I realized today was supposed to be my 'day off' exercise...but get this, I wanted to take a walk...so I did.
Just two miles.
But it felt good.
I haven't done much else today.
I homeschooled, right now we are reading about the constitutional convention.
How none of us agreed but then we compromised and worked things out.
That was a long time ago.
I don't think I have heard the word constitution in a while.
I was listening to the 'Before the State of the Union' show on the radio tonight.
They were talking about all the things Barack obama was going to need to say, or do, or be, to 'fix' things.
He was going to need to sound authentic.
He was going to need to sound 'sincere'.
His speech writers were going to have to build the 'architecture" of his speech.
I thought.
'What?"
then...
'Oh, I get it...it's HARD to stack sh*t that high.'
ba dum bump.
I feel sorry for him.
No really.
We need to stop looking to one man to save us...He is only a man.
Not a God.
I feel sorry for him...
Not because I agree with him.
But because there are times when I really do believe he wants things to work.
But it isn't.....working.
Because what we really need to do, is to cut back on spending in major ways...and people squeal like stuck pigs when their programs are cut.
He is herding cats.
We, the American people, have created this problem.
Maybe we need to stop blaming our elected representatives and start blaming ourselves.
We voted for them...and even if we didn't vote for a particular them...they are still are representatives.
We need to become our grandparents.
We need to give things up and sacrifice.
Cuts should start at the local level...say "No,Thank You!" to federal funds and use volunteerism to fill in the gaps in the public sector. Like why in the world do we need a paid county commissioner?
It should be someone who has a real job...the mayor should have a real job...people should come together and make decisions on a community level.
When this country was founded, we didn't have professional politicians.
It should be trickle up...not trickle down.
Our whole society has become an inverse pyramid. A teeny tiny portion of people supporting, through their tax dollars, a top heavy, bloated government bureaucracy.
Our politicians are People paid to pander professionally to the various specialty groups that make up their constituency.
They can't do what's right for everyone, because the purple and yellow striped midgets with shingles might get p*ssed.
I remember back in Michigan, we had a representative named Dave Camp.
Every year he would scrimp and save, and send the surplus money to run his offices back to the Michigan government.
He always sent money back.
I don't remember, and I don't care, if he was a democrat or republican.
We need responsible, reasonable, FRUGAL people running our country.
This is not the big ole free money jamboree. I am sick of watching politicians using a tax money give away to buy votes.
We have to stop buying the line that they are doing it for us...and accept that we...us..the people need to do things not just for us, but for our children and our children's children.
Because when it comes right down to it, it isn't this generation that will pay if we muck things up on an epic scale.
It's the America of the future.
Will we still be the land of the free, the home of the brave?
Will we still be the beacon of hope to people the world over?
Only if we can find it within ourselves to take our lumps now.
I swear to God this is the last time I will do this....for a while.
Your worried about America ...but hopeful for the future, and blogging about exercise and good eating tomorrow....
blogger,
Chris
11 comments:
Chris! I agree. The reason things are the way they are is because that is how we want them. No one wants to give up anything. We want what we want when we want it. But its much easier to blame 'them.'
Its kind of the same thing I think about the food industry and restaurants. They prepare and sell food the way they do because that is what we want. We want big food that tastes good very cheap. So that is what they fix for us. It drives me nuts when I hear people blaming 'the food industry' or 'the restaurant business.' Good healthy food is easy to find. "we" don't want it. Okay, I guess I should have written my own blog about this LOL!
HEAR, HEAR!
As your lone Democratic reader (sorry!) I won't comment on that, but I will say that I love the idea of using our government to teach government, our examples of the constitution being upheld or trampled for lessons on the constitution as written by the Founding Fathers. Cool stuff, Chris.
WoW Fabulous Post,
I agree with you so very much. The world community needs to change it's attitude and looks to the USA for leadership. It is too much to put on one man's shoulders, it is too much to lay the blame on on political party. Each one of us needs to look at how we are living and how we influence our neighbour's life.
We in the western world have become so selfish, self obsessed and downright greedy. How this can be reversed I do not know. The disaster and human tragedy of Haiti has brought out the best in the British conscience with donations reaching over £50million in a time of recession that is amazing. If we be so generous in a much smaller scale in our daily lives it wouldn't be such a dream that people could start to care about their neighbour.
Sorry I didn't mean this comment to be so long, but you got me thinking faster than I can type. Hope this makes sense.
I don't get to eat all I want. I'm on a calorie budget.
I don't get to spend all I want. I'm on a financial budget.
Gee, novel idea: the government can't spend all they want either; put them on a budget they must stick to. If they vote to go over, take it out of THEIR wages... see how fast they switch their vote over to stop excess spending.
Your wishful thinking commentor,
Loretta
=^..^=
@ loretta, lol.
it's a theory isn't it...I don't know when millions became billions and billions trillions but ack! enough already.
There is lots of wisdom in this post. It always amazes me how our analysts, whoever they are, say things like, "he needs to sound genuine" and that doesn't really bother people.
You are right thought, it is our country, not the country of only our politicians. Unfortunately, our elected officials are so ingrained in the system, both Democrats and Republicans, that it will be hard to ever change this. It would really take a constitutional amendment created and passed the only way it has never been done -- by the people.
Stepping down off the soapbox for fear I will stay here all day. :-)
True dat. True all of dat. You have a gift, Chris. You know that, right? I LOVE reading what you have to say and I always agree with your no bullshit approach and sensibility. We are both pretty conservative in our values, but I know that if I were ever riding the fence about something, you'd give me the goods I'd need to make a responsible decision.
You rock.
This economy is turning a lot of folks into their grandparents. I've already seen much more of an emphasis on saving and trift than I have in the past 25 years. The times make the person, and these are tough times...
I'm like you, even my "off" days don't seem right unless I do a little something.
Chris I love your posts - they come from deep inside. Ever thought of going into politics yourself - I think you would do your community some good. :)
Instead of "sounding" genuine...how about BEING genuine? I hate all the analysis and the way the media picks apart every speech like it's a production. What happened to speaking directly, from your heart/mind, about what you know to be true?
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