A worried mother called my house at 8 p.m. Christmas Eve. "Is my daughter at your house? Have you seen my daughter?"
Have you seen my daughter? Do you know where my daughter is? What a terrifying place to be on Christmas Eve, or any night.
She had misdialed and gotten me by mistake, so I don't know the conclusion of this terrible situation.
I know what it is like to lose a daughter. Nine years ago, a drunk driver took my eldest daughter's life.
Most parents would give their lives to protect their children, yet we are the first generation to hand a worse quality of life to our children. We embezzled trillions from our children's Social Security and Medicare trust funds. We lived high while tripling the national debt -- debt which our children will have to pay. We elect the politicians who promise to be the biggest spenders and who tell us they will make more people dependent upon federal spending than their opponents, to the detriment of our children and our nation.
Greek and Roman civilizations were great in their times. Many modern inventions occurred to make life easier for ensuing generations. Yet once citizens learned how to vote themselves largess from the public treasury and to take from their neighbor's pocketbook, they bankrupted their nations in one or two generations.
Voting is more than a right; it is a responsibility. We presently treat it as a "vote for sale." Which politicians will offer to borrow more from the next generation and give us what we want now? Very few voters analyze issues and vote for candidates who offer responsible leadership in the best interest of nation and children.
What takes place in the minds of parents who would gladly lay down their own lives for their children but would choose government policies that lead to national bankruptcy, corruption, and loss of opportunity for their children ... in favor of self interest, special interest, greed, pork and power? Why the "disconnect?"
Today, 70 percent of the population believes it benefits from increased federal spending, larger deficits, special interest, corruption and handing more power to already powerful politicians. With this belief, it is near-impossible to elect "good government" candidates. It is near-impossible to bring about the reform needed to save this wonderful country. Incumbent politicians win elections because they can frame the debate around special interests -- "what's in it for you." The money to fund special-interest candidates comes from, well, special interests. The general interest usually doesn't fund elections.
Alaska has a reputation for electing corrupt politicians who cater to special interests at the expense of our nation and our children. We've sent some of these politicians to jail. But that isn't enough. If we care about our children, we have to adjust our criteria for selecting our politicians. We need to discern which of these candidates care about country and children.
In each election, we need to ask our candidates, "Do you understand what role Congress had in delivering our present recession and reduced opportunity for our children?' If they don't understand, they are not competent to serve. We should ask them if they have a long-term plan to bring back the greatness that America should have. If they have no plan, they should not be elected.
We say that our children are our greatest resource but our actions don't support that statement. We say we want good government but we nearly always support the same folks who created our troubles. If we are willing to lay down our lives for our children, then for the next generation, we surely can choose to give up government power, pork, greed and corruption for needed reform.
Perhaps we'll change our voting priorities in this new year.
Dave Cuddy is a lifetime Alaskan and a former state legislator and banker. He currently manages real estate and produces films.
By DAVE CUDDY