Joe:
Thank you for allowing me to post my opinions and some comments on your wonderful site. I am getting rather long in the tooth and thanks to this country have enjoyed a wonderful life. I have served in the military and had reasonable success in my working career. This has afforded me the opportunity to travel abroad and live in many parts of the country. I am truly blessed. I do pray for, at least, the same success for every American.
I have learned a few things in my life. Not the least of which is that success comes from hard work and dedication to obtaining an education. I think of an employee that came to me asking for a raise. When I asked why they felt a raise was deserved, the response was,- "Give me the raise and then I will go to work." The person not only didn't get the raise, but was terminated. As I dutifully read the comments of some people, I can only wonder how things have changed.
Most of our ancestors came to this great country seeking opportunity that was denied them elsewhere. They worked hard, saw to it that their children were educated at a time when there was no welfare, no government entitlements and no unemployment insurance. Even those that came in bondage and suffered horribly were eventually freed and granted the same opportunities. How have we come to the point where there are people that believe that a handout is their right? There are many programs that offer a "hand up", and that is good. Being charitable to those less fortunate is to be commended and should be encouraged. How do we now find ourselves in the situation where government demands that those who worked hard for success be stripped of their assets to be given to those who will not work for it? When did it become a crime to legally become wealthy? Where in the constitution can we find the right of the people to live off the work of others?
What right does a politician have to promise a hand out in exchange for a vote?
Joel Brandes
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
To sum it up in a nutshell this has become the United States so deal with it times have changed. There are different stories ans situations that have gotten us to where we are now. There is a reason why we have laws and a reason why we have welfare Social Security,etc. I agree some people do feel they should be given things and not earn it, but the majority still work hard actually do understand what taxes may do to help the under privileged. When I first started my job I was told if you can't handle daily changes then you might as well quit, and that is life, its all about changes so if your not a quitter understand adjust and more importantly respect the decisions made by our ancestors up until now and continue.
ReplyDeleteDavid:
ReplyDeleteIt is not the desicions made by our ancestors that trouble me, It is those that are being made in Washington today. When JFK said, "Ask not what your country can do for you" Do you think this is what he had in mind?
This is still my favorite take on where our GOV has led us. From an old Paul Harvey column.
ReplyDeleteOnce upon a time, on a farm in Arkansas . . .
. . . there was a little red hen who scratched about the barnyard until she uncovered quite a few grains of wheat. She called all of her neighbors together and said, "If we plant this wheat, we shall have bread to eat. Who will help me plant it?"
"Not I," said the cow.
"Not I," said the duck.
"Not I," said the pig.
"Not I," said the goose.
"Then I will do it by myself," said the little red hen. And so she did; The wheat grew very tall and ripened into golden grain. "Who will help me reap my wheat?" asked the little red hen.
"Not I," said the duck.
"Out of my classification," said the pig.
"I'd lose my seniority," said the cow.
"I'd lose my unemployment compensation," said the goose.
"Then I will do it by myself," said the little red hen, and so she did. At last it came time to bake the bread. "Who will help me bake the bread?" asked the little red hen.
"That would be overtime for me," said the cow.
"I'd lose my welfare benefits," said the duck.
"I'm a dropout and never learned how," said the pig.
"If I'm to be the only helper, that's discrimination," said the goose.
"Then I will do it by myself," said the little red hen.
She baked five loaves and held them up for all of her neighbors to see. They
wanted some and, in fact, demanded a share. But the little red hen said, "No,
I shall eat all five loaves."
"Excess profits!" cried the cow.
"Capitalist leech!" screamed the duck.
"I demand equal rights!" yelled the goose.
The pig just grunted in disdain.
And they all painted "Unfair!" picket signs and marched around and around
the little red hen, shouting obscenities.
When the government agent came, he said to the little red hen, "You must not be so greedy."
"But I earned the bread," said the little red hen.
"Exactly," said the agent. "That is what makes our free enterprise system so wonderful. Anyone in the barnyard can earn as much as he wants. But under our modern government regulations, the productive workers must divide the fruits of their labor with those who are lazy and idle."
And they all lived happily ever after, including the little red hen, who smiled and clucked, "I am grateful, for now I truly understand." But her neighbors became quite disappointed in her, for she never again baked any more bread.