When I was a kid, welfare had just begun to become a career, in earnest. Single unwed mothers were scandalous, but the legalization of abortion, The Pill, and no-fault divorce opened the gubmint Gibbs Doors wide.
Time was that communities, neighbors, and family members saw to the needs of desperate individuals and families. The situations and circumstances were never "secret" and part of the motivation to "do better" was the humility of accepting help. Of course, there were those incapable of experiencing shame, but they were few and far between.
We have lost sight of integrity, morals, ethics, values, and commitment to God, family, and community. How do we even begin to stuff that genie back into the proverbial bottle?
While the founding fathers did an excellent job, in hindsight I'm inclined to say they should have added in a "reset clause". Something like "We know that in 125 years this government will have become hopelessly corrupt, thus everyone in government is automatically fired / purged and each state must select representatives to renegotiate and reconsider the nation and design of government."
I could not agree more. The hard part is then implementing that which has been read. I'm not an IT guy, I can barely navigate the web without getting sucked down a virtual rabbit hole or five. I do tend to be easily distracted and I was likely ADHD before ADHD was a thing.
I got labeled a rowdy, disruptive kid in school and it kinda went downhill from there. First day of Kindergarten I got sent to the Principal's office. Climbing on the jungle gym during recess, a kid above me kicked me in the face. A bloody nose and a scream of rage catapulted me to the top where I pushed the kid that kicked me off of the top and he broke his arm on the way down. I suppose today that would have garnered a SWAT response, a school wide lockdown and 37 grief counselors to steer the 16 other kids kids through their pre-PTSD reactions. I likely would not be kicked out of school, but end up chemically lobotomized like so many kids are these days, to help ME come to terms with MY lack of impulse control. Because all of these "experts" agree that giving brain chemistry altering chemicals to brains not yet fully developed, is the only way to deal with rambunctious, easily bored, five year old. Never mind that violent outbursts and suicidal ideation are among the top side effects of said "medications". They've got "meds" for that too. Oh, and the jungle gym would be dismantled, in fact, playing outside would be found to be detrimental to a small subset of kindergartners, so that normal, relatively benign, activity, would be replaced with safe, non-offensive, gender 'affirming' studies on a screen.
Okay, so what does any of that have to do with those charged with carrying out our system of representative government? I'm glad you asked. It goes without saying that an overwhelming majority of those placed in seats of government have not RTFM. Oddly enough, those that have and successfully offer themselves to the individuals to represent them, do so with the best intentions, but something happens after they enter The swamp. Be it local, relatively, or federal, which is more often the case. Is there something in the water? Well, it is a swamp after all, but the 'peer' pressure can be devastating and to be placed in committees where those best intentions can be effective, the new swamp denizens must "play the game". How the very serious service to "The People" has become a game is just one of many areas where government of all types has lost its way. Whether by accident or design, the 'manual' has been all but ignored and only becomes a topic in debates if it serves the swamp creatures and their agenda of securing their lucrative positions, maintaining the status quo, and growing the deep state in which all their largesse depends. The "service" half of public service has been abandoned. A couple of anecdotes illustrate that very well.
In 1995, my family and I attended the Minnesota State Fair. (when people interject into conversation, something like, "That's not fair." My standard response is, the FAIR is in August and they charge admission. That's what I'm referring to.) A small crowd had gathered around Skip Humphrey, the then, Attorney General for the state of Minnesota. He was pontificating on his stunning and brave lawsuit against the tobacco industry. A field that those of a certain political bent will go on endlessly about how evil and harmful it is, yet they never attempt to dismantle or outlaw said big business. I mean if it were truly the threat they claim, one would believe that anyone honest in a position to eliminate such a clear and present danger, would go for the kill, all in an effort to safeguard the public they swore to serve. But no, they collect too much money from tobacco in all it's forms. Manipulating and restricting such endeavors gets them more money than actually dealing with what we're told is an existential threat to all humanity. Well, we know they're not honest, don't we?
So as he went on and on about how he was humbly looking out for the little guy. that's you and me, they've told us, I managed to get his attention. My "question", which was more of a statement, went something like this. -
You're not helping the 'little guy'. You said that tobacco is harder on those of modest or poor income, yet every "solution" you and those like you enacted to 'help' only makes tobacco more expensive. Your actions won't punish the 'little guy' you say you're looking out for. They'll only make tobacco more expensive. If that's "helping", just stop. I don't need your help. I don't want your help. I didn't ask for your help. Stop helping. Get off my side.
That brought a lot of chuckles and smiles from the crowd, most of us with cigarettes in our hands or hanging from our mouths. apparently that wasn't the reaction he was looking for and after a couple of flustered 'fish gulps', opening and closing his mouth without uttering a sound, he stunningly and bravely came back with a riff on, "Do you know who I am?"
My immediate reply was, "Of course I do. You're the Attorney General of Minnesota. An elected position. That means you work for me." I then began pointing around the crowd. "And her, and them, and him. You work for us."
That got a loud reaction from the crowd and a lot of voices were added to the mix and any response he may have given was drowned out by the cacophony that followed. Suddenly, his :people" remembered an appointment he was late for and they hustled him away. That got me some cheers of approval, some back slaps, and handshakes, but we still ended up paying a dollar more a pack almost immediately.
In 2012, after the TEA Party had been murdered by Democrats, the Media, and a whole bunch of Republicans, I hears about an interaction between John McCain and a Freshman Senator about an addendum for a Bill that was being considered. I've looked several times to find the article, or even C-SPAN footage of the exchange, but no luck. Basically, it went something like this. There had been heated debate over this add on to a Bill and the new Senator suggested they vote on the Bill as it stood, then vote on the addendum as a single issue Bill. If the addition had all the merit McCain and others said it did, it should easily pass on its own merit. This incensed McCain and he snapped at the new guy, "That's not how we do things here!"
My immediate thought was, "Yes, And that's the problem."
Our government has strayed far off the path it was meant to follow. this didn't happen over night, but these days, its being so far from intent is so ingrained into the day to day working of all three federal branches at the top all the way down to school boards and city councils, it's very hard to find anyone that remembers or even knows intrinsically that it's not supposed to be this way. we cannot look to the coming generations to return us to the way it's supposed to be. They're ignorant. That's not their fault. They haven't been taught History or Civics. The proof of that is displayed daily in these pro Hamas demonstrations in high schools and colleges the world over. Kindergartners are taught gender dysphoria rather than primary colors, seeing Dick and Jane chase Spot, or 2+2=4. And those insisting that those things are important are labeled racist, homophobic, privileged, nazis that need to be cancelled.
There are means available to rectify this, but the exigencies and priorities of life as presented by those invested in indoctrination and compliance, won't allow things like an Article V Convention of States gain enough support to even begin turning the ship of state. We're heading for the reef at flank speed and playing by the rules will be far too slow to avert disaster. There are other, messier methods, but even elections cannot turn the tide. 2020m proved that without even trying. Belt fed machines like those created by John Moses Browning could arrest the decline and forcing the replacement to step over the pile the Browning created would be great motivation to do what's right, would be the fastest, yet messiest way to achieve said goals, but the most peaceful way would be to completely drain the swamp. Burn the remaining vestiges to the ground, then insist any wishing to enter "public service" must prove proficiency in understanding the Constitution before taking an oath. It's hard to protect and defend something you have little or no understanding of.
I've always been the one to caution those that want to burn it all down and start over, but lately I've got five gallons of gas in a can the government regulations ruined and a box of matches that don't light, because of even more government "help", but I do have a magnifying glass and wood shavings, which was all I could afford because government helped the lumber industry.
"Unfortunately, as with so many devices, users are not inclined to read or understand; instead, they want to push buttons, pull levers, tweak settings, and try to make a device do what they want rather than operate as it is intended".
I knew a woman 20 some-odd years ago that told me she LOVED Windows based programs because she could "manipulate" it to do what SHE wanted. Never mind she constantly had issues with the programs like Excel and Word shutting down when she was near the end of whatever task she was working on, thus wiping out ALL the work she had put into the spreadsheet or document. This would infuriate her, but she NEVER would accept that it MIGHT be her "manipulations" that caused the problems.
When I was a kid and was JUST starting to learn about the forming of our country and how our government is INTENDED to work, I was easily lead to believe that it WAS the government that granted us the rights listed in the Bill of Rights. THANKFULLY, I had people around be that set me straight on that bass akwards thinking. I am STILL learning MORE of the more detailed nuances of our Founders intentions. There are the Federalist papers, anti-federalist papers, and all sorts of other personal writings from the Founders and those around when the country/government was being formed.
I am sure I will continue to learn more and more about HOW our founding documents were worded and structured as I do more and more reading. Thankfully, I have a fairly solid understanding at this point and anything else I learn is icing on the cake. Or should I say whipped cream on the American pie?
As we were prone to say when growing up; RDD (Read the Damn Directions)!
👍👍👍👍
When I was a kid, welfare had just begun to become a career, in earnest. Single unwed mothers were scandalous, but the legalization of abortion, The Pill, and no-fault divorce opened the gubmint Gibbs Doors wide.
Time was that communities, neighbors, and family members saw to the needs of desperate individuals and families. The situations and circumstances were never "secret" and part of the motivation to "do better" was the humility of accepting help. Of course, there were those incapable of experiencing shame, but they were few and far between.
We have lost sight of integrity, morals, ethics, values, and commitment to God, family, and community. How do we even begin to stuff that genie back into the proverbial bottle?
Excellent rant.
While the founding fathers did an excellent job, in hindsight I'm inclined to say they should have added in a "reset clause". Something like "We know that in 125 years this government will have become hopelessly corrupt, thus everyone in government is automatically fired / purged and each state must select representatives to renegotiate and reconsider the nation and design of government."
I could not agree more. The hard part is then implementing that which has been read. I'm not an IT guy, I can barely navigate the web without getting sucked down a virtual rabbit hole or five. I do tend to be easily distracted and I was likely ADHD before ADHD was a thing.
I got labeled a rowdy, disruptive kid in school and it kinda went downhill from there. First day of Kindergarten I got sent to the Principal's office. Climbing on the jungle gym during recess, a kid above me kicked me in the face. A bloody nose and a scream of rage catapulted me to the top where I pushed the kid that kicked me off of the top and he broke his arm on the way down. I suppose today that would have garnered a SWAT response, a school wide lockdown and 37 grief counselors to steer the 16 other kids kids through their pre-PTSD reactions. I likely would not be kicked out of school, but end up chemically lobotomized like so many kids are these days, to help ME come to terms with MY lack of impulse control. Because all of these "experts" agree that giving brain chemistry altering chemicals to brains not yet fully developed, is the only way to deal with rambunctious, easily bored, five year old. Never mind that violent outbursts and suicidal ideation are among the top side effects of said "medications". They've got "meds" for that too. Oh, and the jungle gym would be dismantled, in fact, playing outside would be found to be detrimental to a small subset of kindergartners, so that normal, relatively benign, activity, would be replaced with safe, non-offensive, gender 'affirming' studies on a screen.
Okay, so what does any of that have to do with those charged with carrying out our system of representative government? I'm glad you asked. It goes without saying that an overwhelming majority of those placed in seats of government have not RTFM. Oddly enough, those that have and successfully offer themselves to the individuals to represent them, do so with the best intentions, but something happens after they enter The swamp. Be it local, relatively, or federal, which is more often the case. Is there something in the water? Well, it is a swamp after all, but the 'peer' pressure can be devastating and to be placed in committees where those best intentions can be effective, the new swamp denizens must "play the game". How the very serious service to "The People" has become a game is just one of many areas where government of all types has lost its way. Whether by accident or design, the 'manual' has been all but ignored and only becomes a topic in debates if it serves the swamp creatures and their agenda of securing their lucrative positions, maintaining the status quo, and growing the deep state in which all their largesse depends. The "service" half of public service has been abandoned. A couple of anecdotes illustrate that very well.
In 1995, my family and I attended the Minnesota State Fair. (when people interject into conversation, something like, "That's not fair." My standard response is, the FAIR is in August and they charge admission. That's what I'm referring to.) A small crowd had gathered around Skip Humphrey, the then, Attorney General for the state of Minnesota. He was pontificating on his stunning and brave lawsuit against the tobacco industry. A field that those of a certain political bent will go on endlessly about how evil and harmful it is, yet they never attempt to dismantle or outlaw said big business. I mean if it were truly the threat they claim, one would believe that anyone honest in a position to eliminate such a clear and present danger, would go for the kill, all in an effort to safeguard the public they swore to serve. But no, they collect too much money from tobacco in all it's forms. Manipulating and restricting such endeavors gets them more money than actually dealing with what we're told is an existential threat to all humanity. Well, we know they're not honest, don't we?
So as he went on and on about how he was humbly looking out for the little guy. that's you and me, they've told us, I managed to get his attention. My "question", which was more of a statement, went something like this. -
You're not helping the 'little guy'. You said that tobacco is harder on those of modest or poor income, yet every "solution" you and those like you enacted to 'help' only makes tobacco more expensive. Your actions won't punish the 'little guy' you say you're looking out for. They'll only make tobacco more expensive. If that's "helping", just stop. I don't need your help. I don't want your help. I didn't ask for your help. Stop helping. Get off my side.
That brought a lot of chuckles and smiles from the crowd, most of us with cigarettes in our hands or hanging from our mouths. apparently that wasn't the reaction he was looking for and after a couple of flustered 'fish gulps', opening and closing his mouth without uttering a sound, he stunningly and bravely came back with a riff on, "Do you know who I am?"
My immediate reply was, "Of course I do. You're the Attorney General of Minnesota. An elected position. That means you work for me." I then began pointing around the crowd. "And her, and them, and him. You work for us."
That got a loud reaction from the crowd and a lot of voices were added to the mix and any response he may have given was drowned out by the cacophony that followed. Suddenly, his :people" remembered an appointment he was late for and they hustled him away. That got me some cheers of approval, some back slaps, and handshakes, but we still ended up paying a dollar more a pack almost immediately.
In 2012, after the TEA Party had been murdered by Democrats, the Media, and a whole bunch of Republicans, I hears about an interaction between John McCain and a Freshman Senator about an addendum for a Bill that was being considered. I've looked several times to find the article, or even C-SPAN footage of the exchange, but no luck. Basically, it went something like this. There had been heated debate over this add on to a Bill and the new Senator suggested they vote on the Bill as it stood, then vote on the addendum as a single issue Bill. If the addition had all the merit McCain and others said it did, it should easily pass on its own merit. This incensed McCain and he snapped at the new guy, "That's not how we do things here!"
My immediate thought was, "Yes, And that's the problem."
Our government has strayed far off the path it was meant to follow. this didn't happen over night, but these days, its being so far from intent is so ingrained into the day to day working of all three federal branches at the top all the way down to school boards and city councils, it's very hard to find anyone that remembers or even knows intrinsically that it's not supposed to be this way. we cannot look to the coming generations to return us to the way it's supposed to be. They're ignorant. That's not their fault. They haven't been taught History or Civics. The proof of that is displayed daily in these pro Hamas demonstrations in high schools and colleges the world over. Kindergartners are taught gender dysphoria rather than primary colors, seeing Dick and Jane chase Spot, or 2+2=4. And those insisting that those things are important are labeled racist, homophobic, privileged, nazis that need to be cancelled.
There are means available to rectify this, but the exigencies and priorities of life as presented by those invested in indoctrination and compliance, won't allow things like an Article V Convention of States gain enough support to even begin turning the ship of state. We're heading for the reef at flank speed and playing by the rules will be far too slow to avert disaster. There are other, messier methods, but even elections cannot turn the tide. 2020m proved that without even trying. Belt fed machines like those created by John Moses Browning could arrest the decline and forcing the replacement to step over the pile the Browning created would be great motivation to do what's right, would be the fastest, yet messiest way to achieve said goals, but the most peaceful way would be to completely drain the swamp. Burn the remaining vestiges to the ground, then insist any wishing to enter "public service" must prove proficiency in understanding the Constitution before taking an oath. It's hard to protect and defend something you have little or no understanding of.
I've always been the one to caution those that want to burn it all down and start over, but lately I've got five gallons of gas in a can the government regulations ruined and a box of matches that don't light, because of even more government "help", but I do have a magnifying glass and wood shavings, which was all I could afford because government helped the lumber industry.
AMEN!
"Unfortunately, as with so many devices, users are not inclined to read or understand; instead, they want to push buttons, pull levers, tweak settings, and try to make a device do what they want rather than operate as it is intended".
I knew a woman 20 some-odd years ago that told me she LOVED Windows based programs because she could "manipulate" it to do what SHE wanted. Never mind she constantly had issues with the programs like Excel and Word shutting down when she was near the end of whatever task she was working on, thus wiping out ALL the work she had put into the spreadsheet or document. This would infuriate her, but she NEVER would accept that it MIGHT be her "manipulations" that caused the problems.
When I was a kid and was JUST starting to learn about the forming of our country and how our government is INTENDED to work, I was easily lead to believe that it WAS the government that granted us the rights listed in the Bill of Rights. THANKFULLY, I had people around be that set me straight on that bass akwards thinking. I am STILL learning MORE of the more detailed nuances of our Founders intentions. There are the Federalist papers, anti-federalist papers, and all sorts of other personal writings from the Founders and those around when the country/government was being formed.
I am sure I will continue to learn more and more about HOW our founding documents were worded and structured as I do more and more reading. Thankfully, I have a fairly solid understanding at this point and anything else I learn is icing on the cake. Or should I say whipped cream on the American pie?