It must be election season again in America. I always know when our Congress or President is up for re-election by the push to divide and conquer us. Every two years, like clockwork, some politician is telling us, if you are a minority you are being discriminated against, abused or treated unfairly, but if you just vote for______(insert party or politician name here) they will pass a law, or raise a tax to fix all your woes, and give you that elusive equality you’ve been denied during their first eight terms in office.

Right now the hottest victim mentality card in America is ‘wage disparity’ for women. Two years ago it was ‘income disparity’ for the middle class. Two years before that it was ‘racial disparity’ in the education, achievement, prison population and whatever else they could skew numbers on.

This is not exclusive to the right or the left, conservative or liberal. Both sides do it to a lesser or greater extent. But do women in American really make seventy-seven cents to every dollar a man makes on average? No. This myth has been busted many times over the years, by CBS, CNN, FOX, feminist groups, ABC, The Washington post, Chicago Tribune, and even the Huffington Post. But like a certain sexually transmitted disease that you can't get rid of (you know the one), it pops back up every two years.

So, if it’s been so widely discredited, why do some politicians and pundits keep bringing it up? Well, like my grandma used to say, “Baby, a person is smart, but people are lazy, ignorant, silly-ass creatures who want to be led like blind little sheep.” Well, she didn’t quite put it that way, but that’s what she meant.

Victimization is big business in the world. Telling someone all their problems are a result of some boogie man can be very liberating. How so? If someone else isn’t at fault for your condition, then that leaves only God and you. And we haven’t reached the point where we’ve devalued God enough for that. So, that puts the responsibility on your shoulders, and depending on your life, that can be a heavy burden to carry.

I did not intend for this to be a rant, or a male vs. female thing. I think we’ve had enough division in our society. Sometimes, I dream of a world where people are brought together by their leaders, instead of divided by them, and in that environment problems are actually solved.

There is a story in the Bible I read as a child (I was not a religious kid. I just liked to read.). It was the tale of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:4–9).  In this tale, the people of the land were united as one. So great was the power of a united humanity, that the people believed they could accomplish anything, even reaching Heaven itself. In that spirit they began to build a great city and a tower to reach into the sky. It’s said God agreed, that in their unity, people could accomplish anything they imagined, so he divided their one language into many, and caused them to be confused. The people were then scattered across the Earth into the groups in which they shared a common language. (I will not get into why some are against a national language today.)
 
I look at this from a historical point of view. I will not say the Lord feared a united man, just that he understood its limitless potential. I believe it is that united potential that many political leaders fear. A united people are not only a strong people, but also a wise one.  Such a people will stand tall, and not fall for simple lies or distractions. But most importantly, such a people would not be dependent on or need a government dictating their lives.

Well, that is my basic theory behind the whole 77 cents; divide the nation debate currently going on. God did it. No, I’m kidding. In college my professors always drilled in me to provide sources. They will be in the author notes. So, what do you think?