Don't Treat the Symptoms, Cure the Cause!

Bo DePaulitic rushed into the room. "Doctor!" he said in a panicked voice, "you got to help me!"

Bo took a seat across from his physician. "I am desperate, you see."

"What's the matter?" his doctor inquired.

"Look" Bo stood up and showed his arms and chest to the doctor. They were covered in horrific sores. "You see," Bo said as he pointed to each sore, "I am covered in corruption, cronyism, profligates, and waste."

The doctor approached Bo and looked over his sores. After a second or so, he returned to his desk while asking, "Do you also suffer from inflation, intrusions on your freedom, wasting of your hard earn money, and loss of control over your property?"

"Why yes!" Bo gasped.

The Doctor went on, "and this condition started over twenty years or so ago?"

Bo nodded vigorously.

The Doctor continued, "and it has been growing worse."

Bo was startled. "How did you know?"

The doctor ignored the question. Instead, he asked "Mr. De Paulitic what have you done to get rid of these sores?"

Bo thought for a moment and replied, "Well, I tried everything. First I tried throwing the bums out. Then I used caring and compassionate. Next, I tried hope followed by compassionate conservatism, and finally, in desperation I tried change. But nothing worked. It has only grown worse."

"Of course it has Bo!" Said the Doctor, "You have been treating only the symptoms, but the cause remains untouched."

The Doctor approached Bo DePaulitic and placed his hand on his shoulder. "You see" he said, "you have within a horrible cancer which is slowly spreading throughout your body. It is destroying you. This cancer interferes with your thinking, making you believe that you can have something for nothing, that wealth can be unearned, that you can swap safety for liberty, and that you can fix all the ills of the world solely through governmental action."

"What will happen to me Doctor?" Bo's voice wavered and a look of fear crossed his face.

The Doctor looked grimly at his patient, "Well, at first you will not feel anything. Over time, you will being to feel pinched, restricted, and finally hopeless. Toward the end, you will simply act out of fear. You will follow the herd like sheep, and pray that your masters will let you have a crumb. In the end, you will be inert, apathetic, and ignorant."

"OH MY GOD DOCTOR!" Bo jumped from his seat, "I already am starting to be apathetic and ignorant. What can I do? Can you give me something!"

The Doctor stared hard at his companion and in a level voice said, "Bo DePaulitic, the only way to cure this disease is to address the cause. It is systemic, that is its within you, and the only answer lies there as well. To purge this evil will require you to be active, get involved, and clear your head. You want to get rid of the sores, cure the cancer. You want to cure the cancer, change your ways!"

TO BE CONTINUED.........