The power to begin

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MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Myrna Brown.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher. Finally today, a famous line from Ronald Reagan:

“The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.’”

But these days, politicians promise help with just about everything. And voters just keep asking for more.

BROWN: WORLD commentator Cal Thomas says we’ve lost sight of something important: what we can do for ourselves.

CAL THOMAS: Does it make sense to welcome back a party and its ideas that were so recently rejected?

The reason so many voters are frustrated by both parties is that we’ve been putting too much faith in government and too little faith in themselves.

It’s called initiative. And the lack of it has contributed to dysfunctional government. Not to mention a loss of the things that built and sustained America through challenges greater than high gas prices and “unaffordable” groceries.

One definition of initiative: “The energy, motivation, or independent judgment to start a task without waiting to be told what to do.”

In his book Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World, the late motivational speaker Zig Ziglar wrote: “Of course motivation is not permanent. But then, neither is bathing; but it is something you should do on a regular basis.”

The list of Americans who succeeded with considerable motivation is long.

In his book The Wright Brothers, David McCullough tells of Wilbur and Orville Wright who owned a small bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio. They turned their dream of human flight into reality. Washington initially turned them down, and they appealed to the French government for financial assistance. Oh, the indignity!

There are many examples of people who succeeded on initiative and motivation.

Harriet Tubman escaped slavery and then repeatedly risked her life to rescue others. She helped lead dozens of enslaved people to freedom through the Underground Railroad. And remember, the federal government wasn’t helping her. Its fugitive slave laws made what she was doing illegal.

The list goes on, and includes Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D. Rockerfeller and in modern times, Bill Gates and Elon Musk.

Today, politicians promise solutions to nearly everything.

Gas prices too high? Elect us.

NEWSOM: I’ll be submitting a proposal to put money back in the pockets of Californians to address rising gas prices.

Groceries too expensive? Put us in charge.

MAMDANI: We are going to use the power of government to lower prices and make it easier for New Yorkers to put food on the table.

Schools, healthcare, housing—there’s apparently nothing Washington can’t fix, provided we elect the right people.

TRUMP: I’m announcing today in a major statement, that under the Trump administration that your government will pay for, or your insurance company, will be mandated to pay for all costs associated with IVF treatment, fertilization for women.

We apparently no longer teach, much less study, the value of initiative and motivation. Politicians would lose power over us if we did.

Initiative and motivation can change lives.

Politicians promise they can do more for you but never mention what you can more effectively do for yourself.

Changing party majorities won’t change outcomes. If politicians had that power, they would have used it by now.

I’m Cal Thomas.

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