The Twitterverse and political junkies are fixated on a "secret
Romney tape" released yesterday where the Republican presidential
nominee characterizes forty-seven percent of Americans as being "dependent upon
government...believe that they are victims, who believe the government
has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are
entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it."
Finally,
we have someone willing to tell the truth about the situation America
finds itself in - if only he sticks to it and doesn't wimp out under the
glare of CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS... whoever.
He told the truth.
His
comment brings to the surface the biggest disagreement between the two
groups, conservatives and liberals - that being, who best makes
decisions for the individual? To whom does the individual look for
security, stability, and sustenance? Liberals view the individual as too
stupid and helpless to take care of themselves - so a government grant
or program has to do it for them.
I can't believe in less than 250
years our nation has gone from a group of people who conquered a
continent to those sitting on their fat asses in front of a doublewide,
butt-crack likely hanging out, waiting for a check, a job, food, birth
control, you name it. What a group of soft wimps (well, at least forty-seven
percent or so) we've become! No wonder people in the Middle East don't
take our warnings or threats seriously - look at our backup! There is
none!
People used to come to this country with a few coins (maybe)
in their pocket, content with the OPPORTUNITY and FREEDOM to make
something of themselves - OR NOT. Sean Hannity speaks of his
grandfather coming to New York from Ireland at a time when most signs
said "Irish Need Not Apply" and, through hard work and sacrifice, making
something of himself. Romney's father was a poor immigrant from
war-torn Mexico to the United States and worked his way up to becoming
the president of a major corporation. My great-grandparents put
themselves and their two children on a boat from Holland to the US - and
my grandfather became a successful business owner (of a fishing lodge
in Ketchikan, Alaska).
These immigrants didn't expect anything from the government except for their rights to be preserved. And there
was
nothing to get from the government - handout programs didn't begin
until the 1930's and later. Yet these generations built a world
superpower. They discovered an entire continent - mapped it, braved the
elements to plow virgin ground and create the world's most productive
agricultural economy. They built all of the industry to support it -
railroads, steamboats, telegraph, telephone. They innovated and
developed ways to increase productivity - cotton gin, ELECTRICITY.
Yes,
all of this happened in America first, not Europe. Why? Because we
ENCOURAGED innovation. We REWARDED individuals for their hard work. We
didn't have burdensome taxes and tariffs and fees - that scenario's been
failing in Europe for hundreds of years.
And NEED, not GOVERNMENT DECREE, powered innovation. (See: Solyndra, et al.)
In
Europe, the rich lived off the backs of others. There was no way to
work hard and become wealthy. Maybe for a few, but not in general.
America, and the promise of equality and freedom, changed that. The only
thing you had to do was get there and join the opportunity to DRIVE
YOUR OWN DESTINY.
WHAT HAPPENED?
In large part, that
opportunity is still here. But as a nation we've become soft. We now
believe American exceptionalism means we are owed something just because
we were born here. We've let our government tell us they know better -
and clearly they don't. We trust the government to "fix" some problem -
whether through Social Security, Medicare, Unemployment Insurance, Crop
Insurance, yada yada - and it never works. It just makes it worse. And
recently the current administration has shown us they won't even protect
our government representatives overseas - they'll just let them be
raped and murdered without consequence.
Come on, America! Wake up!
We are still the most free society in the world. Freedom drives
innovation. Freedom rewards hard work. Those of you in the forty-seven percent -
YOU ARE NOT OWED ANYTHING. It's not "ask what your country is going to
do for you." It's "ask what you can do for your country." Well, all
you're asked to do right now is take care of yourself! Yes, I know it's a
difficult economy out there. But get off the government teat! Take
whatever job you have to to make ends meet. I have! I work my butt off
to provide for myself and my children. As a self-employed single mom
it's not easy... but possible.
Barack Obama and the Democrats
don't believe you can do it. They believe you need a government jobs
program, training program, or something else attached to a government
handout to make it in the world. Prove them wrong.
Crossposted from "Oh, You're Right"
