Seek the truth and sell it not -

President Barak Obama is constantly pummeled in the political arena for being, among other things, a Socialist. Now, we must understand that in our two-party system of government, the party in power is considered the ruling party, and the president is acknowledged as the leader of his party. The party not in power is the opposition party. With this in mind, we must consider most all political rhetoric with this perspective.

Throughout American history, the opposition party is voracious in its efforts to pounce on the character of the president, his missteps, or the missteps of his party. Political rhetoric is the weapon of choice for the opposition party. Even the most beloved president in American history, George Washington, was not immune to false allegations and conspiracy theories. In his second term, the opposition party accused the most revered hero in American history of being a British spy during the war.

American citizenship is an active not passive endeavor. Implied in our citizenship is the responsibility to seek the truth about our political leaders. Political rhetoric isn’t about the truth; it’s about shaping perception. Consequently, believing this rhetoric serves to mislead us, not to inform us. In fact, it can cause us to vote against our own best interest and the interest of our country.

Political rhetoric is practically the same as name-calling. Its goal is to create a deceptive perception of its target. In some cases, political rhetoric is specifically designed to conjure up conspiracy theories to scare people who are not diligent in their pursuit of the truth.

Every American should understand that our country has socialistic features mixed in with our democracy. For example, Social Security, Medicare, public libraries, and public education are socialistic in nature. The design of these organizations is for the good of the people.

Another popular example of socialism is the National Football League where the owners share the league profit. They do this so smaller market teams have a level playing field to compete with large markets. This redistribution of wealth is for the good of the league even though it penalizes successful franchises for being successful. Now, most men I know love football and consider it as American as Apple Pie. They seem to have no conflict with the NFL’s socialistic business model.

So, let’s take responsibility for what we believe and not allow misinformation to create wrong perceptions and misinformed opinions. Seeking the truth takes work; I believe it’s one of the most patriotic activities we can do.