Defending Democracy
By PDS Wealth Management on September 11, 2023
For far too long, we have endured an endless stream of accusation; every politician, correspondent, and/or “contributor” (ironic slang for a paid political hack) breathlessly warns of his opponents’ “…existential threat to democracy.”
Wherever we encounter a nest of microphones, directly behind it stands a candidate, a prosecutor or a commentator energetically placing the blame for a multitude of sins squarely upon the devil making the same accusation on the other network. In a tennis match, contestants change the ends of the court after every other game. Why don’t pundits ever change ends?
Our first politicians (most of whom had real jobs) understood and accepted the source of public division, yet our nation has survived well despite it:
‘From the protection of different and unequal faculties of acquiring property, the possession of different degrees and kinds of property immediately results; and from the influence of these on the sentiments and views of the respective proprietors, ensues a division of the society into different interests and parties.”
James Madison; Federalist No. 10
November 1787
The “nightly news” and the bias that surrounds it delivers aggravation; ads which promise to cure what ails you offer fools’ gold. As a sweltering summer begins to fade, please consider limiting your “screen time.” Doing so will reduce your exposure to “phishing” and “spam,” political noise and the monetization of your eyeballs.
Soon our overworked air conditioners will take a pause; leaves will change color and fall to earth. Get ready to open your windows and celebrate cool evening air. We don’t vote for fourteen months!
Twenty-two years ago, a real enemy gave us a real reason to stand united. Defend yourself!
Tom Parker, CFP®
Managing Director