Saturday, September 29, 2012

America the Great or America the Dependent

Political Realities ^ | 09/29/12 | LD Jackson

By now, most of us have heard about the woman who was protesting outside of a Mitt Romney rally in Bedford, Ohio. In short, she dislikes the GOP candidate and seems to be in love with President Obama. Her main reason for that love seems to be centered around the phone she says Obama provided for her. She affectionately called it her Obama phone and she was very proud of the fact that it was so easily accessible to her and other minorities or people with little to no income. I think it is safe to say, she is dependent on the federal government for her sustenance. She could be the poster woman for America the dependent.
Before this week, I have been fairly optimistic that Barack Obama could be defeated. I have held the opinion that enough Americans would finally wake up and realize the path America is on is not the straight and narrow, but rather a winding path that is leading us in an ever-increasing downward spiral. After seeing the attitude displayed by the woman in Ohio, and seeing some the reactions to some of the attacks on Mitt Romney, I am beginning to question my optimism. I honestly wonder if enough Americans will wake up before November 6.
America was founded upon the principles of self-reliance and perseverance. It was meant to be a country where everyone has a chance of achieving whatever goal or dream they had for themselves, or their families. It as conceived as a place where men and women could be out from under a domineering government that dictates everything they could or couldn't do. Our system of government was designed to set the citizens of our country free to be as great as they wanted to be.
What we see today is a far cry from what America was intended to be. Instead of freedom and liberty, we have a federal government that is growing stronger every day. It seems we can not decide what we should eat without the advice of bureaucrats in Washington. With that advice comes rules and regulations that are clearly not in the purview of the federal government. Our food isn't the only area into which Washington has inserted itself. Light bulbs, healthcare, and birth control are other areas that we can't seem to get along without the folks in Washington imparting their knowledge and influence.
It seems there is a federal program for every situation Americans may find themselves in. Whereas we used to rely on our families and churches to take up the slack when we were in trouble, we now turn to the federal government. All assistance is routed through Washington and our churches find it hard to pitch in and help, without violating the regulations that come with that federal assistance. Remember, no good deed goes unpunished.
America used to be a great nation of great people who worked their tails off to make it in life. People like my Mom and Dad who had no give up in them. When faced with troubles and trials, they buckled down and worked harder. Many of the generation we are seeing today have no such backbone. When they come up against a wall, they just turn to the federal government and say "gimme".
American DependenceInstead of a nation full of great people, it seems we have far too many people who are dependent on the federal government. I could quote statistics to show you the percentages, but we can all see it happening. Unemployment is rampant in our nation and when the unemployment benefits run out, many of those people are applying for, and receiving, disability, for one reason or another. That means one thing; the dependent class is growing every day. More dependents and less independents equals an unsustainable and untenable situation in America. Sooner or later, it will have no choice but to collapse.
This brings me back to the reason my optimism about this election is failing me. The people in the dependent class are not stupid people. They know full well the free ride they have is a good thing, at least for them. They are not thinking about what is good for America, but rather what is in it for them. They listen to President Obama and his class warfare mantra, about how the rich are not paying their fair share, and they hear one thing. Obama is going to take from people like Mitt Romney and give to those who are less fortunate. After all, everyone deserves a fair shot, or so Obama keeps telling us. The people like the woman who loves her Obama phone are not about to rock the boat.
Mitt Romney has been in the news lately for his remark that 47% of Americans are dependent on the federal government. His words have been twisted and applied in ways he did not mean. He has no doubt suffered some in the polls because of that, but he did nothing but tell the truth. The man isn't perfect, but he realizes the situation we are facing in our country is not sustainable. The truth may hurt and it may very well cost him the election, but it is still the truth. America can not continue in the direction it is going. If action is not taken to reverse our current course, our country can not help but implode. No amount of rhetoric will change that.
It's up to us to change that course. We can continue down the path we are on and become America the dependent, on the verge of fiscal collapse, or we can decide to become America the great, once again. We can choose to complete our transition to total dependence on the federal government, or we can choose to break the bond of dependency and to make things happen for ourselves. It really is that simple, but it isn't going to be easy. The election on November 6 is one of the battles we have to win, otherwise we may lose the war to save our country.

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