Thread: Intolerable

(Ok I copied and pasted this and I have some corrections I will make in the next post I make)

The level which our government’s role in day to day life has risen out of control and quite frankly it is intolerable. It is even more intolerable at how we let this happen with apathy and self-centered bickering. We, as citizens who pretend to be living the ideas of our founding fathers, need to rise up and change this problem that happens day to day…seemingly under our very noses. It affects us negatively both economically, socially, and morally how much we rely on the government to solve our problems in those areas.
Since when is it the governments job to declare lifestyles, which are utterly harmless, such as homosexuality illegal? I understand completely if certain churches do not wish to condone homosexuality, but why can a same sex couple not receive the same legal benefits as a man and a woman? Is this not a country founded on principles of freedom?
Since when is it the governments job to come to the aide of anyone who suffers economic hardship? What happened to our free-market? Now, granted the world has changed drastically since the formation of free markets. We SHOULD have labor laws protecting the exploitation of laborers, we SHOULD prevent monopolies/oligarchies from forming, and we SHOULD have a consumer protection board that makes sure companies are not serving us poison. That is all very reasonable. Also, things like the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 are very appropriate to prevent large scale fraud from ruining lives and the very economy itself. But allowing immense amounts of welfare and other entitlement ideas are not what a government in a Democratic Republic should be doing. Take it upon yourself to help those in need in your community, and do not take from everyone’s pocket at once to help those who apparently cannot help themselves. I am not saying screw the poor, but it is not the job of the government to help them.
And while we all sit here waiting for the government to fix our economic problems, our social problems, and our education problems…we do not stop to realize the we all also complain on how incompetent the government is.
Take this metaphor…
Katrina victims were trapped in places like the Superdome for several days. And while the government should indeed have had a faster reaction time…how many cameras were on that dome broadcasting how shitty the government is to the whole world?
Were the media members unable to help?
Were the people watching, but oh so eager to point a finger at the government too busy to help?
Were the people inside content with trusting the bureaucratic government to solve their problems?

Now I am not saying that everything would have been a bright shiny rainbow if people had not totally relied on the Gov. like they did…but it would have been better.
So take that example to something like education. Should the government be involved in the education system…I believe so. But a lot of the problems we are having with the education process can be solved by simply have encouraging families and communities. It takes both a parent and a village to raise a child…and if we just go the kids living a more positive attitude way of thinking and enthused about learning and making themselves better…in twenty years things would be so much better.

So what I am really saying is that we need to take responsibility for solving society’s problems. That is not the role most of the time of the government to fix it for us. IT just becomes way too big, and it takes our civil liberties and a lot more money than it has to.
So instead of just being content with the way our country is…ask yourself if you think the government is acting the way it should…if you do not like the answer you come to…TRY to fix it as best you can. It is your duty as a citizen to do so, not the governments job itself.

Now according to a source on this forum, there were media and volunteers helping out. FANTASTIC I am glad to hear it...

But what do most people know about it? What do most people think about when they think of Katrina...the Government screwing up.

Granted they did....but take it more as a literary type metaphor more than a well founded fact.

I used to believe firmly that public education should be a function of gov't; I'm re-examining that idea, as the dysfunction in that area and the contrast between public and private efforts is heightened. I can see where a more privatized and needs-based and competitive approach might be better for us, maybe even cheaper or less wasteful.Or a more cafeteria-style alternative to strictly public, where public would continue if no alternative could be devised.

Great post, I have been saying simular things for a long time. We do not need to be a society that relies on the government for everything in our lives. We need to take responsibility for our selves. Small things can help, food storage, good jobs, cash in the mattress.

As for education, I see this as the governments biggest failure. It is so bad that it adds fodder to conspiracy theorist, I know. The dept. of education should be eradicated and the money spent should go back to the tax payer.

It gets worse, people forgot a great line,"ask not what your country can do for you but ask what you can do for your country". To me this means service, not the type that has been suggested, you know sign the line and hope for the best, but to become a politician, run for something and stand for something. We really dropped the ball there.

Anyway I was hoping that people would have made better choices this election period, man am I dismayed. Actually saddened to the point that I will refuse to vote. It's either that or vote for what I disdain, no more will I do that.

Thanks for letting me rant on your thread!

Originally Posted by michaelr

Great post, I have been saying simular things for a long time. We do not need to be a society that relies on the government for everything in our lives. We need to take responsibility for our selves. Small things can help, food storage, good jobs, cash in the mattress.

As for education, I see this as the governments biggest failure. It is so bad that it adds fodder to conspiracy theorist, I know. The dept. of education should be eradicated and the money spent should go back to the tax payer.

It gets worse, people forgot a great line,"ask not what your country can do for you but ask what you can do for your country". To me this means service, not the type that has been suggested, you know sign the line and hope for the best, but to become a politician, run for something and stand for something. We really dropped the ball there.

Anyway I was hoping that people would have made better choices this election period, man am I dismayed. Actually saddened to the point that I will refuse to vote. It's either that or vote for what I disdain, no more will I do that.

Thanks for letting me rant on your thread!

Mike, I understand your frustration, but never surrender your vote. that's the most precious gift this country gives us.

The key is to channel your dismay and your talents to improve what you find that needs improvement. Check with your local political party; locals are starving for help with their committee assignments, for volunteer campaign workers, for election workers. It's grunt work and boring as all get out, but it gives you a lot of insight on how the process works, and if you hope to run yourself someday it can open doors. You probably already know about that anyway.

Originally Posted by hutchinson_3

(Ok I copied and pasted this and I have some corrections I will make in the next post I make)

The level which our government’s role in day to day life has risen out of control and quite frankly it is intolerable. It is even more intolerable at how we let this happen with apathy and self-centered bickering. We, as citizens who pretend to be living the ideas of our founding fathers, need to rise up and change this problem that happens day to day…seemingly under our very noses. It affects us negatively both economically, socially, and morally how much we rely on the government to solve our problems in those areas.
Since when is it the governments job to declare lifestyles, which are utterly harmless, such as homosexuality illegal? I understand completely if certain churches do not wish to condone homosexuality, but why can a same sex couple not receive the same legal benefits as a man and a woman? Is this not a country founded on principles of freedom?
Since when is it the governments job to come to the aide of anyone who suffers economic hardship? What happened to our free-market? Now, granted the world has changed drastically since the formation of free markets. We SHOULD have labor laws protecting the exploitation of laborers, we SHOULD prevent monopolies/oligarchies from forming, and we SHOULD have a consumer protection board that makes sure companies are not serving us poison. That is all very reasonable. Also, things like the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 are very appropriate to prevent large scale fraud from ruining lives and the very economy itself. But allowing immense amounts of welfare and other entitlement ideas are not what a government in a Democratic Republic should be doing. Take it upon yourself to help those in need in your community, and do not take from everyone’s pocket at once to help those who apparently cannot help themselves. I am not saying screw the poor, but it is not the job of the government to help them.
And while we all sit here waiting for the government to fix our economic problems, our social problems, and our education problems…we do not stop to realize the we all also complain on how incompetent the government is.
Take this metaphor…
Katrina victims were trapped in places like the Superdome for several days. And while the government should indeed have had a faster reaction time…how many cameras were on that dome broadcasting how shitty the government is to the whole world?
Were the media members unable to help?
Were the people watching, but oh so eager to point a finger at the government too busy to help?
Were the people inside content with trusting the bureaucratic government to solve their problems?

Now I am not saying that everything would have been a bright shiny rainbow if people had not totally relied on the Gov. like they did…but it would have been better.
So take that example to something like education. Should the government be involved in the education system…I believe so. But a lot of the problems we are having with the education process can be solved by simply have encouraging families and communities. It takes both a parent and a village to raise a child…and if we just go the kids living a more positive attitude way of thinking and enthused about learning and making themselves better…in twenty years things would be so much better.

So what I am really saying is that we need to take responsibility for solving society’s problems. That is not the role most of the time of the government to fix it for us. IT just becomes way too big, and it takes our civil liberties and a lot more money than it has to.
So instead of just being content with the way our country is…ask yourself if you think the government is acting the way it should…if you do not like the answer you come to…TRY to fix it as best you can. It is your duty as a citizen to do so, not the governments job itself.

Biggest single entitlement expenditures in gov't are not welfare, not earmarks, not pork barrel. It's middle-class programs of Social Security and Medicare. Are you prepared to refuse those benefits yourself, taking responsibility to heart as you are? (I have a problem with smart-assedness this week.)

It's funny Guyker, I was a lone protester at the local board of education, the police dispatched a car, they sat there for about eight hours while I held a sign complaining against the "No Child Left Behind" bill. I was asked by the locals to run, the cops thought they were going to harass me. I told them if they did I would signal them. It was a great day for me and got me to think about running for a small time office locally.

I told my wife the other day that I may run for Alderman, she told me that I would have her support, man I love that girl.

I will think about it, I raise my youngest Granddaughter, I will make my decision after she is in full time day school. I am not at this point even sure if I will home school her.

Originally Posted by michaelr

It's funny Guyker, I was a lone protester at the local board of education, the police dispatched a car, they sat there for about eight hours while I held a sign complaining against the "No Child Left Behind" bill. I was asked by the locals to run, the cops thought they were going to harass me. I told them if they did I would signal them. It was a great day for me and got me to think about running for a small time office locally.

I told my wife the other day that I may run for Alderman, she told me that I would have her support, man I love that girl.

I will think about it, I raise my youngest Granddaughter, I will make my decision after she is in full time day school. I am not at this point even sure if I will home school her.

What do you think about no child left behind? Obviously, you don't like it, I see, but what is it that makes it deficient to you? It came out and was heralded as if heaven itself was shining on schools everywhere.

Originally Posted by Guyker

What do you think about no child left behind? Obviously, you don't like it, I see, but what is it that makes it deficient to you? It came out and was heralded as if heaven itself was shining on schools everywhere.

It has proved to be a system of passing tests, that becomes more important than teaching a curriculum. I am all for the three R's, and a few more. When children do not pass the tests they are able to lower the standard of what passing is.

I have been against the Dept Of Education for a very long time. It gives the federal government a way to dictate will with the states, they use funding.

One of the major problems that I have second to the no real curriculum thing is the fact that the military can have access to your children's records, and the allowance of recruiters to target certain children, actually they can target all but this law makes sure that they target certain children. That angers me.

Also the commitment that it would take for this program to be successful would cost way to much, it was designed to be underfunded from the get go. And it is! Gee didn't take a rocket scientist to see that coming.

I would be a big hyprocrite if I was not prepared to give up those things if it meant to getting the government back to where it needs to be.

There are alternatives than those kinds of perks being provided by the gov.