Where are we at in America? I believe it comes down to this, what worked for over 200 years or the new America of the last say 30 or 40 years...
In general terms and majority view point most people believed in personal responsibility for all their actions and behaviors, believed in hard work, believed they know best how to spend their income and they should keep as much of their income as possible, they believed in God’s laws, they believed in as small a government as possible and that family, local government, organizations, churches and entrepreneurs should help out the less fortunate/down on their luck people within their community.
The new America in general terms and majority view point believe in, do what ever you want because we are all human, mistakes happen, so don’t worry we have big government programs that can help you out if things go wrong. No one needs to be held accountable; because it just isn’t fair, people who work hard, have strong values are just lucky and should pay more for us that have not been as lucky. Big government can and will take care of you if we can just have more of your money and create more programs/ sustain existing programs, everyone can be happier. In the end bigger government will create a more fair and equal America where no one needs to be envious of anyone else.
This fall will determine which America we want and remember it is mostly about power where do you want the power to reside?
Gregg Struss
Baxter, Mn.
Comments (34)
Add commentYes it will. Do we want power
Yes it will.
Do we want power concentrated in the few who sit behind closed doors and plot how they can gain more control over our economy and our elections?
Or do we want power back in the hands of hard working middle class Americans?
That is our choice this fall.
When was America better?
Another "personal responsibility" and "anti-government" speech. Sounds great in the abstract, but is it really what you want? Do you really want to return to an America before the Great Society? Before the New Deal? 1930s? 1920s? Or, maybe the good ole 19th century when government was smaller and less intrusive?
So, what decade does Mr. Struss pine for?
If there was a free market
If there was a free market that wasn't controlled by the wealthy and every American willing to work hard had a chance to climb up the economic ladder it would be great. That's not the reality of today's America. Those days are gone and with the treasonous Citizen's United ruling I don't see them returning any time soon.
Today we've got markets controlled by greedy people who don't have enough wealth and will never have enough wealth to be satisfied. We've got example after example of the well connected stepping to the front of the line for special favors that help them and hurt us. We've got example after example of serious corruption by those on the top of the heap. Just yesterday I heard about a $3,000,000,000 fine for a drug maker for putting profit ahead of life and illegally marketing their drug even as they hid evidence of dangerous side effects.
None of those people who made the decision to put profit ahead of "personal responsibility" will go to prison.
None of those people will be bankrupted and forced to live on the street.
Not one!
We also just heard about a bankster and his buddies manipulating interest rates to make ill gotten profits for themselves and shareholders. That hurt millions of borrowers. Many were students and the greed of the banksters will hurt their ability to climb the economic ladder and ultimately hurt America.
Do we toss them in prison in the general population like the guy who robs a taco stand?
No we don't. In fact one political party worships them because of their ability to amass wealth regardless of the method.
I don't think
having a literal criminal dictatorship in control,like we do now is what most of us want.
Fish, you have to be joking...
...big government does not put power in the hands of the working stiffs, it retains it for itself.
And JB, while I fully support civil rights, I think there are many programs from the eras you referenced that have ruined us financially. War on poverty? Ha! We have more disparity of income than ever, and worse, we have generations of people who think welfare is their birthright. Higher education? Ha! We have boatloads of MBAs who can't find work and who are deeply in debt the minute they graduate. Giving them more loans isn't going to fix this situation.
The only way we are going to dig our way out of this mess is through hard work and austerity. The country is screwed up badly, and I'm not going to blame it all on the Dems, although their policies are often to blame, because there are too many Republicans that sell out their principles and do exactly the same thing.
fish
"We also just heard about a bankster and his buddies manipulating interest rates"
What do you think Soros does? He's bankrolling your Unconstitutional dictatorship on the sly with funds he raised doing that.
So you think a Socialist Utopia is a possibility...
...but we can't work to achieve free markets? Why is that, Fish? If you really think truly free markets are a good thing, why aren't you working for that? I'm all for taking away SPECIAL privileges from big businesses and leveling the playing field. Note, I am not talking about confiscating wealth that has been rightfully earned, but not subsidizing big businesses, like, for example, Obama did with the stimulus money.
You support Civil Rights?
How magnanimous of you! But did your fellow conservatives support Civil Rights when they were being proposed? Was Barry Goldwater a supporter?
The question now is: Do you support Gay Rights TODAY? Today, not 30 - 40 years from now when it would be safe to know you were in the majority. Now is your chance to be on the right side of history, today!
Uh, yeah, the Republicans supported Civil Rights, JB...
...it was the Southern Dems who opposed it. Better bone up on your history. Here's an article that will get you started.
http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2002/12/13/194350.shtml
As to where I stand on Gay rights I think they should have the same human rights as anyone else. That includes the right to marry someone of the opposite sex.
Is Austerity the Answer?
One poster believes that hard work and austerity will get us out of our economic doldrums. Does she want to use the example of Greece or Ireland where austerity was tried? Maybe the poster should check out the economy in Sweden instead. Hint - Sweden did not use austerity!
Read again, Muelbau!!
Read my post again. I did not say Democrats, I said CONSERVATIVEs. And, yes, they were CONSERVATIVE democrats.
The Republicans of the era sided with those CONSERVATIVE Democrats during the early '60s.
BTW - Those CONSERVATIVE democrats then turned into COSERVATIVE republicans. Remember Strom Thurmond?
Clarification for Muelbau
I specifically used "conservative" and not Democrat or Republican in who supported Civil Rights in the 1960s.
Barry Goldwater, a conservative Republican did not support civil rights. Nelson Rockefeller, a liberal Republican did support civil rights.
Southern Democrats, who were conservatives, did not support civil rights. They then turned to the Republican party after the passage of Civil Rights.
So, I stand by what I said - Conservatives then did not support Civil Rights and Conservatives today do not support Gay Rights. They were on the wrong side of history then, they will again be on the wrong side of history again!
The fact is Republicans are the reason civil rights were passed
and unless you are prepared to say the majority of Republicans were liberals during the civil rights struggles, your argument fails. As for me and my family, even my grandparents supported civil rights. A little piece of trivia for you: I have a black uncle.
Yes, Republicans helped, but not Conservatives
Yes, I agree that more Republicans helped pass Civil Rights. On that point, I agree with you.
But conservatives, both Republican and Democrats, ware not in support. And, there were not the conservative domination of the Republican party, there were many more liberal and moderate Republicans like Rockefeller, Dirksen, Scranton. The southern Democrats were conservatives, later to become post Civil Rights Republicans.
I do not think that today's Republican Party, which is much further to the right now, would support Civil Rights if they were transported back to that time.
I am pleased that you support Gay Rights.
JB
Read again...Meuhl supports gays right to marry a member of the OPPOSITE sex.
Vote NO NO in November!
I support human rights...
...and gays are human. I also support traditional marriage as a life long bond between one man and one woman with its primary purpose being the creating and raising of the next generation.
My Bad
Yes, I misread Muelbau's lack of support for Gay Rights.
I take back my compliment.
She will be on the wrong side of history. Too bad, since she acknowledged having a black uncle. Would she have been against blacks and whites marrying?
Yes, vote NO NO in November.
Purpose of Marriage?
I would expect nothing less from someone of Muelbau's ideology. Marriage is for pro-creation and gay couples can not have a loving family? You get married primarily to create the next generation? Hmm.... I guess loving another human being is not part of the equation?
And Thank You for admitting that gays are Humans, another one of your magnanimous, compassionate declarations.
FYI - when you mentioned the stimulus package. Did you know that $288 Billion of that went out as tax cuts?
The modern republican party
The modern republican party doesn't even support equal pay for equal work. They would like nothing better than for women to stay home and make babies but are intentionally clueless that it was THEIR efforts to redistribute the wealth of the nation to the already wealthy that forced women into the outside workforce to begin with.
I saw that Gazelka calls
I saw that Gazelka calls people who believe in equal rights as "anti-marriage". He did it in the Outing newspaper.
Now we are hearing that even
Now we are hearing that even MORE banksters corrupted the "free market".
Will any of those hoarders go to prison and be put in the general population?
NO. Not a single one!
Will the cons in congress stop obstructing tighter regulation of the banksters?
NO. Not a single one!
Why? Because the one and only true God of the republican party is wealth. It doesn't matter how it's made or who get's hurt in the process.
So muehlbau is for equal rights
and you hate that? You want gays to have more rights than non-gays? that would be unequal rights you goofs but, it does expose your bigotry.
hey fish,
The modern republican party doesn't even support equal pay for equal work.
Ha Ha
You'd better research what Obama pays his female employees before you start this rant up.
I just heard that the
I just heard that the American bankster that cheated borrowers may not even have to return his ill gotten gains as he gently floats down to his next gold plated position.
No talk of prison. No talk of stripping of his loot.
It's enough to make a republican swoon with envy.
Better turn that
computer off and save Mother Earth, fish.
Fish old buddy
Did U just grow the H up????? I myself had to laugh about Johnsons great society when he came up with that idea while skinny dipping in thee white-house pool. I did get to watch up to Ford on the Presidents today.
Rolf now I know why you like Jimmy C. Nuclear engineer??
I myself kind of likes Billy.
I assume Greg is supporting his church and volunteering then?
with no government to care for the poor and elderly he will have to chip in big time at church and volunteer....
how few people are willing to actually do this, even for their own relatives -- then they whine about the government safety nets. DUH.
Fish
Are you talking about that little guy holder??? Isnt he your neighbor & you have executive privelege in ossipee???
You just might want to start out with checking out ROOTS when it comes to telephone poles we have to visit!!!
snow, one shouldn't assume something about a person from
an article they wrote. It just makes you look small. JB, there is no such thing as gay rights. Gays have all the rights as everybody else. This whole marriage (deleted word) is bogus. Fish, what are you ingesting?
pdnet,
they want gays to have More rights than straight people! Kinda like illegals, you know. They can't ask an illegal what he is or demand ID from them but they sure can from a white taxpayer.