"... the Search Was Conducted Mostly to Damage Trump's Political Career"
The above phrase is from
this article about a recent poll. It expresses a belief held by 39% of the respondents. Variations of this belief are regularly expressed by some in this forum. I think it is fair to say the variations include things like (1) there exists a "deep state" that is against Donald Trump and people who support him. (2) the system, including elections, is rigged against me; it gives unfair advantages to others that I do not enjoy. (3) I do not have a fair chance in life because the system favors Democrats and is enforced by Democrats and I am not a Democrat.
I am neither a Democrat nor a Republican. My voter registration says "NPA" which means no party affiliation in my state. As a bona fide independent who sometimes votes Democrat, sometimes Republican, and sometimes independent or third-party, I do not hold such beliefs and I'll admit that it's a struggle for me to understand why anyone would.
But it is obvious that a significant percentage of the population does hold these beliefs. Since I interact with these people every day in my business, civic and personal life, it is important to get past my struggle and truly understand where these people are coming from. While I don't have to hold any belief I don't want to, it does seem wise to truly understand what others believe and why.
To that end, I think a good place to start is at the personal level. We can talk about the government at high levels, and about the generalized group "the Democrats," and about, systems, and about events in the news all day long. But what about at the personal level? At the personal level, do you see anything being done by the government or its agents that are against you personally; that is, actions that directly undermine your personal ability to operate in the world?
My answer to that question is no. But that's an easy answer for me to give since I am a white male who owns a corporation. I do not fear the police. I do not worry that they will swoop in to seize my phone or search my house. When local Republicans take over a school board and start talking about banning books, that does not interfere with my ability to live my life and prosper in my community. When local Democrats and others rise to protest the killing of George Floyd, it was just another day in business for me. If I had my choice, someone other than Ron DeSantis would be my governor, but he won the last election and I am resolved to living with that result. When I cast my primary vote by mail this week, I trust that it will be competently processed and fairly counted.
A recent adverse impact government had in my life was the Trump tariffs. Those greatly increased the cost of a commercial air conditioner component our business needed. Those tariffs increased our business expenses by thousands of dollars. That tax was money taken directly from my pocket for which no benefit was received in return. But I did not conclude from that, that the government was against me or that Trump was doing this because he wants me to fail in business. It was a development, not a personal attack. As a business person, I deal with developments every day all day. It's just part of the game, not a personal attack, and not something that means the system is rigged against me.
Another adverse impact of government on our business was the DeSantis ordered shutdown. The DeSantis shutdown was a devastating blow for some. It forced a nearby competitor of ours out of business. That business owner was regarded by many to be a fine, upstanding, Christian, family man. The shutdown literally drove him and his family to bankruptcy; and provided a nice competitive boost to our business as we picked up a number of his abandoned customers.
Did DeSantis want that man to fail and me to succeed? Is that why DeSantis shut down gyms statewide? Of course not. It was a development that came from the government, but it was not personal and it was not designed to somehow keep me from succeeding in business.
I am NOT powerless or helpless in the world and I will NOT blame outside forces for my success or failure. I literally cannot afford to fall into that mindset. If I start blaming Democrats or the government for every setback or lost opportunity I see, I'll soon see nothing else, and the truly wonderful opportunities I have as an American in today's world will go unseen by me and claimed by someone else.
To those who believe certain forces operate against you, to those who would answer yes to the above question, what exactly do you see? What is happening in your personal, civic and business life -- not in distant leaders or undefined systems, but in your personal life -- that gives you reason to believe certain forces are operating against you?
townhall.com
