The Stamp Act, the Sugar Act, the Revenue Act. What do these have in common? All were taxes that summarily incited a particular group of men to rise up and claim independence from those who levied the aforementioned. They were so compelled to rail against The Man for their own possessions, monies, and FREEDOMS that they felt their only course of action was to risk certain death to ensure them.
And fight they did- for Principle, for Integrity, for Freedom. They fought for the rights they felt were inalienable, unable to be taken away, not negotiable, not fuckwithable.
So how did we get here? How did we get to a point in our country’s history where we depend on the government we’re supposed to limit to provide for us? How did we get to a point where so many of our fellow Americans believe the government WE are supposed to tell what to do is supposed to protect us and tell US what to do? At what point did we decide to make negotiable those freedoms which so many fought to secure 238 years ago? We allow that same government to tax every aspect of our lives to line their own pockets and further their own political agendas with our money and freedom, encourage it even. We do so under the misguided notion that doing so helps those with less because the majority of Americans don’t want to actually have lend a hand to a neighbor themselves, but would rather let the government do it- a complete contradiction to the Founding Fathers’ vision.
HOW. DID. WE. GET. HERE??
Growing up, my brother and I were taught that if we wanted something done, the only way to make sure that it did was to do it ourselves. If we wanted something, we earned it and it was OURS. We didn’t take from others, or depend on others to do our schoolwork, or whine if someone didn’t cater to our every need. We learned to be…………independent.
So, why is there no shame in generations depending on the government to feed, clothe, and house their families? Why is handing over to the government the inalienable and base right to protect that which we hold dear even remotely acceptable? The majority of Americans can’t fend for themselves without grocery stores, law enforcement, the electric company, or the service industry in general because they’ve never had to do so.
They’ve lost their Independence. Period. And they’d better wake their asses up and take it back before they all become subjects. I know I damn sure won’t be one.
Ros asked:
So, why is there no shame in generations depending on the government to feed, clothe, and house their families?
When I was growing up, in the 1960s, there was plenty of shame involved in that, and my mother, struggling to rear three children by herself, was once told by a social; worker that she’s make more money if she quit her job and went on welfare. I suppose that was true enough, in the then-immediate future, but by not taking that route, by continuing to work, she gained experience, and got a better job, and then a better one, and then a better one than that. Her sense of pride would not have allowed her to take welfare.
Back then, there weren’t many people on welfare, and it could be a mark of shame. But we gradually got used to it. “Oh, Johnny’s family down the street, they’re getting welfare, and they’re OK people.” As we started to know more and more people taking government assistance, the shame factor disappeared.
Kate says: “fuckwithable”.
I’m stealing that.
Jan says: The shame of not taking care of ones self and their families needs to be brought back to American society. Girls used to be sent off to relatives or a home to give birth and give the baby up for adoption. Today, they are signed up for welfare and kinds of public funded services. We have kids raising kids who in turn are kids having kids to keep the welfare system going.
All these social service programs are not meant to improve society they are simply government jobs programs. This was also done with migrant workers. They once came to the country, followed the crops and went back home when the season was over. The government provided outreach workers to assit the migrants, who were laid off when the crop season was over and the migrants returned home. They wanted year round work and begin to encourage the migrants to stay by signing them up for one government program after another. The workers could live free in the winter at the expense of the stupid Gringo’s. The social workers are happy and always looking for more and more migrants to turn into American dependents.
That sense of shame may never come back, but it should.
Catherine Wilkinson says: Awesome post….agree 100 fuckwithable percent!
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