Is the America, the one where independence mattered, dead? I used to think not, but now I am not so sure. These last few years have had me pondering this question over and over. I know I live in Laredo, Texas, a town that has a high population of poor people, and a Democratic Party stronghold.
Even with that, I have always believed that most Americans prefer to stand on their own two feet and provide for themselves and their families. And that the quest for freedom was never ending. You know freedom to do with your life what you wish within certain bounds of moral law. The idea, as described by our forefathers, in the Declaration of Independence that: “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” is an idea that all Americans will respect and maintain.
Well when I read the San Antonio Express News this morning it was pointed out to me in a letter to the editor, that many Americans no longer adhere to the beliefs of the founding fathers.
Here is the letter in its entirety:
Take care of us
I am on Social Security and haven’t seen an increase in two years. How many increases have members of the House and Senate received in those two years? How many more perks have they received? And, most of all, how do I get a tan like Speaker of the House Boehner?
I am tired of both the Democrats and Republicans using these scare tactics and want them to start taking care of the people who elected them. The people who are suffering the most are the middle-class and the retirees. The CEOs and all the higher-ups are getting increases and bonuses but the middle-class and the retirees are getting shafted.
Wake up, America, and let’s get on the people that we elected to take care of us.
Marlene C. Michaels,
New Braunfels
I picked this letter because it supports no political party and is written by someone who has worked for a living and is most likely retired. Assumptions on my part? Yes, but hear me out.
I read letter and wonder what happened to this woman to make her think it is up to the United States government to “take care of us?” What changed her life to make that leap? I have heard many people I know who worked all their lives and some who have fought in wars to assure us that we will maintain our freedoms, say something similar. Have the elected convinced us that they, and only they, can “take care of us?”
If you listen to any politician speaking, they talk of monies brought to a political district as money “they have spent” and “they have secured” for you. You never hear them call those monies “taxpayer” money. Even here in Laredo, our city council people tell you that “they” spend money to build projects in our city. That “they” are the ones responsible for all things good (note here, never the bad things).
I am concerned that many Americans truly believe that government’s job is to “take care of us.” That government is now the family that we used to know in past generations. You remember the family you called if you were in trouble. No one seems to do that now. Many want the collective people to take care of them. Yes, you my neighbor, help me pay my medical expenses without me asking. I want it taken from you in the form of taxes, and spent on me.
And businesses, what are you up to? Many of America’s businesses now expect the government to be their partner in stopping competition, limiting liability, and funding poor business practices. Why do we allow any American business that requires special tax breaks in order to make a profit survive? Is this really free enterprise?
Even our school systems have given in to the idea that education is about money, not the idea that kids who attend our schools should have a specific amount of knowledge and be able to prove that they have the knowledge before graduating. Because today’s kids cannot meet the subpar standards of today’s public schools, the government is allowing them to lower standards even further. Is this really America?
What about the idea that it is OK for government to lock up a mother (you never hear of dad facing these charges) whose child wanders from the house? Why do we allow that? Why do we allow parents, whose child has died a terrible death because of a parents mistake, be charged with a crime?
When did society decide that the government knows best on how to raise, feed, and cloth your family?
Is there a concentrated effort to kill off American ideals? This is a question that I ask more and more every day. And this lady's letter to the editor made me ask that question again.
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