NOTE> I started this post on March 9, 2009, but never finished and posted it. In rereading it today, it still seems applicable. Only differences are that Riley gets his meds four times a day instead of three and there are seven other dogs watching, as of this writing.
If Big Brother is really watching, I'll probably get in trouble for this one, but here goes.
If Big Brother is really watching, I'll probably get in trouble for this one, but here goes.
Having a dog with seizures means that he gets special treatment. He takes medicine three times a day and gets extra low calorie treats since we have to keep his weight under control. Since he thinks he's starving to death all the time, he is subject to get his extra treats (green beans and canned pumpkin) fairly frequently. But, as long as he's full, everyone is happy.
Having six other dogs in the house means a whole lot of eyes staring at you wondering why they aren't getting something also. You can't explain to them that the little piece of hot dog he just got was stuffed with his pills. They don't get it. They run to the bowl to see if there is a green bean or scrap of pumpkin left. Then they stare at you some more.
The more I watch our leaders at work, the more I think of my animals. All these stimulus bills and bail outs. Its almost as if everyone is adding something to the pot because they don't understand why they aren't special too. Why can't they have a billon dollars for their project, so and so in the next state over got some?
Gosh Mom, there's plenty of treats in that jar. Why can't I have one?
Gosh Treasury, you can print all the money you want, why can't I have some?
For some reason a few days ago I was thinking about all the bailouts and the way our tax dollars are being spent like Monopoly money. The people spending it won't be around to pay it back so there aren't any consequences for their decisions. John Houseman and the Smith Barney commercial came to mind - They make money the old-fashioned way. They earn it.
No one is earning it right now. Automakers are asking for millions and billions. Congressmen are asking for millions and billions. And the government just seems to want to keep handing it out. Sure, they talk about conditions and so forth, but they don't do anything about it, really.
Nope, nothing has changed. Our national debt is out of control because of spending and our Congress' inability to work together - as a team. Lots of talk, no action. No one wants to play nicely in the sandbox. It's all do-it-my-way-or-I'll-take-my-toys-and-go-home.
Sad, really. Greatest nation in the world and you'd never know it by looking. More and more people are lining up with their hands out. And why not? The government is not only making it easy to get assistance, they are encouraging it. As Billy and I have discussed more than once lately, the only thing keeping us from doing the same is our personal pride. I'd love to stay home and write all day. I'd have a whole lot less stress and I'd finally get to see what a Saturday in early spring looks like instead of having to work 7 days a week for months on end. An early retirement, if you will.
But we don't. We work, and work hard, for everything we have and everything we still want. We don't live overly extravagantly but we enjoy ourselves and do what we want, when we can afford it. Sometimes that takes planning but we do it.
We earn it.
And we can look at everything we have with pride and satisfaction of knowing that we did it the old-fashioned way.
Nope, nothing has changed. Our national debt is out of control because of spending and our Congress' inability to work together - as a team. Lots of talk, no action. No one wants to play nicely in the sandbox. It's all do-it-my-way-or-I'll-take-my-toys-and-go-home.
Sad, really. Greatest nation in the world and you'd never know it by looking. More and more people are lining up with their hands out. And why not? The government is not only making it easy to get assistance, they are encouraging it. As Billy and I have discussed more than once lately, the only thing keeping us from doing the same is our personal pride. I'd love to stay home and write all day. I'd have a whole lot less stress and I'd finally get to see what a Saturday in early spring looks like instead of having to work 7 days a week for months on end. An early retirement, if you will.
But we don't. We work, and work hard, for everything we have and everything we still want. We don't live overly extravagantly but we enjoy ourselves and do what we want, when we can afford it. Sometimes that takes planning but we do it.
We earn it.
And we can look at everything we have with pride and satisfaction of knowing that we did it the old-fashioned way.
Okay while I do not agree with everything that you said I am glad that you included the subsidies and pork in your comments. I for one have worked hard all of my life and because of how I do my payroll tax forms paid more than I had to into the programs. I do not mind paying taxes never have. I wish that I was able to do so and hopefully will be able to work and pay my share of taxes again. I have to daughters in college that are working 40-50 hours a week to keep from taking out loans and still put some aside to help those in need. On that note one of our biggest problems is we are so worried about what corporations and Koch brothers might do or think that they do not pay their share. Our tax dollars go to help their employees just survive and they do not care. Raise the minimum wage to a loving wage and tie it to the cost of living and you will see a slow down in SNAP and other programs designed to help the poor as there will be fewer below the poverty line. Tax the top 10% the same as you tax the middle class and you will see the debt start to go down. Stop letting people and companies hide money in offshore accounts and you will see the debt go down. Stop giving no bid contracts and debt will go down. Invest in America and create more jobs and the debt will go down. Stop giving tax breaks to companies that send jobs overseas and the debt will go down. Stop getting into wars and negotiate with others and the debt will go down. Stop shutting down the government and the debt will go down. Stop letting the Tea Party control things they are not helping. Regulate and prosecute Wall Street when they mess up. Stop fighting poverty by giving to the rich they do not hire more people they just hide more money offshore. Combat Poverty Not The Poor we did not cause this problem.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your thoughts with me.
DeleteYou seem to assume that the only thing preventing you from staying home and being supported by the government is your pride. I think you may be misinformed.
ReplyDeleteThere is no government assistance for which you qualify. There is no "welfare" where people stay home and get paid. There is TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) where there must be a minor child in the home. There are strict income and asset requirements, and you must be actively seeking employment or in job training. It is truly temporary and there's a lifetime limit. Another form of government assistance is SNAP (food stamps) for those below the poverty line. In an effort to prevent Congress from cutting this assistance, several celebrities tried to live on food stamps for a period of time and found it almost impossible. There's also Social Security Disability, where proof of inability to work is required.
I also want to point out that you have and do receive government assistance. Did you attend a public school or university. Do you ride on public highways? Do you provide your own police and fire protection? Etc.
I started to ignore this post, as I try to avoid political arguments. But it bothered me so much that I felt compelled to respond. People who do receive government assistance are suffering through difficult times. Many of them are veterans who sacrificed for their country. They do not need people to make fun of them or put them down. I know several people in these circumstances, and I know how hard it is for them - especially at Christmas. I felt like you had insulted them and that hurt.
What Casey said. The more money people have, the more entitled they feel. The more deserving. The money being made by the one percent in this country is coming out of the pockets of the people actually doing the work, not sitting at home living on trust funds. I worked 50 years, and I've lost 5000 bucks in buying power in the last 12 years, mostly under Bush and Co. / And I doubt you'd be staying in your nice home while you collected that welfare and those SNAP benefits. You'd be spending much of your time looking for affordable housing.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your thoughts with me.
Delete