Sitting here surfing the Web, FB, etc... reading rants and cries of outrage and threats to "leave the country" from people after tonight's election and shaking my head at some of the comments and the ugliness they expose -- I had decided to just celebrate quietly and smile but guess what? I CHANGED MY MIND! If your little feelings get hurt or you take offense in anything I am about to say, well, I think you know how to hit that little little "X" button on this tab, right? But I do hope you at least hear me out first, actually, no I don't, If you even think you are gonna get your panties in a wad, GTF OFF my page already... Now..
I am 49 years old, raised with my 3 siblings by a single parent in a small Florida town - and dirt poor does not even come close to what we were, ok? When I was 12 years old, I worked in the fields all summer long picking peppers, cukes, etc.. so that I could have new clothes for school and go to cheerleading camp because that was the only way it was gonna happen. I learned early that you work for the things you want in life, and at that young age I got to experience what it was like to feel pride in what I had because I earned it with my own sweat and effort. It was a good feeling. To me, hard work and the rewards from that work were the foundation of "The American Dream"
No one ever gave me anything - as soon as I could get a "real" job after school, I went to work and was able to help my Mom cover the rent and buy my own car and to be able to help the woman who spent her life in a struggle to keep us fed and sheltered and clothed - and that was a wonderful feeling too. I tried to instill that same work ethic in my kids- as soon as they were old enough to hold a dust cloth, they had chore charts and allowances paid based on the completion and the quality of their work, and this continued throughout their teen years. That is how life is supposed to be, & I wanted my children to have that foundation so they could succeed in life and be able to stand proud for achieving that success. I also wanted them to know that the good things in life don't come easy and are not free for the taking.
It seems like so many people out there today find this notion ridiculous, acting like the world owes you something (or in some cases EVERYTHING) just because you exist... and when you don't get the free ride you wrongly think you deserve you get nasty and start name-calling, race and gender-bashing and having temper tantrums like obnoxious children spoiled by wealthy parents - YOU are what is wrong with our country today, those of you sitting there thinking the world owes you a free ride, and refusing to step up and take responsibility for yourselves.
You out there who fit this description have received encouragement from our so-called leaders the past 8 years to keep exhibiting this kind of behavior and have passed it on to others in your sphere of influence, YOU are the weak link in what used to be an unbreakable chain that held our country in a place of pride. I have watched while our so-called "leaders" made the US a laughingstock around the world as they kissed the asses of others who hate everything America stands for & stood patiently while those same countries, groups, factions, etc... spit on them for their efforts.
I have watched veterans of OUR armed forces and children of OUR citizens go hungry while people who hate us and will not even pretend they want to be Americans (or even LIKE Americans) waltz in and get handed free food, free housing, exemption from taxation, free medical care - fully encouraged by the so-called leaders who were protected and defended by that hungry homeless veteran who sits and waits for appreciation that was never gonna be given. It has angered me, disillusioned me, and more times than not physically sickened me to see such a blatant attempt at our country's destruction coming from within - not just inside our country but inside our government... and whenever people showed a sign of discontentment, that same government pointed fingers within our ranks and told you the blame fell on "them" - a broad term which has meant "law enforcement officers" and "the white people" or "the black people" or "the Christians" or the "heteros" or the "conservatives" - when it was not any of these or any other race, gender, sexual or religious group - actually it was a deliberate effort intended to turn us against one another and try to make us ignore the fact that it was those same leaders who were tearing apart the fabric of our nation. Vague insinuations, outright lies, and encouraging people to remain ignorant and divided have gone on long enough and tonight I see proof that we, the AMERICANS have had enough. FINALLY!
So if you are so angry and full of hate I encourage you to do what a lot of others like you are blustering about, pack up your stuff and leave this country - go to Canada, or Mexico or anywhere else - and see how that works for you. No other country in the ENTIRE WORLD allows foreigners to just waltz in and start reaping benefits that their citizens don't even get. No other country in the ENTIRE WORLD allows you to come in without following the procedures required to become a citizen of their country, spit on their rules and traditions and spew hatred and allow you to endlessly reap the benefits to be had.
We need to have a country we can be proud of again, and that means we need people here who LOVE AMERICA and WANT TO BE AMERICANS. People who desire the betterment not just of themselves, but those around them and are willing to work - together - to reach that goal. Tonight was a victory, no doubt about it. If you can't see this maybe you should wipe that layer of bullsh*t out of your eyes and look again. Of course you could also start packing...
I am 49 years old, raised with my 3 siblings by a single parent in a small Florida town - and dirt poor does not even come close to what we were, ok? When I was 12 years old, I worked in the fields all summer long picking peppers, cukes, etc.. so that I could have new clothes for school and go to cheerleading camp because that was the only way it was gonna happen. I learned early that you work for the things you want in life, and at that young age I got to experience what it was like to feel pride in what I had because I earned it with my own sweat and effort. It was a good feeling. To me, hard work and the rewards from that work were the foundation of "The American Dream"
No one ever gave me anything - as soon as I could get a "real" job after school, I went to work and was able to help my Mom cover the rent and buy my own car and to be able to help the woman who spent her life in a struggle to keep us fed and sheltered and clothed - and that was a wonderful feeling too. I tried to instill that same work ethic in my kids- as soon as they were old enough to hold a dust cloth, they had chore charts and allowances paid based on the completion and the quality of their work, and this continued throughout their teen years. That is how life is supposed to be, & I wanted my children to have that foundation so they could succeed in life and be able to stand proud for achieving that success. I also wanted them to know that the good things in life don't come easy and are not free for the taking.
It seems like so many people out there today find this notion ridiculous, acting like the world owes you something (or in some cases EVERYTHING) just because you exist... and when you don't get the free ride you wrongly think you deserve you get nasty and start name-calling, race and gender-bashing and having temper tantrums like obnoxious children spoiled by wealthy parents - YOU are what is wrong with our country today, those of you sitting there thinking the world owes you a free ride, and refusing to step up and take responsibility for yourselves.
You out there who fit this description have received encouragement from our so-called leaders the past 8 years to keep exhibiting this kind of behavior and have passed it on to others in your sphere of influence, YOU are the weak link in what used to be an unbreakable chain that held our country in a place of pride. I have watched while our so-called "leaders" made the US a laughingstock around the world as they kissed the asses of others who hate everything America stands for & stood patiently while those same countries, groups, factions, etc... spit on them for their efforts.
I have watched veterans of OUR armed forces and children of OUR citizens go hungry while people who hate us and will not even pretend they want to be Americans (or even LIKE Americans) waltz in and get handed free food, free housing, exemption from taxation, free medical care - fully encouraged by the so-called leaders who were protected and defended by that hungry homeless veteran who sits and waits for appreciation that was never gonna be given. It has angered me, disillusioned me, and more times than not physically sickened me to see such a blatant attempt at our country's destruction coming from within - not just inside our country but inside our government... and whenever people showed a sign of discontentment, that same government pointed fingers within our ranks and told you the blame fell on "them" - a broad term which has meant "law enforcement officers" and "the white people" or "the black people" or "the Christians" or the "heteros" or the "conservatives" - when it was not any of these or any other race, gender, sexual or religious group - actually it was a deliberate effort intended to turn us against one another and try to make us ignore the fact that it was those same leaders who were tearing apart the fabric of our nation. Vague insinuations, outright lies, and encouraging people to remain ignorant and divided have gone on long enough and tonight I see proof that we, the AMERICANS have had enough. FINALLY!
So if you are so angry and full of hate I encourage you to do what a lot of others like you are blustering about, pack up your stuff and leave this country - go to Canada, or Mexico or anywhere else - and see how that works for you. No other country in the ENTIRE WORLD allows foreigners to just waltz in and start reaping benefits that their citizens don't even get. No other country in the ENTIRE WORLD allows you to come in without following the procedures required to become a citizen of their country, spit on their rules and traditions and spew hatred and allow you to endlessly reap the benefits to be had.
We need to have a country we can be proud of again, and that means we need people here who LOVE AMERICA and WANT TO BE AMERICANS. People who desire the betterment not just of themselves, but those around them and are willing to work - together - to reach that goal. Tonight was a victory, no doubt about it. If you can't see this maybe you should wipe that layer of bullsh*t out of your eyes and look again. Of course you could also start packing...
