If I Were a Terrorist
A friend emailed this to me today and it's very much worth sharing.
Spotlight: John Mellencamp's Charity Work
-
[image: John Mellencamp]
Mellencamp helped found Farm Aid, and, along with Willie Nelson and Neil
Young, spoke about the issues with elected officials in W...
2 days ago
What happened to personal responsibility? What happened to hard work? What happened to living within one's means? What happened to pulling one's belt tight when the going gets tough?
ReplyDeleteIt seems that most people don't want to work nowadays. They don't want to take responsibility for their actions. They overextend themselves and then expect others to bail them out. They want to blame anyone but themselves.
Years ago, I realized that one day the oil fields would play out. Why didn't anyone else plan for it? Why do they need to live in McMansions and drive Suvs? Times change. The world isn't static. Rip out those manicured lawns and plant vegetable gardens. Take an extra job or go back to school to get a better paying job. Stop complaining and start doing.
Life is hard enough as it is, but it sucks even more when others want me to not only do my share, but their share as well.
Hello ,
ReplyDeleteJust trying to visit all my fam on the net.
I can't say I disagree. But what does the "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" rhetoric have to do with the terrorist point he makes?
ReplyDeleteHe makes "our" Congressional representatives, Supreme Court, and President out to be the true terrorists affecting the stability of the United States of America, and, by default, he is blaming each and every one of us for doing nothing about it.
ReplyDeleteMost of us enjoy a higher standard of living (HDTVs, computers, gaming consoles, cell phones, diamond rings, plentiful and cheap food, cars, a roof over our heads, clean water, etc.) than those in so many places and in truly horrible situations around the globe, and many worry what types of actions higher taxes on a shrinking (and growing illegal) workforce would do to our current standards of living when trying to implement new social measures like universal health care and better stability for social security among other things.
I guess many are scared and would rather face the monster they know than the ones they don't, or else Washington would have seen a march on it like never before, but unemployment rate is still unbelievably low and jobs are available around the country. A lot of people want jobs in their back yards, but sometimes you have to go where they are even if it means leaving cozy California or Florida for the likes of Wyoming or Alaska. Life isn't always easy and what happened to America's pioneer spirit? It's odd that people from Mexico and other poor countries have more of that "American" spirit than many current Americans. They are willing to uproot their families and make treacherous desert treks just for the opportunity to work hard for the chance to survive. They live within their means in cramped quarters while American family members each live in separate rooms in McMansions and have no clue about the troubles affecting one another. My personal belief is that the low divorce rate and tight-knit families of the past were do to living in close proximity to one another.
Sadly, we no longer live in a democracy, but in a socialist society in which we have become too dependent on the government for our needs and "wants." Instead of doing it the hard way (through hard work, determination, and perseverance), many now only want the quick and easy way--off the sweaty backs of others. A lot of it has to do with our new instant gratification world, but a lot of it has to do with us going home and turning on those HD TVs, computers, and gaming consoles instead of spending time talking to our neighbors about the problems facing all of us before it really is too late to do anything about them. Sorry, HD TVs, computers, and gaming consoles (like texting here in South Korea and being unable to let a call go to voice mail no matter were you are at) all are pretty much related to instant gratification.
--John from Daejeon
Again, I can't say I disagree with you. But, to me, it seems to be apples and oranges. In the days that you reference elections were held on Tuesdays so that farmers could make the trip from their farms to their polling places. It's something that has stuck and while now your polling place is probably around the corner or across the street if you're in a big city the voter turn out rate is incredibly low.
ReplyDeleteThat leads to governments and policies like the ones we have now. So I don't lay blame on just the government, but also on the US voter that is so uninformed and so overwhelmingly lazy that they refuse to learn about the issues or get off their butts to vote.
However, again, I'm not seeing how it relates back to his point.
Are you saying that because the American public is lazy that the people making policy in our government bear no responsibility?
Expat Jane I don't either, also the government does bear some responsibilty when it chooses to act on its own rather than for the people. I guess that's why I like Ron Paul on certain things as he is quick to point out the government's fault when it comes to foreign policy. I believe the founding fathers probably would agree with him.
ReplyDeleteI think he's simply pointing out the irony of a "war on terror" when you have a government that is implementing policies that subvert the constitution and that are, clearly, not in the best interests of the US citizen.
ReplyDeleteAre US citizens who can vote but don't responsible? Sure. Are US citizens that choose not to stay informed responsible? Sure.
In relation to the economic downturn are those people who bought houses with deals almost too good to be true also culpable? Sure.
However, there have also been government policies that have encouraged the state of affairs we see now. His focus is the government. However, I don't see that his focus in any way excuses the US citizen. It's not an either/or discussion.
Hey kid,
ReplyDeleteI missed your comment, but managed to find it today. Thanks for stopping by to say "hi".