The Media Only Shows One Side

This is a very personal post from Lucy. I have mentioned to my family that I write on this blog and they giggle like you would not believe. Why? Well, because years ago my family referred to me as a "BLEEDING HEART LIBERAL". Therefore, you must be wondering what has happened to me over the years? I will be honest, I'm not sure I am as Conservative as all the writers on this blog but I definitely lean more to the Conservative side than Liberal. I have never been for BIG GOVERNMENT, EVER. I HAVE NEVER BEEN FOR SOCIALISM AND I BELIEVE WE GET CLOSER AND CLOSER TO THAT WITH EACH DEMOCRATIC ADMINISTRATION.

I have believed in some Government programs and have always wished for reform in those programs but I now believe in my heart that those days are probably gone, reform is now being replaced with GOVERNMENT TAKEOVER, SOCIALISM.

Now, I am personally faced with watching and dealing with out & out 'poor people' milking the GOVERNMENT just because they don't want to work. I am currently offering shelter to my 59 year old cousin who about 5 years ago decided he didn't want to work anymore. HE IS NOT HOOKED ON DRUGS , AN ALCOHOLIC, BI-POLAR AND ON AND ON. No, he had always worked but overtime he just got sick of it and decided he was to old. He didn't prepare for retirement so he became homeless. We have given him money three times. My brother has forked over money once. Another cousin took him in and his sister who lives off of the GOVERNMENT TOOK HIM IN AND TRIED TO GET HIM ALL SET UP ON GOVERNMENT SUPPORT BUT HE WOULD NOT FOLLOW THROUGH, IT TOOK TOO MUCH EFFORT.

This cousin is currently living at my home. He gets up, eats my food, watches television all day while my husband and I work and then when we come home he wants to chit chat with us all night. He is claiming this time he has hurt his back (not sure how since he was not working or in a car wreck, he thinks it might be a latent injury. What?) and needs to 'rest' and hopes to be on his feet in a couple of weeks. A week has gone by and he told us he still is not feeling too well. He has been resting for five weeks already.

Back to his sister. His sister and her daughter currently live off the Government and have for years. Her daughter has never worked a day in her life, she is 27 years old. She was in a car accident and claimed she has a 'bad back' and she has mental problems. Those are the reasons we have been given for her disability. Although, when they are with the family all we hear is how intelligent this young girl is and how she spends all her time on the computer and she knows everything. They live in GOVERNMENT HOUSING. THEY HAVE CABLE, INTERNET, LAPTOPS, CELLPHONES AND ON AND ON AND REMEMBER THEY DO NOT WORK.

WE PAY FOR IT!!!! I guess this is what makes me stop being a BLEEDING HEART LIBERAL. Three people that can work. They choose not to work. Two people working the system getting everything from the GOVERNMENT BUT WE THE PEOPLE ARE THE GOVERNMENT. THE HARD WORKING AMERICANS THAT PAY TAXES LET MY TWO COUSINS WATCH TELEVISION AND PLAY ON THEIR COMPUTERS ALL DAY. MY THIRD COUSIN IS WORKING ON GETTING ON THE SYSTEM TOO. HE CURRENTLY GETS FOOD STAMPS AND MEDICAL CARE. IN THE MEAN TIME HE IS MOOCHING OFF OF ME.

Oh, yes, I will hear, "You, can't let these stories ruin it for the people who need it." BULL!! It is these stories that need to be focused on by the media so we get REFORM!!! Those are the people who need to be forced off of the system and give then there will be money to help the ones who really need it.

Think about it, if those three capable people people were working and paying into the system, well, gee, the GOVERNMENT WOULD HAVE A LITTLE MORE MONEY!

I will do another post on my cousins philosophy why they won't work for $8.00 or even $12.00 an hour. Bottom line, they are too good for such a low wage and they get more from the GOVERNMENT. HELLO, THEY GET MORE FROM US HARD WORKING AMERICANS.

SO, YOU BLEEDING HEART LIBERALS, DO YOU WANT TO TAKE IN MY 59 YEAR OLD COUSIN? BECAUSE, REALLY, I'M SICK OF GOING TO WORK AND WATCHING HIM LAY AROUND BUT SINCE ALL OF YOU THINK IT IS O.K., I WAS THINKING MAYBE ONE OF YOU WOULD LIKE TO TAKE HIM IN?

Oh, that's right, it seems that the Conservatives are more generous in their private giving and maybe that is why I'm the idiot and I opened my door to my cousin. Therefore, at this point I'm helping to keep one more person off of the welfare plan but probably for not too much longer, he will figure he can get MORE FROM THE GOVERNMENT AND NO ATTITUDE COLLECTING THE CHECK.

Personally, I do believe families should be responsible for each other and helping family when they are down and out. Nope, not the BLEEDING HEART LIBERAL. TURN TO THE GOVERNMENT, NOT YOUR FAMILY, DON'T BOTHER FAMILY. In the end we all pay out the wazooo. Therefore, to you BLEEDING HEART LIBERAL, WHEN YOU TURN YOUR FAMILY OUT AND TELL THEM TO SIGN UP, YOU ARE PAYING AND THE MORE THAT SIGN UP FOR WELFARE THE MORE YOU ARE GOING TO PAY. HELLO!!

GO BACK AND LOOK AT THE IMAGE I USED FOR HOMELESS. THIS IS THE IMAGE THE MEDIA USES ALL THE TIME. THIS IS USED TO EVOKE SYMPATHY. THAT PERSON DOES NEED LOVE AND CARE. THE PEOPLE MILKING U.S. CITIZENS DON'T LOOK LIKE THAT AND MOST WOULD NOT GET THAT WAY IF FORCED BETWEEN WORKING OR LIVING IN A BOX!!!

Fascism, Socialism, Welfare, Capitalism what word doesn't belong?

Typically, we assume that when we use words that everyone agrees on the definition. In politics this assumption should not take place. It is amazing to see how the definitions change. I'm not sure they change, I think people get a little confused with all the pundits. Even the politicians themselves have a tendency to use the words, oh, let's just say, in a manner that comes across in a better light if that is what they need at the moment. Therefore, I am going to warn you. I am starting this post with a definition of terms. This way you know exactly how I am using the terms. Here it goes.

Capitalism: is an economic system in which wealth and the means of producing wealth, are privately owned and controlled rather than community, publicly, or state-owned and controlled.

Centralization: the concentration of administrative power in the nation's capital, allowing little or no local autonomy.

Conservatism: political mood or movement aimed at preserving older or traditional values, economic systems and laws.

Federation: political system in which component territories enjoy a high degree of autonomy or home rule.

Nationalization: governmental takeover of private industry.

Privatization: The selling of state-owned enterprises to private business.

Socialism: political movement at greater equality by means of welfare measures and/or nationalization of industry.

Totalitarian: a dictatorial regime that attempts to impose total ideological, economic, and political control over society.

Welfare: redistributive measures that provide health care, food, housing and insurance to poorer classes.

Oh, my goodness, that was a lot.

Well, as I continue to watch our politicians and our President ( I mean really you cannot help but see Obama the man is everywhere, it is a little creepy) go on and on about how the government needs to save us one can easily see that capitalism is dying in America. I would argue that America has not been a true capitalist society for a while but what was left of our capitalism is truly dying.

What seems to be happening right before our eyes is the nationalization of our industries. What will be next? Will we cease to be a federation? If you ask me the United States his heading towards the centralization of government.

The government is growing. This stimulus package. Unbelievable. I mean when you start talking about trillions of dollars, I cannot even wrap my mind around those figures. Worse, does it make any sense to anyone that they are lowering taxes and increasing spending and bailing out industries. Do the math? This cannot work.

In addition, if you notice now the President is turning Americans against business owners. He has insinuated it is their fault. I think it is high time everyone takes responsibility for their actions. Also, let the business fail if it is not making it. You learn from failure, not from the government taking over and giving you a strong talking to. What I find interesting is the fact that all the workers want their jobs saved but they want the people at the top canned. Um, not how it goes. If a company fails, it goes out of business and everyone loses their jobs, including the executives. That is how it should work. Therefore, if the government saves a company shouldn't everyone be saved. No, the President is making sure he is setting up a fall guy and making himself look like a hero to the little guy.

I am a confused American. I'm not sure if we are leaning towards socialism, fascism, totalitarian or Obama Welfare State. Go back to the top and look at the definitions. O.K. see why I'm wondering. Now, fascism, yeah, that one is over the top. I mean it is probably extreme to compare him to Mussolini but hmmm let's see. Mussolini favored big businesses, allowing the small ones to fail. I do believe the bailouts are for big businesses. Mussolini called it the Agency for Industrial Reconstruction, we just call it a bailout or stimulus package. The early supporters of Mussolini were students and white - collar workers who found jobs in the expanding party and government. Yikes, sounds a lot like Obama supporters. Mussolini created bureaucracies and public works to create jobs and lift spirits. Sound familiar? Just a little piece information Mussolini came to power legally in 1922, it took a few years for him to create a dictatorship. He promised the people prosperity at a time when they were down and out. It is easy for us to judge and say, "how does a society let that happen?"
Well, look at us. Americans seem to worship Obama. He is everywhere. He does commercials to get the American people to side with his political ideas now. He is on Twitter, Facebook, all over the web. He was interviewed five straight mornings on the Today show. Obama was on ABC, not sure if CBS had him on too. All the makings of, dare I say it, a dictator. I mean, you cannot say anything bad about him or people get nasty. Responses are unreal. You get called racist. You are told, "how dare you speak of this President, it is history in the making." What? O.K. Obama won the election but since when do we stop critiquing our President? This is America! It was what use to be great about our country. We always had a smooth transition but we just didn't say, "hey, let the new guy do what he wants."

See, why I am leaning towards fascism? My goodness!

I truly think Obama is following closely in the footsteps of FDR. What FDR did to combat the depression changed the role of government in American life, setting a pattern unchallenged until Ronald Reagan. The government grew under Roosevelt and it was because of Roosevelt continually winning elections that the amendment was created to limit the term on the presidency. It was believed that Americans, yes Americans could actually allow a strong leader to be in power too long.
Anyways, FDR's handling of the depression has been hotly debated. Conservatives think its basic mistake was to attempt, vainly, to change the normal operations of a free market-economy. Spending more money than the government had collected. Roosevelt began the system of federal budget deficits that have become so enormous today. Obama is now skyrocketing it! At the end of the 1930's , Roosevelt admitted, one-third of Americans remained "ill housed, ill fed, ill clad." Oh, didn't work out too well and the government was digging itself a hole. Glad we learned from FDR.

Lastly, confusion seems to surround the term 'socialism'. Many call the welfare states of Scandinavia 'socialist' because freely elected social Democratic governments have gradually introduced elaborate medical, unemployment, educational, housing and other schemes designed to lift up the lower rungs of society: 'cradle-to-grave welfare'. The aim of these parties is to wipe out poverty without resorting to coercion or state control. And here's where Scandinavian 'welfarism' differs from Communist style socialism. The Scandinavian lands have little nationalized industry and they pay very high taxes. What was nationalized was done for non-ideological reasons. The bulk of the economy is privatized. Bottom line, first came capitalism, then welfarism or socialism if that is what you want to call it but they still maintain a society that is highly privatized with high taxes. It is the high taxes that pay for their welfare programs because they want those welfare programs.

Americans, well, as usual we want it all. Low taxes. Welfare. That is going to lead to Socialism with nationalized industry. We all know how well that worked. U.S.S.R.

Us Conservatives have to continue to speak up. We must remind Americans that the United States is a federation that believes in an individuals rights. Individuals don't need the State to control their lives. Our industry should be run by individuals. Capitalism works. If Americans want welfare then they should pay for it. Our taxes should be for our welfare. Our taxes should not be for huge government spending and buying industries thus giving all the control over to the STATE . We need a resurgence of conservatism and we need it fast!


My sources for this post are from:

Twentieth Century World, Findley/Rothney 1998

and

Countries and Concepts (An Introduction to Comparative Politics)/ Roskin,Michael G. 1998

Definitions from: Countries and Concepts (An Introduction to Comparative Politics)