To all the minorities out there whimpering about being oppressed by 'The Man' ... stow it. Stop buying into the BS you've been fed and take a close look at things. There are high ranking minority members in most every walk of life ... and not just sports stars and celebs either. Doctors, Lawyers, Corporate Execs ... you name it. They made it through hard work and dedication ... what or who is stopping you?
Well lets take a look at things. The first place you need to look is yourself ... why are you sitting back and expecting the government (or anyone for that matter) to 'give' you things? Why didn't you, or why aren't you studying harder, why aren't you working harder (or in many cases smarter) than you are now. If your current level of effort is yeilding your current standard of living and you want more ... why do you think that you shouldn't have to WORK more to get it?
Next ... your minority rights activists ... they will always find some 'oppression' that needs to be fought ... whether it exsists or not ... why? Because if the people that they 'advocate' for ever achieve equality (or realize that it's been achieved for years) THEY ARE OUT OF A JOB. These guys make a pretty good living fighting for the rights of the downtrodden masses .... if the masses cease to be downtrodden there goes the meal ticket.
Now ... look at the rest of the mob around you ... if you work harder and succeed you make them look bad ... and they don't want that. Much better to make you feel bad for working harder and trying to make something of yourself ...
Don't tell me it doesn't happen. I've heard it first hand ... particularly among young black men ... “Why you trying to be white?” ... A black student ... working hard in school, getting good grades, and up for a scholastic scholarship ... was 'trying to be white' because he wanted to learn and achieve ... because he wanted something better out of life. So ... if hard work, intelligence, and achievement are 'white' traits ... and they are time proven keys to success ... then let me give you a clue ... LEARN THOSE TRAITS.
I'm not saying racism doesn't exsist ... I'm not saying that there are no prejudiced people out there who hold others back based on skin color, or religion ... to say that would be ignorance ... as much as I wish that everyone would realize that we are all individuals and judge us based on our individual traits rather than our skin color or religious beliefs I know that's a fools dream. I know that racism, prejudice and bigotry are still around ... what I'm saying ... is that sometimes it doesn't wear the face that you think it does.
So before you go blaming 'The Man' for your troubles ... make sure you know who 'The Man' is.....
Monday, December 27, 2004
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
'Because I Can'
Okay ... This is coming from something I heard on the radio today on the Neal Boortz show (http://boortz.com). Neal was talking with a successful young girl in regards to personal responsibility and the term 'less fortunate' (see my 12/20/04 rant) when she spoke of an instance of being out with her boyfriend when he gave a dollar to a beggar. When she asked him why he gave him a dollar when he would just stay there and beg for more and probably spend it all on wine. He boyfriend replied, 'because I can ... because I have extra and it doesn't hurt me to give him a little.'
Now ... I applaud his helping of people that have less than he does, it is a very noble thing. But was it the right thing?
Realistically, though I know he didn't realize it, his answer was 'Because I can ... hold him down.'
Why do I say such a terrible thing? Because whether he realizes it or not, that is the effect that he is having. By giving the money to the person he supported what the person was doing ... even if we take drugs/alcohol out of the picture, why is this beggar going to go get a job if he can sit on a street corner and live off the compassion of others.
I'm sure you've all heard the old saying 'give a man a fish and you feed him for a night, teach a man to fish and he'll never go hungry' (okay maybe that's not the exact quote ... deal with it) ... This is what we need to remember ... what we need to get back to ... we need to stop giving people stuff ... we need to teach them to get the stuff themselves.
I heard a joke once ... A liberal and a conservative were walking down the street when they came on an 'urban outdoorsman' (homeless person) ... the conservative pulled out his wallet and took 5 of his 10 dollars and a business card and told the fellow 'go have a good dinner and come by my office in the morning, I think we have an opening in shipping.' the liberal was shocked by this so he too grabbed the conservatives's wallet and gave the beggar the remaining 5 dollars and said 'and here's something for breakfast in the morning as well.' ... walking away he handed the wallet back to the conservative and said, 'you know ... it really does feel good to give to those less fortunate than ourselves doesn't it?'
(if you don't get the joke then I have to assume that you agree with and support the government taking your money to give it to others via the welfare system.)
When are we going to learn/remember that people will continue to do what gets them what they want. If you hand them what they want for nothing ... nothing is what you'll continue to get from them, and they'll continue to expect the hand out. Giving money to beggars on the street, while it is a kind and charitable thing to do, doesn't help them in the long run but rather encourages them to keep begging.
I don't want welfare abolished ... I know that there are people that use the system as it was intended ... as short term support to help them get back on their feet and back to contributing to society. These people should not be punished by the removal of the system because of the more numerous abuses of the system. Rather I want to see the system reformed ... I want to see the paychecks for nothing (which is what the welfare system currently is) stopped ... put those people to work doing things for that welfare check ... have 'em put in 20-30 hours a week of 'community service' for it.
I'll bet you could cut the number of people collecting welfare in this country in half just requiring that they work for their welfare check. (I mean if they have to WORK anyway they'll get off their arses and get a real job.) ... heck ... make welfare an hourly wage at, say, a dollar under minimum wage (the object here is to encourage people to stop screwing around and get a REAL job) and let people stay on it as long as they want to work for it. Late to work, dock their pay, don't show up .. don't get paid. Put the same requirements for employment on it (have to show ID, have to be a citizen, drug testing (with required de-tox and rehab if test shows use of illegal substances)). Basically make welfare a job that you can't loose ... you just don't get paid if you don't work ... and since you're working at the crap jobs below minimum wage you'd be a lot better off pulling yourself together and getting a real job.
The problem is ... a few people abused the system ... and little to nothing happened ... so more people abused the system, and more people, and more people ... until you now have families that are career welfare recipients. No abuse should be tolerated ... if it is then it will grow in frequency and number until it becomes the majority ... and the system will drain more and more resources from the growth of the economy .....
Just because you can ... doesn't mean that you should, or that it's the right thing to do. I can climb on top of my office building and do a swan dive onto the parking lot ... However, I don't think it would be a good idea. With anything you do in terms of your interaction with other people think about what behavior you are encouraging in them ... is it something that you agree with and respect? If not it may not be the right thing to do ... whether you CAN do it or not.
Now ... I applaud his helping of people that have less than he does, it is a very noble thing. But was it the right thing?
Realistically, though I know he didn't realize it, his answer was 'Because I can ... hold him down.'
Why do I say such a terrible thing? Because whether he realizes it or not, that is the effect that he is having. By giving the money to the person he supported what the person was doing ... even if we take drugs/alcohol out of the picture, why is this beggar going to go get a job if he can sit on a street corner and live off the compassion of others.
I'm sure you've all heard the old saying 'give a man a fish and you feed him for a night, teach a man to fish and he'll never go hungry' (okay maybe that's not the exact quote ... deal with it) ... This is what we need to remember ... what we need to get back to ... we need to stop giving people stuff ... we need to teach them to get the stuff themselves.
I heard a joke once ... A liberal and a conservative were walking down the street when they came on an 'urban outdoorsman' (homeless person) ... the conservative pulled out his wallet and took 5 of his 10 dollars and a business card and told the fellow 'go have a good dinner and come by my office in the morning, I think we have an opening in shipping.' the liberal was shocked by this so he too grabbed the conservatives's wallet and gave the beggar the remaining 5 dollars and said 'and here's something for breakfast in the morning as well.' ... walking away he handed the wallet back to the conservative and said, 'you know ... it really does feel good to give to those less fortunate than ourselves doesn't it?'
(if you don't get the joke then I have to assume that you agree with and support the government taking your money to give it to others via the welfare system.)
When are we going to learn/remember that people will continue to do what gets them what they want. If you hand them what they want for nothing ... nothing is what you'll continue to get from them, and they'll continue to expect the hand out. Giving money to beggars on the street, while it is a kind and charitable thing to do, doesn't help them in the long run but rather encourages them to keep begging.
I don't want welfare abolished ... I know that there are people that use the system as it was intended ... as short term support to help them get back on their feet and back to contributing to society. These people should not be punished by the removal of the system because of the more numerous abuses of the system. Rather I want to see the system reformed ... I want to see the paychecks for nothing (which is what the welfare system currently is) stopped ... put those people to work doing things for that welfare check ... have 'em put in 20-30 hours a week of 'community service' for it.
I'll bet you could cut the number of people collecting welfare in this country in half just requiring that they work for their welfare check. (I mean if they have to WORK anyway they'll get off their arses and get a real job.) ... heck ... make welfare an hourly wage at, say, a dollar under minimum wage (the object here is to encourage people to stop screwing around and get a REAL job) and let people stay on it as long as they want to work for it. Late to work, dock their pay, don't show up .. don't get paid. Put the same requirements for employment on it (have to show ID, have to be a citizen, drug testing (with required de-tox and rehab if test shows use of illegal substances)). Basically make welfare a job that you can't loose ... you just don't get paid if you don't work ... and since you're working at the crap jobs below minimum wage you'd be a lot better off pulling yourself together and getting a real job.
The problem is ... a few people abused the system ... and little to nothing happened ... so more people abused the system, and more people, and more people ... until you now have families that are career welfare recipients. No abuse should be tolerated ... if it is then it will grow in frequency and number until it becomes the majority ... and the system will drain more and more resources from the growth of the economy .....
Just because you can ... doesn't mean that you should, or that it's the right thing to do. I can climb on top of my office building and do a swan dive onto the parking lot ... However, I don't think it would be a good idea. With anything you do in terms of your interaction with other people think about what behavior you are encouraging in them ... is it something that you agree with and respect? If not it may not be the right thing to do ... whether you CAN do it or not.
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Freedom
A few years back someone asked me if there was anything I was passionate about ... any cause that I felt really strongly about? I thought about it a bit ... there wasn't any single thing at the time that I felt like lashing out and ranting about ... at the time I pretty much kept my thoughts to myself and did my political talking at the polls ...
I stopped and I thought for a moment ... and yes ... there was something that I believed in strongly ... Freedom.
Freedom in all things, for all people.
The only exception being any act of force or fraud that would deprive another individual of their right to life or liberty.
If I want to cut deep gouges in my face I should be free to do so ... now, mind you, I don't believe that there should be any law that says that a company has to give me a job, or that they can't fire me if I choose to do this after they hire me. Loosing my job and being unable to get a new one because of a choice that *I* make is a consequence of the choice, and it's not the government's responsibility to protect me from my own stupidity.
So what *IS* the responsibility of government? The security and protection of the nation, and to ensure fair and equal treatment under the law of all people regardless of race, creed, or gender.
It's not the governments's responsibility to make sure that you have a job, it's not their responsibility to make sure that you have health care, it's not their responsibility to make sure that you're happy. Those things are your responsibility, and if you fail in them it is through no one's fault but your own.
I stopped and I thought for a moment ... and yes ... there was something that I believed in strongly ... Freedom.
Freedom in all things, for all people.
The only exception being any act of force or fraud that would deprive another individual of their right to life or liberty.
If I want to cut deep gouges in my face I should be free to do so ... now, mind you, I don't believe that there should be any law that says that a company has to give me a job, or that they can't fire me if I choose to do this after they hire me. Loosing my job and being unable to get a new one because of a choice that *I* make is a consequence of the choice, and it's not the government's responsibility to protect me from my own stupidity.
So what *IS* the responsibility of government? The security and protection of the nation, and to ensure fair and equal treatment under the law of all people regardless of race, creed, or gender.
It's not the governments's responsibility to make sure that you have a job, it's not their responsibility to make sure that you have health care, it's not their responsibility to make sure that you're happy. Those things are your responsibility, and if you fail in them it is through no one's fault but your own.
Monday, December 20, 2004
It's the holiday season ...
... and I'd like to take a moment to examine the term “Less Fortunate”...
As in .... these people are 'less fortunate.' What are we really saying there ... that these people are where they are because the were less lucky than someone else. Not because they made bad decisions or didn't have the dedication or work ethic to get ahead, no that couldn't be it ... no ... they were less fortunate ... they didn't get that lucky dice roll that made them happy and comfortable in life.
Hogwash.
I am the sum total of every choice that I have made in my life ... I've made some bad, some good ... in any event those choices that *I* made put me where I am now. And you know what ... so is everyone else. Yes, there are some people who find them selves on the ropes due to something that happened that they didn't have control over ... there are some people that are exceptions ... but they are a small minority (that's why they're called exceptions) and even in those cases there are usually choice that they could have made to avoid or lessen the impact of the 'random' act that put them in their current situation.
"Work and acquire, and thou hast chained the wheel of Chance."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Now ... what is he saying there ... that by working you chain the wheel of chance ... in other words ... Work hard and succeed. A couple other quotes on the subject while I'm sifting through them:
"It's choice - not chance - that determines your destiny"
-- Jean Nidetch
and an all time favorite:
"I am a strong believer in luck and I find the harder I work the more I have of it."
-- Benjamin Franklin
I did not get where I am through luck ... I got where I am because I studied and worked to get there. Anyone else could have put forth the same effort and gotten there too ... and I mean ANYONE. There are too many examples of people 'rising above' their situation through dedication and hard work ... and it is insulting to their effort and achievement to call them 'fortunate.'
Does this mean I don't believe in helping the poor or the homeless? No, I believe in charity ... but when you call these people 'less fortunate' you remove the stigma of the condition ... and in doing so you hand them a crutch ... “I'm not a lazy slob who can't hold a job to save my life, I'm just less fortunate than those other people who get to work on time and do their job.” Calling them 'less fortunate' doesn't help their self-image it validates their condition ... it's not your fault, you just aren't as fortunate as others ... and in many cases lessens their desire to better themselves ... I mean after all ... what can they do ... it's just a roll of the dice after all, and they lost.
But then again ... maybe that's what the people that use the phrase actually want in the first place......
As in .... these people are 'less fortunate.' What are we really saying there ... that these people are where they are because the were less lucky than someone else. Not because they made bad decisions or didn't have the dedication or work ethic to get ahead, no that couldn't be it ... no ... they were less fortunate ... they didn't get that lucky dice roll that made them happy and comfortable in life.
Hogwash.
I am the sum total of every choice that I have made in my life ... I've made some bad, some good ... in any event those choices that *I* made put me where I am now. And you know what ... so is everyone else. Yes, there are some people who find them selves on the ropes due to something that happened that they didn't have control over ... there are some people that are exceptions ... but they are a small minority (that's why they're called exceptions) and even in those cases there are usually choice that they could have made to avoid or lessen the impact of the 'random' act that put them in their current situation.
"Work and acquire, and thou hast chained the wheel of Chance."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Now ... what is he saying there ... that by working you chain the wheel of chance ... in other words ... Work hard and succeed. A couple other quotes on the subject while I'm sifting through them:
"It's choice - not chance - that determines your destiny"
-- Jean Nidetch
and an all time favorite:
"I am a strong believer in luck and I find the harder I work the more I have of it."
-- Benjamin Franklin
I did not get where I am through luck ... I got where I am because I studied and worked to get there. Anyone else could have put forth the same effort and gotten there too ... and I mean ANYONE. There are too many examples of people 'rising above' their situation through dedication and hard work ... and it is insulting to their effort and achievement to call them 'fortunate.'
Does this mean I don't believe in helping the poor or the homeless? No, I believe in charity ... but when you call these people 'less fortunate' you remove the stigma of the condition ... and in doing so you hand them a crutch ... “I'm not a lazy slob who can't hold a job to save my life, I'm just less fortunate than those other people who get to work on time and do their job.” Calling them 'less fortunate' doesn't help their self-image it validates their condition ... it's not your fault, you just aren't as fortunate as others ... and in many cases lessens their desire to better themselves ... I mean after all ... what can they do ... it's just a roll of the dice after all, and they lost.
But then again ... maybe that's what the people that use the phrase actually want in the first place......
Friday, December 17, 2004
Welcome
Okay ... you've found it ... the small area of nowhere that I call home.
Here's where I throw out my random musings on the state of the world around me ..... Be warned ... this is MY world ... tread in it at your own risk.
Here's where I throw out my random musings on the state of the world around me ..... Be warned ... this is MY world ... tread in it at your own risk.
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