Thoughts Aloud

As I have noted before, I consider Austin, TX home, even though I was actually born in Arkansas.

J9 and I are finishing a week in Austin, something we do on a regular basis because: 1) most of our medical practitioners are here (and Austin has some of the best available anywhere) and, 2) my youngest daughter has a lovely family here that we love to spend time with. My two grandsons are growing like weeds and are into every sports and scouting activity one might imagine.

But, that is not the subject of this screed. The point is that my beloved Austin has become a prime example of the hypocrisy of the liberal/progressive mindset.

For those not familiar, inner Austin is one of the very most liberal cities in America. Every law, every ordinance, every act of the city council is carefully crafted to be perfectly politically correct, perfectly in line with liberal/progressive thought, and, above all, totally in keeping with the supposed needs of humanity. Indeed, these folks have so much collective concern for the plight of humanity that it nearly chokes me up to think about it.

But, let most of these same citizens get on the streets, in a store or in any public venue and their behavior makes it abundantly clear that they could not give a crap less about their fellow humans. Everything is all about them and your only purpose on this Earth is admire them for a moment then get the hell out of their way.

In my admittedly limited experience, this is the case in each and every liberal/progressive area of our nation. And, it should tell us all everything we need to know about the heart and soul of liberalism/progressivism.

Not by accident, since our retirement, and when we are not on the road in our RV, we reside outside a very small village (Whitney, TX) in a very rural area. It is also a very conservative area and the average citizen tends to be something less than rich, in money terms (and, yes, most of them are bible-thumpers but no place is perfect). However, for the most part they are totally friendly and there is little they would not do to help a fellow human in need.

The contrast with Austin could not be more pronounced.

But, it does not have to be this way. Some years ago, I lived and worked in central Indiana, not far from the capital, Indianapolis. At that time, Indy was a typical rust-belt city, had lost most of its industrial base, and had fallen into a sad state of disrepair – much like the Detroit of today. But, Indy was blessed with series of conservative GOP administrations and now it is one of the gems of the Midwest. It transformed its economy, cleaned up the downtown squalor, and made downtown a good, safe, desirable place to be. And, there are similar stories in cities scattered all around America, rare though they may be.

There is a lesson here that is neither hidden or obscure. Why do so few seem to notice it?

Think about it.

Troy L Robinson

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