Jim Ross Lightfoot

Sitting here in God’s Waiting Room, the word “scared” keeps bouncing off the walls. The source is the words of a young woman who wants to start a family but is afraid to do so. No, not for medical or financial reasons — she is scared for the future of our country and what kind of a world she and her husband would be bringing a child into.

“What do you think?” she asked.

The response was, “Scared to death.” This is neither a Democratic nor a Republican comment; it refers to both parties.

There are quite a few old dinosaurs in both political parties that need to go from Congress.

Growing up on a farm long before we had running water or electricity — and the “necessary house” was at the end of a few long boards laid on the ground to protect you from the mud on rainy days — offers a perspective that those younger than 85 cannot embrace. Watching and being a part of America becoming the greatest country on Earth is a fascinating experience.

However, the sky has darkened.

Background and reasons for these thoughts.

1. Congress’ “feel good” programs are a vote-buying scheme that led to a bloated government with hard-to-fire employees providing subpar, overpriced services.

2. Since 1885, Democrats have controlled the House for 98 years and the Senate for 82 years. One party’s extended control builds a power base that the other has a slim chance of overturning.

3. In 1959, the Democrats gained control of both houses of Congress, marking the beginning of a long period of their domination. The House was under their control for 40 years until the Republicans won in 1994 and Newt Gingrich became the speaker. At the same time, the Democrats had a 26-year run in the senate, which ended with the election in 1984.

4. Under Democratic control, social programs were introduced that created heavy reliance on the government for basic needs. These programs slowly constructed a socialist government, as defined by Britannica.

5. Those receiving government assistance started to outnumber those contributing revenue to the government.

6. As of now, the population of the United States is 334,914,895. According to a report by CNBC, 61% of households did not pay any federal income tax in 2022. Additionally, approximately 19 million people who are residing in the country illegally also did not pay any taxes. In addition to this, the U.S. government has spent truckloads of your money on foreign aid programs. All of these factors have led to the government borrowing trillions of dollars, which will eventually have to be paid off by future generations: our children and grandchildren. It is obvious the old dinosaurs have never learned how to balance a checkbook. But they are intoxicated with power.

7. Our national media distorts news to promote a liberal political agenda. Fair and balanced has left the room. These days, a true journalist is hard to find.

8. There are two lost generations: one that did not learn true American history and the other that is not learning the meaning of patriotism and good, honest work.

9. Substandard education has negatively affected a generation or more to the extent that children lack basic math and other skills needed to sustain and enhance their productivity and become successful members of a vibrant, free society.

10. College education has become a tool for political indoctrination rather than for providing practical knowledge and skills for work and life.

11. Millions of U.S. jobs have been relocated overseas.

12. Dependence on countries that hate us for our petroleum is a dangerous situation.

Those are enough reasons to ruin your day, and these reasons scare an old man the most. If you want to add a 13th reason, it would be the widespread hatred and lack of respect in the country, as well as a legal system that has broken down and favors criminals over law-abiding citizens.

Do not forget an open border allowing millions of illegals to enter the United States with little or no screening. We have already started to witness murders, rapes, and police officers being beaten by these illegals. With your tax dollars, we provide them with food, housing and medical care.

Yes, it is very scary for the future of our children and grandchildren. Will they be able to turn our country around? History tells us that nations like ours have lasted about 250 years. Next year, we will celebrate our 239th birthday.

Someone needs to wake up soon and start putting the proper ingredients in that birthday cake.

Just sayin’.