than that – that they can recognize the reality of the situation and make a far better choice than the one the media want them to make. So pay attention to the bad news – you need to do that – but don’t let it rule your life. Rise above it personally, and believe we can do what’s necessary as a nation to correct our course. We’ve done it before, and we faced just as hostile a media and just as much Democrat absurdity back then. I know. Washington is like one big animal house. Still: Nothing’s over until we decide it is!


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