The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Politics & RKBA => Topic started by: 2HOW on December 22, 2008, 02:30:50 PM
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Charlottesville, Va. – "A democracy will continue to exist up until time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship….
"Great nations rise and fall. The people go from bondage to spiritual truth, to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependence, from dependence back again to bondage."
These words – the author is unknown – are particularly sobering today. In the past few months, Uncle Sam has bailed out Wall Street, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, home-owners, banks, and US automakers, while the incoming administration promises a massive infrastructure investment.
Is it any surprise that cities, counties, and states are jostling for space at the federal trough? Who's next? Big Media? Big Sports? Agribusiness?
With the bailout "mother of all precedents," it's become difficult for Washington politicians to say "no" to any special interest that's too massive, too economically important, or too well connected to fail.
Nor can politicians forget the poor. Or the crucial swing voters in the "struggling middle class." And they can't ignore seniors – AARP members are very vocal.
Virtually every group today is trying to meet with the Obama transition team to convey the urgency of its "crucial" spending requests. My local paper recently informed me that our area university is preparing its wish list for infrastructure dollars. Even the National Council for the Social Studies and the American Sportfishing Association have sent pitches to President-elect Obama.
Have we gone from "rugged individualism" to the complacency or even dependency of the national trajectory quoted above?
At the time of America's founding, the Federalist Papers discussed the dangers of democratic politicians being forced to count on the votes and support of citizens or organizations too self-involved or uneducated to realize that short-term individual or group gain often precludes long-term prosperity.
And Thomas Jefferson sought to deal with politicians' catering to their constituents' convenience by founding the University of Virginia (UVA). He wanted an informed, intelligent, and thoughtful population in hopes of helping democracy survive. Today, sadly, UVA is the area university I read about in the paper seeking funds for its infrastructure wish list.
A century after Jefferson turned UVA's first spade of earth, the 17th Amendment provided for the direct election of US senators, instead of them being beholden to state legislators, as prescribed by the Constitution. Facing John Q. Public every six years instead of legislators, senators began putting their hands out to special interests, and, at that moment, long-term thinking by American government took a massive step backward.
Will Virginia's new senator, Mark Warner (D), for example, feel secure enough to stand on principle and say he can't support UVA's requests?
President Kennedy's book "Profiles in Courage" recorded only eight incidents in American history when senators stood fast amid the howls of their constituents or party. JFK asked for the best of us, saying pointedly in his inaugural address, "Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country."
Hopefully, we're not sliding toward "final collapse due to loose fiscal policy," but since many of us demand "instant gratification," it may take another inspiring wordsmith to stymie the "me, me, me" cacophony.
Mr. Obama, like Kennedy and Jefferson, is a man with a gilded tongue. Can he lead us to understand that when America races to raid the public treasury, it is, to use a phrase President Lincoln (our greatest leader) borrowed from the Bible, "a house divided against itself"?
Obama says he greatly admires Lincoln. Perhaps he can enjoin all Americans to do now what Lincoln urged during a very different crisis: "If all do not join now to save the good old ship of the Union this voyage, nobody will have a chance to pilot her on another voyage"?
• Randy Salzman is a freelance writer and former journalism professor.
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Ask not what YOU can do for your COUNTRY, ask rather, whats in it for me.
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Ask not what YOU can do for your COUNTRY, ask rather, whats in it for me.
Sad, but true.
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Ask not what YOU can do for your COUNTRY, ask rather, whats in it for me.
In the 90's we were facing third generation welfare recipients - Grandpa and/or Grandma received welfare in the early days as a way to get by in bad times; Mom and/or Dad learned that they could count on welfare for more than a hand up and viewed it as either sole or supplemental income; and generation three found that it was a good career choice to work the system for all they can get with the most freedom of lifestyle and minimal work. We are now entering the fourth generation, and when when asked what they want to be when they grow up we all need to grab our pocketbooks as they reply "I'm going into the family business."
If you want to have a family take some personal responsibility, get married, get a job, work out a budget, AND LIVE WITHIN YOUR F***EN MEANS !!!
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A privately owned corporation named the Federal Reserve lead this country into the great depression, now it is leading us into the really great depression. It won't be pretty.
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A privately owned corporation named the Federal Reserve lead this country into the great depression, now it is leading us into the really great depression. It won't be pretty.
Out of Chaos comes order. It's up to US to determine what type of order.
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In the 90's we were facing third generation welfare recipients - Grandpa and/or Grandma received welfare in the early days as a way to get by in bad times; Mom and/or Dad learned that they could count on welfare for more than a hand up and viewed it as either sole or supplemental income; and generation three found that it was a good career choice to work the system for all they can get with the most freedom of lifestyle and minimal work. We are now entering the fourth generation, and when when asked what they want to be when they grow up we all need to grab our pocketbooks as they reply "I'm going into the family business."
If you want to have a family take some personal responsibility, get married, get a job, work out a budget, AND LIVE WITHIN YOUR F***EN MEANS !!!
I have a sister who, sadly, is (and I'm trying to find the nicest possible way to say this) a career government employee, if you get my drift. Throughout our marriage, whenever Mrs. T and I would get a little ahead and get a new car, a new TV, whatever, this sister's standard response was always, "It must be nice!"
Finally, our first Thanksgiving holiday we spent in our current house included hosting the feast for my entire family. Once again, when she saw the house, my sister said, "Gee, it must be nice!"
To which I replied, "Ya know, it really is. It's pretty easy, too, all ya gotta do is get off your lazy ass and get a f***ing JOB!!"
Her response was, "Well, but you guys have been lucky over the years!"
To which I replied, "This is true, and I've noticed that the harder we work the luckier we seem to get!!"
End of conversation. Of course I was blamed for ruining the family holiday, but I had taken as much as I could, and she reached the boil-over point that particular day.
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Didn't ruin YOUR holiday to finally get it off your chest, did it? ;D
Used to tell my Phd sister, "You may have a doctorate, but I've got a JOB." ;D
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To which I replied, "Ya know, it really is. It's pretty easy, too, all ya gotta do is get off your lazy ass and get a f***ing JOB!!"
Her response was, "Well, but you guys have been lucky over the years!"
To which I replied, "This is true, and I've noticed that the harder we work the luckier we seem to get!!"
End of conversation. Of course I was blamed for ruining the family holiday, but I had taken as much as I could, and she reached the boil-over point that particular day.
+10
My ex-sister in law had made it to director-level in a big company in spite of being a bi-lateral amputee (both lower legs missing at birth). Active in competitive handicap skiing etc. Met a guy who was similarly assembled, but who showed her how easy it was to live off the gummint teat.
So she marries him, ups and quits her job and that is what they are doing.
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AVAILABLE SOON AT A 'RE-DISTRIBUTION' CENTER NEAR YOU !!!!
DELICIOUS WHEN SERVED WITH 'ACORN' SQUASH !!!
WARNING: CONSUMPTION WILL CAUSE NEED FOR 'JOE THE PLUMBER' !!!!!
(http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/marshalette/political/Obamasoup.jpg)
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Obama says he greatly admires Lincoln. .....
I would admire a modern Booth after Jan 20th!!!!!!!! :)
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tt11758, when I retired from government service I received a lot of comments like what you got. "Boy, you sure are lucky to have a retirement check and insurance". My response was "not lucky, I worked hard for what I got". "I put up with a lot of shit all my life to get what I have now". I too ruined several get togethers but nobody bothers me now.
Proud to have served my country for 24 years in civil service. A lot of hard working people hampered by stupid politicians and sure it's going to get worse with this new president coming in.
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tt11758, when I retired from government service I received a lot of comments like what you got. "Boy, you sure are lucky to have a retirement check and insurance". My response was "not lucky, I worked hard for what I got". "I put up with a lot of shit all my life to get what I have now". I too ruined several get togethers but nobody bothers me now.
Proud to have served my country for 24 years in civil service. A lot of hard working people hampered by stupid politicians and sure it's going to get worse with this new president coming in.
First of all, thank you for your service (and all who serve and have served).
Second, what kind of mindset makes people say crap like that? I've heard the same thing from some of my lazy-assed family members too. They'd rather sit and grumble about what they don't have. They look at all the things I own and say crap like "I wish I was that lucky to have what you have".
I always reply "The lucky part was living in a country where hard work pays off. I worked for everything I have. Instead of blowing my money on cigarettes and lottery tickets, I was making extra house payments".
Sorry to rant.
8)
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First of all, thank you for your service (and all who serve and have served).
Second, what kind of mindset makes people say crap like that? I've heard the same thing from some of my lazy-assed family members too. They'd rather sit and grumble about what they don't have. They look at all the things I own and say crap like "I wish I was that lucky to have what you have".
I always reply "The lucky part was living in a country where hard work pays off. I worked for everything I have. Instead of blowing my money on cigarettes and lottery tickets, I was making extra house payments".
Sorry to rant.
8)
Jealousy, "the grass is greener," I'm paying your way, real workers need to work till 65, ... You name it, but it all comes down to greed (on their selfish part) and only seeing what they view as a benefit without the price that was payed for that.
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Jealousy, "the grass is greener," I'm paying your way, real workers need to work till 65, ... You name it, but it all comes down to greed (on their selfish part) and only seeing what they view as a benefit without the price that was payed for that.
So true.
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Jealousy, "the grass is greener," I'm paying your way, real workers need to work till 65, ... You name it, but it all comes down to greed (on their selfish part) and only seeing what they view as a benefit without the price that was payed for that.
Free stuff without sacrifice intoxicates.
That 65 retirement age may well be a thing of the past unless you want a one-room flat, single light bulb and Alpo for lunch. And I'm not talking about what you get from the government...just in general plus whatever they "give" you if you opt out the work force that early.
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Free stuff without sacrifice intoxicates.
That 65 retirement age may well be a thing of the past unless you want a one-room flat, single light bulb and Alpo for lunch. And I'm not talking about what you get from the government...just in general plus whatever they "give" you if you opt out the work force that early.
Heck that's about where I am on 40 hours a week ;D Take a can of corned beef hash and a can of Alpo, Peel off the labels, open. Which is which ? ;D Thank God for microwaves ;D
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Heck that's about where I am on 40 hours a week ;D Take a can of corned beef hash and a can of Alpo, Peel off the labels, open. Which is which ? ;D Thank God for microwaves ;D
That's about where I am on 60 hours a week (2 jobs)!!
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Hot damm Tom, sounds like you were lucky enough to partake of gourmet C rations.
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Ham and M*&^%$ F@#$%^% ;D
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Wait a minute! The USA is not a democracy. We are a Republic! (a Democratic-Republic if you want to get picky.) Our forefathers knew quite well the shortcomings of Democracies and built in the three parts of our government for this not to happen through check and balance. Somehow, the liberals have convinced many other Americans that we are what we are not, and have usurped the separation of the way our government should work.
It's about time for private industry to take over space travel and set up a new Democratic-Republic government on Mars and beyond!
Then we could nuke the Earth if they piss us off!
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Wait a minute! The USA is not a democracy. We are a Republic! (a Democratic-Republic if you want to get picky.) Our forefathers knew quite well the shortcomings of Democracies and built in the three parts of our government for this not to happen through check and balance. Somehow, the liberals have convinced many other Americans that we are what we are not, and have usurped the separation of the way our government should work.
It's about time for private industry to take over space travel and set up a new Democratic-Republic government on Mars and beyond!
Then we could nuke the Earth if they piss us off!
....And to the Republic, for which it stands,...........
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Perhaps democracy is the best goal to be achieved by all political set up.
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Perhaps democracy is the best goal to be achieved by all political set up.
"Democracy" is an unworkable system similar to Anarchy but with better benefits. Since the fall of the Athenian democracy no thinking person has taken that system seriously, it is no more than mob rule subject to the whim of the moment, to quote earlier thinkers, "when the mob finds they can vote themselves bread and circuses, that is what they will do". That is why we currently have so many democrat sponsored "entitlement " programs giving OUR tax dollars to those who contribute nothing to society. It is the way the democrats buy votes.
A "Constitutional Republic" such as this was intended to be, is a system of laws that specifies the rights of individual, the powers allowed to Govt. and responsibilities of each group.
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End of Democracy... time will tell. If you look at history of how and why this country was created. And how and why it is the way it is today.. . yeah, we are getting away from what it was suppost to be.. :-\ Am I given up.. No. .. I'm not.. and someday it will come down to that.. those that give up and those that don't. Time will tell..