Knoxville — I think political correctness is contributing to a lot of problems in America. The theory that we should strive to avoid offending other people may have a certain nobility, but it is neither practical nor is it in tune with the principles of freedom and liberty our nation was founded upon.

First off, I am not promoting discrimination in any form. I believe everyone should be given a chance. However, as I have said in the past, all people may be created equal, but results can vary.

I’ve been thinking about the shooting at Fort Hood. I didn’t want to spout off about it until I learned more about the situation. From what I have heard and read, there were officials who had the authority to remove Nadal Malik Hasan from his position. He was in contact with al-Qaeda and he was pushing for the prosecution of his fellow soldiers for “war crimes” for starters.

It is my opinion that these officials did not take any action against him, fearing a media and potentially criminal backlash against them. Chances are, if someone spoke out and said that Hasan may not be fit to serve in America’s military, he or she would have been labeled anti-Muslim.

This ridiculous fear of reprise should not exist within our military. If any organization has standards it should live by, it is the armed forces. Common sense and the protection of those who serve should always trump any notion that speaking out against an individual’s actions equates an attack on an entire race or religion.

The same can be said for the 2008 presidential campaign. Either every “journalist” in the major media had too many tingles running up their legs over Obama or there were producers, editors and publishers too scared to challenge Obama’s questionable ties because he was the first viable African-American candidate. They feared the racist label. What is the result? An apologetic president who does not want America to be seen as the symbol of prosperity and freedom it has always been. The bottom line is a free press and a strong military cannot operate effectively if these fears exist.

To me, the more politically correct our government likes to become brings us closer to communism. Growth of government brings us closer to it, while doing a disservice to our nation on the whole.

Think about how exceptional Iowa schools were until around the time the federal Department of Education came into existence. I’m sure back then it wasn’t politically correct for Iowa’s students to excel while kids in many other states were failing. What happened after the feds took a bigger role? Iowa slipped.

We see this now with the health care debate. It isn’t politically correct for people be without health insurance, so let’s tinker with that so we ruin health care for those who take the responsibility to pay for it.

The confiscatory taxes Congress will force people to pay is an affront to our capitalism, and it has basis in political correctness. It isn’t politically correct to have multi-millionaires when there are homeless people in the streets, so let’s start taxing the rich beyond belief.

As one slides closer to political correctness and our current leaders’ skewed view of “social and economic justice,” he or she slides furhter away from the ideal of exceptionalism. The idea that the individual can have unlimited potential if he or she is willing to work for it is one of America’s founding principles.

This process starts small with little things like participation trophies. It isn’t politically correct to have winners or losers when everybody tried their hardest. Under this theory, how is anyone going to be inspired to work, train and do what they can to excel and rise above? Aren’t we robbing children of the satisfaction one feels when they win?

This trend is bigger than children’s sports. If a kid doesn’t see the benefits of hard work in something as simple as Little League, what will motivate them to be all they can be in their lives in the future?

This needs to stop. People need to toughen up and accept the fact that the world was never intended to pander to everyone. Just because you don’t like something does not make it a crime against humanity. We need to resurrect common sense. Doing what is politically correct is not always what is right, either for the individual or all of us as a nation.

Take care of yourself and thank you for reading.