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Redefining poverty #1

Last night, as I read the comments on Thomas Sowell's excellent piece on the housing debacle, I was impressed by just how well most of the commenters could write and, of course, how cogent their arguments were.  It's comforting to know that there are like-minded people out there, that I'm not all alone in my belief in individual responsibility.  In their stories, I glimpsed parallels with my own life.  Like them, my husband and I started out as poor as church mice, and like them, we have worked very hard to make a good life for ourselves.  We are far from rich, but we are happy with who we are and what we have. 
 
Like them, I am utterly indignant at what "poor" has come to mean in America.  "Poor" people here have microwaves, cars, and places to live.  I have those things, too; the problem is that the "poor" have much more than I have.  My children wanted a Wii this year for Christmas but we couldn't afford it.  I'd like to take a poll of "poor" people to see just what percentage of them actually do have a Wii.  How many have X boxes, PSPs, or Guitar Heros?  My little kids don't have them, but I'm paying for the food stamps and the WIC vouchers of kids who do.  My kids get their shoes on sale; we never pay over $30 for them and rarely that.  But "poor" kids get shoes that cost over $100.  My kids wear Target clothes not Gap clothes. 
 
My point is this:  if the government is going to take our money for poor kids, then those kids need to be poor, truly poor.  They should wear hand-me downs, like my kids; they should not wear designer jeans.  They should not know how to play the expert level of Guitar Hero.  They should eat PB&J sandwiches with apple wedges for lunch; they should not ask me to pay for more than I give my own kids. 
 
I certainly don't want kids to have to wear holey clothes, but my daughters should not have to wear worn out clothes, either, because we have to pay ungodly taxes to pay for the "poor."  There is an injustice here that goes beyond any peceived disparity among the classes.  Now, people who are responsible and work hard are being forced to pay for people who don't.  The welfare system has created an entire class of people who think that they are entitled to taxpayer dollars even as they buy their new Wii systems.  Yes, we need change; we need the definition of "poor" to change.  NOW!  Fat chance!
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God bless.

Bush's speech was really great for a second reason; it highlighted his worldview.  He remains steadfast in his belief that there is a good and evil in this world, and that evil must be fought wherever it is found.  He maintained his belief that freedom is granted by a loving God and that all people have a right to be free simply because they are God's children.  Most importantly, he reaffirmed the role of the United States as the only country with the courage and strength to fight the evil of tyranny and hate.  Indeed, it is our duty to do so because we are the last best hope for freedom in the world.
 
God bless President Bush and God bless America.
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The Definition of Class

Isn't President Bush classy?  Wasn't his speech fabulous?  Certainly, he talked about some things that he did as President, but that wasn't the theme of his speech.  Instead, the President focused on what was great about the American people.  He cited the wonderful Marine who saved so many of his buddies' lives, and it was he and others like him on which Bush focused.  "We will not tire; we will not falter; we will not fail" because of great Americans like these.
 
Contrast this with Obama's take on Americans.  This one needs him to help her pay for her nursing education, as if she won't be able to pay off her loans after she has a job making more money than I ever will.  Then there's the one who needs child care because she won't get married to the baby daddy so they can pool their resources.  Then there's the union guy in Ohio who can't get hired because his union is mad at him...oh wait, that's Joe the Plumber.  He doesn't count.  The point is, to Obama, Americans are only victims who need the government (HIM) to help them.  They're not courageous like the Marine, or smart, or philanthropic.  They're just sad, pathetic people who you would think were stuck in the USSR. 
 
Obama has no class at all.  Class is about your attitude and how well you conduct yourself.  It isn't about how much money you have, as so many people think.  It's about conducting yourself with grace and dignity, as Bush has.  It's about lifting people up, not tearing people down.  That's the great difference between class and no class, Bush and Obama.
 
Thank you, President Bush, for eight years of class.
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Man Up!

I'm not terribly optimistic about the future of the conservative movement in America.  In the last few weeks, I've heard conservative commentators talk about their cautious optimism with regards to Obama's presidency.  Perhaps, they expound, the realities of leading the free world has come home to him.  He's bright; he likes to consider all sides of an issue, etc., so they say.  Then, they talk about the historical importance of his election -- the first black president of the United States.  Two points come to mind.  First, his election is indeed of great historical import; however, his presidency will be even more important.  The objectivity of history will outweigh any fleeting love affair he might be enjoying with Americans right now.  He has the great burden of being a "first" at the hardest job in the world.  He MUST be the absolute best at it.  He MUST rise to the occasion.  Otherwise, it would be a shame if the first black president were a dismal failure.  Second, his race should not really matter anyway.  The election is over; time to get down to business.  There's a dangerous world out there.  Iran doesn't care that a black guy is president, nor does Hamas or the Taliban, or North Korea. 

 

Unfortunately, conservative pundits (and political leaders) seem to be far too concerned about being "nice" to Obama, I'm afraid out of fear that they will look "disrespectful."  Take the closing of Guitmo, for example.  Where is the outcry, the panic, the outrage?  I've heard a few pundits mention it, but not with the force this issue deserves.  Think about it.  This idiot that everyone says is so smart has said he intends to close Guitmo and send the enemy combatants to...where?  Texas, the state to which I'm moving; Kansas; South Carolina; Georgia, my home state??!!  This idiot intends to bring enemy terrorists into the confines of the United States, where moms and dads are trying to raise their children and go on with peaceable lives.  The point of the war on terror was to protect the American people from terrorists, not to bring the terrorists into close proximity to them.  Escape is always possible, after all, and innocent Americans are their targets.

 

And where are the pundits and leaders who should be defending Guitmo?  What's wrong with it?  It's tucked away on an island.  They get three square, culturally sensitive meals a day.  They live in air conditioned comfort.  But the left has raised such a stink over it that no one realizes it really is a good idea.  Most people have bought into the idea that Guitmo is "bad," but do not understand the left's real agenda.  Their point is, and I quote Fox News:

"Detainees held on U.S. soil would have certain legal rights that they were not entitled to while imprisoned in Cuba. It's also not clear if they would face trial through the current military tribunal system, or in federal civilian courts, or through a to-be-developed legal system that would mark a hybrid of the two."

 But no one mentions that part.  I hope the boat they're shipped on sinks.

 

Conservatives need to man up!  It's not enough to be in with the in crowd.  We have to stand up for what is best for the nation, not just what is politically correct.  If conservatives really want Obama to be successful, they have to.  Our nation and our lives depend on it.

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