Someone made a comment on a post that, I must admit, left me with my jaw dropped to my chest and shaking my head... to the point where I HAVE to call "BULLSHIT"! The comment was: "This country has a history of being the best, of giving a damn, of taking care of our own."
This country has a long history of being all about what is best for WHITE Anglo Saxon self- professed "Religious" people to the detriment of EVERY "other" on the continent! That is NOT "taking care of our own" unless you believe that "our own" are somehow exclusively WHITE.
Some EXAMPLES of NOT "taking care of" others:
- 200 years of Slavery
- The Chinese and Irish building of the railroads under conditions WORSE than slavery
- the Trail of Tears
- Miners who owed their soul to the "Company Store"
- Reservations, which by the way are STILL defined LEGALLY as “Prisoner of War Camps”
- Internment Camps for both German Americans and Japanese Americans – During BOTH WWI and WWII in the case of Germans!
The list goes on and on of examples where the United States has absolutely NOT "taken care of our own."
Can anyone around here answer the following questions without researching?
- In what year did Native Americans become citizens BY BIRTH?
- In what year were Slaves and former slaves considered to be citizens by birth?
- In what year did it become LEGAL for Native Americans to receive assistance through social services?
- In what year did it become ILLEGAL to remove Native American children from their homes simply because their parents are Native American?
- In what year did Native Americans become the recipients of Congressional representation?
I'm BETTING there is less than 1% of the "population" here on OS who can answer those questions.
I'm personally so SICK of seeing the PROPAGANDA about how "well" we "take care of our own" that it leaves me sickened every time I see the statement because it is a LIE which far too many people have bought into. Just as far too many people have bought into the ridiculous notion that we can balance the federal budget using only budget cuts... we can't and every realist out here knows it.
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John... TOO TRUE and equally sickening.
When you consider that it's a near impossibility to get any group of more than three to agree on how to do or go about anything as a group, the fact that we - a nation of millions - have passed laws and legislation, have agencies and organizations, charities and not for profits, with the intent, and that's the key word here, INTENT of helping, of caring for and looking after others, strangers, people in need, I'd say it's a small miracle.
Agreed, we can do better...a LOT better, a HUGE LOT better, but we ARE a nation that tries, has INTENTION of taking care of it's own. At least we go through phases where this is our priority and then we hit snags and it's not. Now...I don't know, I honestly don't, but I wouldn't drag out the tar and feathers yet..
These are terrible times. We've always had terrible times, some worse than others and for some people in this country, times are always terrible and they needn't be. WE COULD do more. Much more. I honestly don't know where this country is headed at this point. But it's not dead and buried and it's not a criminal state. It's a huge conglomeration of states and people with different cultural values, different points of view and different sets of standards for the collective us.
I feel as if we're losing our compassion for us, for America on this of all weeks. It's sad to me. I'm feeling as if Americans are just so disgusted with the present system that we forget that nomatter how shitty, and I do not say this lightly, but nomatter HOW shitty things are, this IS America. And there are possibilities, ALWAYS. I think that's what the concept of exceptionalism springs from and President Obama used it most dramatically..."yes we can".
Keep on speaking them…they are valuable…and they are the truth.
At the same time, though, I want also to identify with what Foolish Monkey said.
There are way too many of us who do care—care deeply and who anguish at some of the shit going down these days—to be silent in the face of a broad-brush approach.
That may seem contradictory.
It is not. I hope you can accept it…and Foolish Monkey’s remarks in a favorable light.
Civil rights legislation only applies to certain portions of the population. It is 2011... would you care to explain to me WHY it took until 1978 for Native Americans to NOT live in fear of their children being taken away simply because the parents of those children are Native American? Would you care to explain to me WHY it took until 1994 for Native Americans to be able to LEGALLY receive ANY kind of assistance through social services? Perhaps you can explain to me WHY it is that in 2011 Native Americans STILL have NO CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATION BY LAW? Civil Rights legislation which continues to EXCLUDE a portion of the population is WORTHLESS legislation and it does not matter if the people being deliberately excluded are excluded because of their gender, their race OR any other reason. Nothing to be "proud" of there either from my perspective.
Historically and factually speaking... ALL the New Deal served to do was make the depression worse and make it last longer. That is ALL the public works projects of today will accomplish as well. When you have dug yourself a hole you can't climb out of... it's a smart person who STOPS DIGGING! We are NOT getting out of this hole with public works projects, all we are accomplishing is to dig the hole deeper.
On the issue of "feeding children"... there are hundreds of thousands of school aged children whose ONLY food in the course of a day is what they get at school. It seems to ME that if the only RELIABLE place a child has to turn for food is the school system there is something VERY WRONG with our professed ability to "feed children." One and sometimes two meals per day, five days per week (assuming perfect attendance), nine months of the year is NOT something which we should be proclaiming as "doing a decent job."
Regardless of the "intent"... the fact of the matter is far too many people "fall through" the Grand Canyon sized chasms. If the "intent" is "helping" people we really fail when you consider there are MILLIONS in the United States who do not receive ANY type of HELP despite desperate NEED. I know far too many families of seriously handicapped children who BOTH public and private agencies have told "I'm sorry you don't qualify" ... in the case of public agencies the vast majority of the time the excuse is "you make too much money" and in the case of private agencies the excuse is "we are unable to assist you at this time due to lack of funds." How does either excuse HELP anyone?
Most of the population of the US is certainly "TRYING"... problem is *I* am using the definition which says "difficult, annoying, irritating to the nerves."
Trends are a fact. They’ve always been a fact. We’ve had periods when we’ve focused on trying to do more for the people. And we’ve had periods when we’ve focused on making the rich richer. We appear to be going through the latter phase again. It sickens me, but this is where we are. I’m sure during those periods when we’re going through a “fund something” phase, fiscal conservatives become bulimic.
As I see it, regardless of trends, America has one huge advantage. It’s a clear field. It’s definitely harder for minorities, for women, for handicapped, for any number of specific types or groups. But the opportunity to start from scratch is still here, and that makes America unique AND beloved, desirable to people throughout the world. They want to migrate here because of the opportunities we offer.
There are degrees of misery and what we have in our country is a unique opportunity to NOT die of starvation. There ARE ungodly shitty jobs everywhere and people take them, sometimes round the clock and feed themselves and their families and the truth is anyone, even the most extremely handicapped, even the elderly, even recovering addicts, even men and women coming out of prison, even the destitute even illiterate, non-English speaking, non Americans, even illegal immigrants, and even the hopeless can take the uniquely American Alger Hiss –ish opportunity to rise above one’s class, troubles, limitations, background and history to change the course of a life that was predestined elsewhere.
I know sometimes people can’t. And this is where we MUST help. And we as a government don’t do nearly as much as we should, but consider that much of the little resources we DO dole out go to people who COULD take the initiative but don’t. I’m not saying they don’t have their reasons, but the truth is the system is overloaded, with needy, very needy and not so needy. So there’s that and that gives the conservatives a leg to stand on, a way to diminish the already diminished and very needy. That’s not a reason to not help, but it doesn’t help our side to not recognize that.
Mrs r, in most of what you say, I agree with you, maybe all. A month doesn’t go by where I don’t wish I wasn’t living in a better world but there isn’t a better world or maybe there is and this is just my home. I can’t imagine leaving it unless we’re talking Rome and hell, I’d give my eyeteeth to settle in Europe. Only they don’t want me. And its not the end of the world because as bad as we are, and as low as we've historically shown ourselves we're willing to go, my government isn't terrible. It’s not great, and it’s dysfunctional much of the time but sometimes it’s pretty good and considering the nature of humanity, it’s pretty decent as governments go.
What we did a hundred years ago is what we did a hundred years ago. We aren’t overtly killing Americans now that I know of. For sure, we’re slaughtering people in other countries. And they’re coming here and trying to kill us back. Or maybe it’s vice versa. Maybe they’d like to kill us and we’re just getting the jump on them. I can’t keep it straight. Can anyone who doesn’t have security clearance? What to do? I have no idea. Do you? Does anyone? Fight the government? You might as well just decide to go smack down a mountain.
Whatever we as a nation are facing, every where else on the planet, similar issues are being dealt with only in most other countries, the overall stability, the day to day resources and the mundane ordinariness of our lives we take for granted is not there. Where there's need, there's violence. We are a more patient, complacent country. There's bad in that and there's good.
As I see it, nomatter how lousy this country is, it’s better than most as countries go. There's that stability I've mentioned. And the truth is, starvation IS relative. We don’t deal with the scope of starvation other countries do. Malnutrition yes, starvation I don’t think so. I could be wrong. We DO feed our people minimally at best, but there are agencies out there, publically funded agencies, not for profit and others that are trying hard to feed the hungry.
It may be true that for some kids a school meal is their meal for the day, but they HAVE it and it should be more, must be more but right now it’s not. In fact, right now at any given time you may not have food, but if you’re resourceful, you’ll eat. You may have to line up to get food, may have to go to a food kitchen, may have to wait for months for food stamps, may have to stand on lines until your joints ache, but goddamn it, there is a pittance of help. you have to fight to find out where it is, but it’s there.
I wrote in another of my endless series of comments yesterday: as they sing in Annie “it’s a hard luck world for us”. For the needy it can be - a fucking hideous world, but if I have a say in it I’d still rather be needy in America. I could be wrong, but I believe in the possibilities of this country - as pitiable, petty, as ignorant and DISGUSTINGLY STINGEY as we’ve become. I still believe. Not always and lately less so, but still.
On the other hand, *we* DO have all sorts of VERY GOOD IDEAS for helping people (REAL help rather than the BS we do now) BUT until all of the paperwork starts coming back I won't be posting about them because the LAST time I did some lowlife STOLE OUR IDEA and is now SELLING it (which I find HIGHLY annoying). Until WE have proof that we OWN the rights to the ideas it is simply NOT a good idea to discuss them.
Are we willing to discuss them? With a very select group of people whom we know (a) aren't going to abscond with them and (b) can provide logistical assistance. The truly SAD thing is that none of the ideas in question are "'for profit" and yet we still have to protect them until we have the paperwork. Believe me when I say we would LOVE to be able to actually POST what we are working on but without all of our ducks in a row it's just not a good idea. We should be able to discuss them fairly soon though because it's been about 7 months that we have been bouncing paperwork back and forth setting some of it up.
As I see it you say tomatoe and I say tomato.
MrsR I sense a good woman and a decent soul in you and you have my heart, for if your life's work is to help others than you are doing the best work there is to be done. kick ass. if there's anything that others can do to help you, when it's safe, let us people know.
I spent the first 8 years of my life on Pine Ridge Reservation living in a type of poverty normally only seen in third world countries. I was forcibly removed, stripped of my language and my cultural heritage and forced to be something which I will never be... I survived the worst known case of domestic violence in the history of the state of Michigan. I went to college, was one of the first women in the world to receive a degree in Environmental Engineering, which is how I make a living. It is also the reason that I am now, almost 40 years later, in a position to be able to go HOME to the people I love and who KNOW who and what I am on a level that most of society will also never understand.
I am intimately acquainted with the difference between "throwing money at a problem" (which is our CURRENT method of dealing with MOST of the "social problems" in the United States) and finding a solution to a problem that WORKS and is EFFECTIVE. Throwing money at a problem is never going to solve it... doing so merely salves the conscience of those who would rather hand off responsibility to someone else.
As an Environmental Engineer I "help others" every day without them even knowing it. These things we are working on though are a completely different avenue for me but they are an avenue which WILL truly HELP those who need it most... directly and at NO cost to the taxpayers.
It’s just that they’ve adopted the Mafia meaning of that phrase. When the Mafia “takes care of” someone they are well and truly “taken care of”; they are NEVER a problem again...... FM should try being “taken care of”, by this country, while in dire need. I’d hear a different story then, I’ll bet. Another of the lucky ones who can’t understand why the rest of us don’t get up off our asses and “be lucky” like them.
Pffffffffffffftt!!
.
(*self flagellation will commence directly*)
By the way, although born into the poverty class, I was one of those lucky enough to slip out. Lucky, remember that. All my own efforts were in vain until that cup of luck showed up.
.
I grew up in Canada (which has plenty of problems, but 10% of the population) and am amazed/disgusted by the behaviors I see around me now in the U.S. where I have lived since 1988. The selfishness and partisanship, the blaming of victims...it's insanity.
What no one seems to have the capacity (or education) to even understand is that the endless in-fighting is exactly what the plutocrats so value. While we battle over scraps, they keep running the place.
The other issue is that this is a laissez-faire capitalist country. You voted for it, you (voters) keep voting it in, you keep supporting every legislative structure that keeps many of us in thrall to appalling conditions. No paid maternity leave. No legal requirement for vacation. A minimum wage of $7.25 (federal) that leaves workers in poverty -- for showing up and working hard.
Alger Hiss this!
Caitlin... I would liken them more to "mobs" than I would "tribes" but that is simply me. There are any number of things, including paid maternity leave, vacations being required, childcare being a part of employment, a higher minimum wage, etc... which I'm sure many of us would happily pay higher taxes to accomplish. Unfortunately, corporate and personal greed seem to be a higher priority for far too many of us and so I do not see it happening any time soon in the US.
Linn and Matt... There is a song by a group called "Overkill" which in many ways reminds me of many people in the US today. The name of the song is "They eat their young." The lyrics are rather appropos: "I feel responsibility to hate what I can't eat.
An' I feel no security, just standin' on my feet.
I see colors that don't exist, feel pain an' its all mine!
Gone from dirt to mud,
Livin' in the slime."
Zanelle... Shutting me up isn't possible short of death... and sometimes we, as a society, desperately NEED to see through the lens of a different viewpoint.
1. In what year did Native Americans become citizens BY BIRTH? 1924
2. In what year were slaves and former slaves considered to be citizens by birth? 1866
3. In what year did it become LEGAL for Native Americans to receive assistance through social services? ???
4. In what year did it become ILLEGAL to remove Native American children from their homes simply because their parents are Native American? Is this the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978, or was there something earlier? (One source says the Indian Child Welfare Act was in response to the fact that an estimated 25-35% of all Native American children were being removed from Native American homes and being placed in non-Native-American homes. This was in the 1970s.)
5. In what year did Native Americans become the recipients of Congressional representation? Voting Rights Act of 1965 gave the right to vote, which superceded any state laws that prevented Native American people from voting, but since then 74 cases were brought by or on behalf of Native Americans under VRA or 14th or 15th amendment.
In your comment, though, you say this has not come to pass yet, so do you mean, there are no Senators/Representatives specifically for Native American people, as a separate district, such as American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands have their own representives in Congress?
Thanks again for this...glad to hear you can't be shut up, and agree, we need to see different viewpoints to have any hope of really seeing the whole picture & making things better.
Caitlin, you needn't have jumped on what I said. My discussion with MrsR is in earnest. I meant her or her position no disrespect and I hope she knows that.
In answer to you, like it or not, Alger Hiss was a real human being, a living breathing person who rose above hideous circumstances. He is a role model. He's a lot better than your ass.
Any of us who grew up living in poverty, extreme abuse and poverty and rose above it are that kind of story. Maybe it's a cliche. And maybe it is too easy to look at ANY of us and diminish us all with cliches. AS cliches.
Who the hell are you to do that? Fuck you and your ass.
Yet I am one of those "WHITE" people you label so generally as being selfish and interested in only what "WHITE" people want. I hate this, because:
A) I am not just a WHITE person. I am Dutch, Irish, Scot, German, French and four Native American Tribes by birth and descent. You couldn't tell my Native American Ancestry by looking at me.
B) Hate and Racial prejudice is a two-way street. There's no such thing as a racist of only one color, stripe or background. It doesn't matter how much others of whatever color, creed, gender or nationality have mistreated another, all that really matters is how that person in front of you is treating you now.
For these reasons, I cannot abide too wide a generalization in any single direction without qualifying it as a generalized sentiment or opinion that isn't 100% true, as it can never be.
Even when I claim that rich people do this or that, I have to qualify that there are some folks out there who are in this category of generalized "rich" people, who do act with compassion, who do act with principles of being good to their fellow man, or who do go out of their way to help others.
I do agree with you, though, that ANY law that serves to EXCLUDE ANY GROUP for whatever reasons is simply WRONG. There's no room for that in our Constitutional Charter. And that we allow it, allow our representatives to fan our fears and create emotional charge to bolster their agenda, irrespective of if it's not in the best interests of the whole, or even the majority, is a travesty of apathy.
I live by the quoted, "All men are created equal and that they are endowed by their Creator, with certain inalienable rights. That among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness."
This is by no means an exclusive list. It is by no means a comprehensive list. It is, however, a start by which to understand that, irrespective of our Founding Fathers' color, gender, creed, day-to-day philosophy, they gave and endowed in that document, the seeds for future generations to right wrongs, correct misdeeds and ensure that, through enlightened and exemplary behaviors, we increase the pool of people who legally have those rights as granted in that charter.
Yes, our ancestors decimated a nation of indiginous peoples. Yes, our ancestors enslaved and maintained that slavery for slightly over 200 years. Yes, our ancestors made people work in conditions that were as near to slavery as can be imagined. Yes, our ancestors acted with bigotry, arrogance and selfishness.
And this is different from today how?
We blame WHITE people for all these wrongs. And maybe deservedly so. But, if you're going to do that, then you also have to admit it was WHITE MEN who gave black men their freedom. It was WHITE MEN who died in a war to ensure it. It was WHITE MEN who gave black men the right to vote. It was WHITE MEN who gave women the right to vote.
WHITE MEN have much to answer for. However, they also have to be given MUCH CREDIT for their enlightened behavior over time. WHITE MEN still have a long way to go, but make no mistake, the color of their skin makes them no less arrogant, bigoted, hateful, prejudiced or self interested than any other person of a different color skin.
This WHITE MAN as a boy has been pelted with a hail of rocks from BLACK KIDS for no other reason than I was handy and WHITE. This WHITE MAN has been treated badly by BLACK, BROWN, YELLOW and WHITE people equally and without respect for some professed color allegiance.
I have to say, though of all the people I have been badly treated by, it is the ancestors of my native home (I was born here, after all,) who have shown me no ill-will. Native American people have always treated me with kindness and respect. Perhaps it's because they know still the sting of being treated unfairly? Perhaps it is because I know the sting of being treated unfairly and have taken this lesson to heart, treating all whom I meet with respect and deference?
I cannot say. All I can say is this WHITE MAN continues to believe that we must learn to take care of all of us, not just our own. Martin Luther King, Jr., Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce, Sitting Bull of the Soiux, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Hannibal, Confucious, Buddha, Jesus, Hammurabai, Sun Szu, and many others from all nations, all religions, all walks of life and color of skin are my heroes. They are heroes not for their nationality or ability to conquer, but for their ability to see things from a perspective that does not require color, nation, gender to be part of the equation of equality.
We must stop blaming any one group and start focusing on individuals who we know to be a danger to our overall well being. Anyone who wishes to make laws and legislation that serves to exclude any other group of people in our country should be reviled. Anyone who supports such ideas should be reviled for that and that alone.
Sometimes people who seem personable, reasonable and decent can show their true colors -- and when they do, we have an obligation to call such hatred, bigotry or ignorance out and make of it a point of contention. If these people happen to be called 'friend' then we owe it to our friends to point out this iniquity of thought.
All we must do is to put the shoe on the other foot. How would we feel were it us being treated in such a way? If you can honestly say you wouldn't like it, then you cannot condone it against others. It's really that simple.
This WHITE MAN is not exceptional. This WHITE MAN takes exception to hatred, bigotry and ignorance in all forms, no matter the color, gender, education, wealth or nationality it happens to be wrapped in at the moment, face-to-face, here, now.
-r-
ICWA was a GOOD thing... despite the sheer volume of children still removed and placed outside the culture. At one time more than 90% of Native American children were removed from their homes and their cultures specifically because they are Native American. While we are "down" to about 20% of Native American children being removed today that is still a HUGE improvement and ICWA gives Native Americans a "fighting chance" of having their children returned to the community from which they were stolen.
The answer to question 3; "When did it become legal for Native Americans to receive assistance through social services" is 1994. Prior to that it was illegal, at least in part, because IHS (The Indian Health Service) provided "medical care" (care you would not wish on your worst enemy) and the BIA resource payments made to Native Americans due to things like oil/gas leases and leases through BLM to ranchers... which amount to pennies because of something called "set asides."
"Voting Rights Act of 1965 gave the right to vote, " Actually it did NOT in the case of Native Americans. One must be a citizen to vote and as you had already noted... citizenship was not conferred upon Native Americans until 1924 (by the way - from 1924 to 1940 Native Americans were required to GIVE UP their tribal citizenship in order to be "Americans").
But political oppression is about class, about money and who is "entitled" to it.
Skin is a classifier and we as a country would prefer not to think that at our core we're still a class worshiping people.
What we adore is money and power. Big money. Big power.
Poor whites in this country as as poor as poor. The poorer you are, the poorer you are and the less power you have. Natives are uniquely oppressed because there is ownership of the America at stake, and the government has tried six ways to sunday to obliterate that ownership. But that doesn't mean focused oppression is unique to natives. Blacks have known it, poor women AND men have known it, latins know it still. Each group gets its own special treatment, it's own special kind of oppression. The thumbs that hold us down are heavy.
So long as we are divided by race we will not see it is class oppressing us.
But this is how power remains in power, by keeping the people divided. There are more have nots, than there are haves.
Once America was a great dream. We believed in the dream. We still believe in the dream.
Because that dream has LAW at it's core, we CAN HAVE that dream. But we have to unite. Quickly. I think the window is closing. I think they've figured a way to close it, change this country from what it was once conceived to be, to something else. And if they do, we are all going to be - each little group in it's own sad compartment - but all in one sadassed and sorry boat.
We, Americans as a people, can allow "divide and conquer" to succeed and leave us feeling suspicious of everyone and everything "different" from ourselves OR we can share experiences, gain perspectives and come to understand that, irrespective of what we look like, where we come from, and all of the other things which make each of us a unique individual, we are all very similar despite our apparent differences.
Ironically, the quote up there at the top in bold, is something which you said that hit me just right and sparked this post. Discussion is a good thing... and I doubt a reasonable discussion could have been had on the blog I saw the quote on.
Dunn... You are, at least to a degree, correct. One of my (admitted) "issues" with current society is the sheer volume of WASP types who loudly proclaim we (as a society) are "overly generous" with those who are "less fortunate" in our society.
I don't know what the solution is however I do think it might perhaps be "beneficial" for everyone wanting to run for public office to be required to support their family on minimum wage for a year and live for a year on the same amount someone receiving public assistance is forced to live on (and follow the same rules) *before* they are allowed to run for public office.
I do know that every time someone babbles on about how "people on public assistance" do [whatever negative] or "will never" [whatever] I look at my now 18 year old college student children (whose educations *I* am paying for) and smile. You see the year they were 5 we were (for about 9 months) on public assistance while I finished off my Environmental Engineering degree. I have repaid that less than $6,000 in assistance dozens of times over in the form of taxes, in the form of anonymous donations to a select group of charities and even in donations to food pantries near wherever I happen to be living.
Why have I not even blinked as I handed over money to various places which HELP people? Because people NEED help and it's only money. I can earn more money...
Word of warning for EVERYONE:
Snarling at one another like dogs fighting over a bone will never solve anything. Don't MAKE me do to you (collectively) what I do to my children when they start fighting.... You *won't* like it any more than THEY do...
My method is a bit different and a bit more direct...
"So... you need help with [subject]... let's find what you need to learn the information in question." or "Honey, where there's a will there is a way... let's FIND a way." Either approach is a whole lot better when it comes to people who are down on their knees begging "please" like a domestic violence victim with a gun to their head.
The words of a friend come to mind frequently: "you only know what you know, until you know better." It sort of goes along with my "Each one, Teach one" outlook when it comes to learning.
Oddly enough, I am 100% certain I can take a kid from the Ghetto of any major city in the US or from any of the Reservations in the US and turn them into the CEO of a company. Why? Because while it may not look like it from the outside... both "types" of children are taught something which more "well-to-do" children are NOT... they are taught ethics in "black and white" terms as opposed to "situational ethics."
I think the teaparty has a point, I just think what their points are have been perverted. they're not seeing this as US, they're seeing this as US as victim of THOSE OTHER US's. it's a crazy kinda teapotting POV. The government is too big, according to them. well duh. but what are they proposing to cut? the stuff that makes their lives safer, better, educates their kids, gives us all healthcare. because THEY think they're okay.
but getting back to the "we take care of our own". I think we as a nation are a people who DO try, Mrs R. As individuals and collectively. You're doing it...taking care of your own. We are known for this, reaching out and trying to help, trying to make a difference here and in other countries. America is know as a charitable country. I'm not saying we are a perfect people, but I believe we try.
We as a govt, well....the fact is..no government will do what we want it to do unless we make it do what we want it to do. All we, as people have left is our voting clout. Isn't that something...it's down to the voting.
And whether we can make government/congress, even local governments respond to the needs of the tax paying middle class, much less the poor who need help is distressingly questionable at this point. So long as politicians in this country have to raise millions of dollars to hold office, it will be the big money that has a seat at the head of the table.
Can we change that one little thing? I don't know. ESPECIALLY in light of the Supreme Court ruling last year designating corporations the on par with citizens, allowing them to make contributions and set up PACs and superpacs for their interests.
Allow me to give you a couple of real world examples... which MAY surprise people...
An individual who believes lifetime food stamps, medical care and cash assistance at taxpayer expense violates the rights of individuals ... is that person liberal or conservative? Does your opinion change if the person is "pro choice" and "pro gay marriage" as well? Does your opinion change if you find out that same individual pays income taxes on their income THREE times?
We can all ASSUME... we do it well... but unless we put aside the differences in rhetoric and concentrate on where we all DO agree those syphillitic asshats in DC are going to keep right on screwing us ALL over regardless of our income, education, race, creed or anything else.
As for the "individual" up there... that individual is ME... and I'll sit right here on this damn fence until I get Gangrene from the slivers in my arse before I will believe EITHER side is "completely right" or "completely wrong!" Do I agree with both sides? Yep, sure do... I also disagree with both sides. Since both my agreement and my disagreement with both are "50/50" there's no POINT in my hopping down off this fence.
Besides... I'm a bit of a painslut ...
no disagreement in any of what you say Mrs R. none. I do not believe in a lifetime of entitlements and welfare living. it destroys the mind and the soul. initiative and achievement are such a joy. entitlements rob an individual of the accomplisment of finding their place in the world.
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
I believe in education. free education. food, medical care, housing yes, but most important is training and education.
my story is on my blog somewhere…it’s a three parter. education saved my life.4
me and others like me were lucky in the 70s and 80s, technical and vocational training and education were available in the form of scholarships, free tuition, work/study. grants.
I had dropped out of school at 17 and married. at 27 with two children, one an infant, I decided to get my equivalency diploma. then I applied to and went to free community college. after two years, I got a scholarship to a better, private college. after two more years, I had to choose my dream or work. I had kids so no choice there. I worked. my kids had needs. I had tapped into whatever resources were available and they put a minimum of food on the table, paid the rent, took care of the kids and my basic medical (which was still relatively inexpensive if it had to be done out of pocket).
today I can’t imagine where I’d be if I were a young woman with no marketable skills, two children and not even a high school diploma. but then, there were some opportunities in desperation I found them and took advantage. those opportunites are no longer there.
because of my government's assistance and support, I became a marketable entity. I worked hard to acheive them but I had help. Now I have skills, I could support my family and we were no longer a welfare family. To this day I can't describe how grateful I am for all this. thanks to a number of programs, I went to school. And I was able to get out of an abusive relationship, get off welfare, be self supporting and support my family.
so I believe that nomatter what trauma a person suffers, if they can find it in their soul to allow themselves to open their mind and seek education, with hard work they will find their place in this world and better themselves and hopefully contribute to their lives and hopefully the world. that is what I believe in: culture and the amazing we live in. there’s a lot of healing in knowing the world. I believe in that. :)
"A portion of the people in this country has a history of being the best, of giving a damn, of taking care of our own; however they are rarely if ever the ones in power and they rarely ever get credit for what they do. Instead those in power routinely rewrite history and take the credit for themselves while suppressing the fact that they were actually the ones opposing the taking care of their own."
Did I get that right? If not was I a little closer to the truth?