Outraged? Start paying attention

If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention!” So goes a bumper sticker that is popular in Bloomington. Upon seeing it recently, I did a brief mental checkup. Was I outraged? No, I decided – I definitely was not outraged. Then perhaps I wasn’t paying attention? \nWell, let’s see. Twenty-first century America lives in incredible abundance regarding food, technology and even entertainment options. The Dow Jones industrial average continues to climb, breaking a new record last week at over 14,000 points, up from 12,000 a year ago. In a world made uncertain by 9/11, our president and military have kept us safe for six years. And on a personal level, I’m in college, I’m healthy and life is good. \nI decided not to let this “outraged” liberal driver ruin my day.\nNow, to be fair, I should point out that, theoretically, anyone from any political persuasion could have an “outraged” bumper sticker on a car. But since these particular stickers are usually accompanied by such charming gems as, “Bush Lied,” and “Somewhere in Texas a village is missing its idiot,” I think it’s safe to assume that most of these outraged car owners probably aren’t members of the College Republicans.\nWhy are liberals always so angry\nand pessimistic? \nYou know their propaganda: “We’re not winning in Iraq, we can’t win in Iraq and we won’t even talk about winning in Iraq!” “Our wealthy, first-world lifestyles are destroying the environment!” “If you get sick, you’re screwed in America; better go to a socialist paradise like Cuba or Europe for treatment,” “The economy sucks, health care sucks, Bush sucks, America sucks!” It’s all so depressing you can actually start to understand why a person would vote for glum chums like John Kerry and Jack Murtha.\nI mean, here was this guy (or gal, for the sake of my three feminist readers), obviously wealthy enough to have a car, and driving around on a beautiful fall day, no doubt destroying the environment with carbon emissions, all without fear of being imprisoned for the anti-government slogans gracing his bumper. And all he/she/it wanted to add to my otherwise lovely day was that I should be outraged.\nBut I don’t have time for outrage. I’m too busy exploring the endless possibilities that come with living in the most prosperous, most free nation in history. If you can’t enjoy life here, where exactly could you enjoy it?\nNo one in the White House, in Congress, at school, at work, in the media or anywhere else has power over my happiness. I don’t grant them that power. Do I ever get angry? Sure. Liberals like Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and George W. Bush frequently say and do things that irritate me and inspire me to keep fighting for freedom. Personal things come up from time to time that are frustrating and disappointing. But these things don’t control my life. And they certainly don’t keep me in a constant state of outrage. That would be outrageous!\nSo to the dude (or dudette) driving around outraged: If you’re not ecstatically optimistic, you’re not\npaying attention.