SB Shine’s new book PAIN AWAITS is aptly titled as it reflects the pain that the American government, economy, and people are experiencing as we begin to fear that, like the Roman Empire, we are in decline and drop. Shine looks at many of the causes of this situation, ranging from illegal immigration and government overspending to drug culture and a lack of strong family values in younger generations, but doesn’t dwell on the problems as much as in the solutions.
How to solve the problem of America’s current situation is easily an overwhelming topic to ponder, but Shine breaks the problem down into manageable chunks. The book is divided into several parts, each addressing an important aspect of the problem, including finance, security, economics, and what Shine calls “The Dirty Dozen.” This dirty dozen includes topics such as whether taxes are too high or too low, America acting like a charity to other countries, regulation, voting, unions, government ownership, Russia, and the importance of volunteering.
The book’s title is also appropriate because implementing the solutions, doing the hard work of solving America’s problems, will not be easy. It will probably be very painful, especially for politicians who have to accept lower salaries, for government employees who no longer have comfortable jobs, and for many taxpayers.
Nor will everyone agree with the solutions; some won’t even agree about what the issues are. That said, this book was very insightful for me on many issues, and while I didn’t agree with all of Shine’s opinions or solutions, I found that he never held back from telling it like it is, and always argued his points. very rationally, backing them up with research and numerous citations. In truth, this is no small book, and the depth of Shine’s research into her subjects really amazed me.
Shine discussed an issue that made me change the way I thought the issue of immigration was. I have never understood the need for a wall or why we should have such a strong anti-immigration policy when we are a country of immigrants and we should all be thankful that our ancestors were allowed into this country. However, Shine shows that the current immigration situation is not a discussion about what the United States represents as a country willing to welcome the abundant masses of the world who yearn to be free. Instead, the problem of illegal immigration is one in which gangs and drug traffickers are heavily involved. While many of the illegal immigrants who enter this country are legitimately seeking a better life, there are also hardened criminals who seek to profit at our country’s expense by getting our citizens addicted to drugs and taking their money, without paying taxes for it. back to their own countries. Despite this reality, Shine does not advocate for President Trump’s wall per se, but instead offers rational solutions on how to secure the border. Once again, I admired Shine because he doesn’t present himself as a Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative, but simply as a true patriot with common sense who wants to help.
Another topic that really opened my eyes was foreign aid. It made me realize how America acts like a charity because of the help it gives to other countries. As Shine reveals, the amount of foreign aid the United States provides, to whom that aid is given, and the reasons for giving it are truly astounding. I am all for helping people in need, but not at the expense of our own financial or political stability. With our national debt at $20 trillion and counting, Shine’s argument that we should eliminate unnecessary foreign aid and use the money to improve our infrastructure and national security, which would benefit all American citizens, is hard to argue with.
One of the most controversial proposals Shine makes has to do with the prison system. His belief is that prison systems should impose harsher sentences; They shouldn’t be like country clubs for criminals. One of the harshest suggestions Shine makes in the entire book is that the worst prisoners should be sent to prisons abroad (supervised by the United States, of course); this exile would make people think twice before committing crimes. I must admit this sounds a bit cruel to prisoners, but as Shine points out, families could still visit or Skype with prisoners, and it would be cheaper to operate prisons outside of US soil. Shine does not pretend that this or any of its solutions are easy. Some decisions will be difficult and painful if we are to turn around the mess our country has gotten itself into, but in this situation, these people are criminals after all, so they deserve to do their part to bear that pain.
And then there is terrorism. This issue is one of the scariest, if not the scariest, facing the United States today. Shine offers an excruciating scenario of how terrorists could easily take over an American school, just like the psychopathic school shooters we have today, only these terrorists would do it not just to kill children and commit suicide, but to hold our children for begging ransom and then kill them anyway after receiving the ransom money and despite the government’s policy of not negotiating with terrorists, how could they do otherwise when there are a few hundred children at stake? If you’re reading this book for no other reason, you should read what Shine has to say about terrorism and our best hopes for preventing it from happening in our country.
Overall, PAIN AWAITS is a surprising, maybe shocking, but completely realistic look at the state of our union. This book should be read by all Americans, and it should be required reading for anyone who holds a position in local, state, or national government. If our politicians would implement just a few of the thoughtful suggestions that SB Shine makes, I think America could return to being a stable country that we can all be proud of once again. Even if you disagree with Shine on most points, you will benefit from reading THE PAIN WAITS because it will make you think of possible solutions and hopefully encourage you to be a good citizen by taking action, and that will do much more. of a difference than simply complaining about the way things currently are. After all, change has to start with each one of us.