Literally. Looking around at our country and what things seem to be going around are doing it. The widespread corruption, the graft, the disharmony, the absolute wrecking of the greatest place ever. Too many don’t seem to care. Too many care about things that don’t make one bit of difference. Especially in government; hired or elected. I heard one observation that our government employees are doing things from a position of stupidity. The answers we get are not well thought out or even reasonable. Mostly because they are used to doing whatever, and not having it questioned. Comfortable immunity. There are no repercussions, only inconveniences until the next administration comes along.
I listened to John Kennedy (a fellow I think is somewhat reasonable?) from Louisiana questioning the Director of SSA about his departments assertion that there are poor people in our country. He lists off a series of financial aspects of a theoretical single mother of two’s budget for any given year. In the end he concludes that she receives a financial gain of some Sixty-four thousand dollars a year, seemingly only Eleven thousand of it has she earned. He makes the comment, ‘..not proposing that we curb benefits…..’ (paraphrased). Of course not then she would become an average American income. No one is talking about the elephant in the room and this is what pisses me off. I don’t mean that he is protecting his votes with his comment but that most all of what was laid out in his recap of SSA’s view of this mother of two. Not only does a government idiot put it out but the government ‘idiot’ questioning isn’t questioning the SSA’s example, he’s questioning whether or not they are poor.
Many years ago I ventured into the realm of the homeless. I took their plight as misfortune or as caught in a rough patch. Approaching it with the idea that each would extract themselves from their predicament if they had the chance. Boy was I in for an eye opening. After several years of being involved and doing what I could the help I came to the conclusion that there are no poor here, only those who refuse to work. Before you start the argument that there are those disadvantaged who …., not arguing that. There are always those among us, they are the few. In those years, only one person did we help who made the most of his situation and moved on to a different life. I don’t even know if he kept it up. But by and large all we got involved with had a manipulation to run on us to continue with their lifestyle. These people clearly were making a choice to live thuswise. There are no poor only those who choose to live that way.
Someone who receives Sixty-four thousand dollars if far from poor, I agree with Mr Kennedy. Let’s talk about the elephant? He comes in parts: Stupid parts. Stupid part One: anyone who asserts that a person who has two children and cares about their welfare and sets her mind to earn a buck surely will do better than Ten dollars per hour at Twenty hours part time. If not she’s not trying very hard. Don’t start telling me about single mothers. I am intimately familiar with how a single mother of three does things. Stupid part Two: he mentioned that she would receive about Sixteen thousand in Medicaid ? benefits. I look back over the last several years and what I have spent on medical treatment and outside of a dentist next to none. If I include the dentist we’re looking at let’s call it a thousand bucks. What I see here is not only am I the epitome of health but that my tax dollars go to a person who is able to run to the doctor for any reason whatsoever, running up the bill to the tune of Sixteen Gs! Whether she needs it or not. Why not, she’s not at work, might as well go use some benefits???? Stupid part Three: other than her ridiculous Eleven thousand dollar earnings the rest is government given. No mention of child support, state aid programs, etc. I know that when a father dies his children will receive his social security benefits until they reach the age of 18. Not much but per child it works. I think since he’s not going to get it, we’re talking a wash of sorts. The wife gets some for a time too if not working. No one is questioning the reality of anything. No one is looking at what is actually happening, only what they want to see. I know there are places where people aren’t making Ten dollars per hour but that they are also tip driven jobs that see them do much more than that. I don’t know about every state situation but I am familiar with the entire west this side of the Rockies and Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Maryland; it is a ridiculous notion to believe that Eleven thousand a year is reasonable. This person is not even trying!
It’s everywhere! All the time! I can’t get into the news without finding some idiotic episode going down somewhere. It all stanks of corruption! Everywhere you look is profiteering. Federal, state and local. Our very own Lincoln county is rife with it. The last five years we have seen a major increase in property values. The county position is it’s the law, our taxes doubled. Do we see a move to reduce millage rates or rearrange calculations? Not in the slightest, we see more aggressive assessments, bad attitudes at the county with personell, and more spending. Wow finally we can get that new government center that every one has been asking about for Fifty years! Our services are not going up just the government machine (Matrix) to abuse, persecute and take advantage of the people. The new building we are getting is called the Justice Center. Read this way: more court rooms, more deputy sheriffs, more prosecutors. Is there more crime, no, just more opportunity to prosecute that they are missing out on. More deputies, more tickets, citations, more revenue. More permits, more citations, more revenue. All for the sake of more government. The government union is out of control!
The elephant!
I know you’re pissed off too. Keep your head cool, plow ahead and hold your values. Who can be against us? We win in the end!
Greg