My wife and I were driving to dinner the other evening when a mini-van pulled beside us at a traffic light. It was dark and there was a “glow” emanating through the side windows. The kids were locked tightly in their car seats and their eyes were glued to the drop down TV screen above their heads. I craned my neck to see what the munchkins were watching and—lo and behold!—they were watching munchkins! I was shocked that children with so many entertainment options available to them were watching the old classic, “The Wizard of Oz”! My twisted mind began rerunning some of the scenes from the movie. Then I had a really strange thought: maybe we’re in Oz. And maybe that’s good!
The climax of the movie is both the best part and the worst part: Dorothy and her friends are convinced that all their problems will be solved if they can just make their way to the wonderful Wizard. He can solve problems of the heart, mind, emotions and body—or so they were told. One trial leads to another, but finally they find the Emerald City where the Wizard lives. Their trials are almost over, their dreams will soon come to pass—the wizard will fix it all. Well, you know the story. In a very short matter of time they discover the Wizard is a total fraud. All hope is lost—or is it? There is a happy ending, but not because of the Wizard’s magical powers.
You know what? I think we really are in Oz.
During the last election campaign we heard a cacophony of voices crying “hope is coming”, “change is coming,” “hang on, help is on the way,” and the loud cheers of, “yes, we can!” America was led to believe that the answer to all of our problems was just an election away. No matter what your problem, no matter what your need—the wonderful One would grant your every wish and fulfill your every dream. Well, we’ve arrived at the Emerald City and in just a few weeks we have already discovered that the man behind the curtain may not be all he claimed to be.
We were promised a new era of integrity in government. We’ve already received a steady stream of scandal. We were promised unprecedented openness and transparency; we’ve received secret Executive Orders. We were promised porkless fiscal responsibility; we’ve received the biggest spending scheme in American history filled with earmarks and political paybacks. Since the inauguration, the stock market has increased its rate of plunge. The auto industry is even closer to collapse. More banks have been placed on the possible failure list, unemployment has increased, the rate of company closings has increased and more states are on the verge of financial collapse (especially Kansas).
We were promised a new era of peace; violence is up in both Iraq and Afghanistan. The man behind the curtain is not the Wonderful Wizard America expected. To be fair, the new president cannot be blamed for all of this—but we were led to believe that, as soon as the election was over, things would begin to get better. We’re seeing the opposite. The Wonderful Wizard is not so wonderful—and that is only beginning!
In the movie, the worst discovery becomes the best discovery that ultimately led to the happy ending and the realization that “There’s no place like home.” Personally, I’m very optimistic about the future and here’s why. Here’s what could happen as the curtain is pulled away.
· Americans might begin to see that government is not the answer to all of their problems. The era of big government could actually come to an end as it is exposed as a total fraud. This will not happen without a whole lot of pain, however. Overcoming the addiction will not be easy.
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