The Land of the Free
Whatever happened to the ideals that America was founded on? I don't think the entire point was for two "parties" to divide the nation along lines of religious beliefs or thoughts on outsiders and how to deal with them and their nations. I never met a founding father. I do not pretend to know what they were really thinking when they skipped town, crossed an ocean, and decided this land was ripe for beginning a new nation. However, there was an awful lot mentioned about escaping persecution and having freedoms. These freedoms allow us to believe or not believe in whatever religions, holidays, magical creatures, gods, deities, or spirits that we so choose. This means that praising god and Jesus for each and everything in America is absurd. This nation was not created by some god or his particular kid that for some reason let's people win the lottery or a football game. America was created so that those living here could be free and that any person on this planet (or beyond I suppose) was free to live here, prosper, and do as they please within reason. Yes there are laws that bind us. Yes there are even limits to religious freedoms - sorry human and/or animal sacrificers.
Still, no man or woman alive should tell me what it is right or wrong to believe in. I am not a Christian, Muslim, Hindu, or Jew. I am a person. I believe what I choose to believe. Your religion does not believe in eating pork? Your religion believes life begins at conception? That is wonderful. However, I am not going to stop eating sacred cows or delicious bacon. I am not going to stop women from using birth control or terminating a pregnancy in the first trimester. Let a doctor determine if that should be done as far as late term abortions are concerned, you know, someone with a logical point of view rather than a fanatical one based on a book that is supposedly sacred or some such nonsense. It is fine if you choose to believe these books are special and their stories are true, but you cannot tell me I must live my life according to what you choose.
As far as outsiders are concerned, a rather vast majority of the population in these lovely United States of America comes from a lineage of outsiders. Most people are even proud that they are Irish in March, or Italian in New Jersey, or whatever the case might be. Yet how can these people so proud of their heritages say that a family with nothing that wants a shot at the American Dream we flaunt so often be thrown outside the borders? What gives us the right to say who or what is allowed to live the American dream? I thought these gods and deities were supposed to be kind and tell us to give to charity and help the less fortunate?
Taxes are a fucking disaster. Every state has its own system and a legislature that is 90% likely to be corrupt or full of idiots. The national politicians are not much better. Basically, the wealthy and the largest corporations willing to work together towards a common goal (say... Guns, Energy, Oil&Gas, or Tobacco maybe?) can get things done while those of us wanting better schools or roads will get pushed to the bottom of the pile so that a new pipeline can be built, a new hole drilled, a new mine started, a new machine gun built, or a new law repressing competition passed. What is really more important to us, educating our children and the future of the world and this nation or making sure the guy next door has a right to own a large enough arsenal to overthrow a small town? Yet which issue are we hearing more about?
Politicians and this country are circling the drain, but they keep afloat on piles of ill-gotten gains, bribes, pay offs, and lots of legal means of getting paid to pass or create legislation in the name of ALEC or some other large interest that wants to see something particular be accomplished. If only the teachers' unions had this kind of pull, or maybe women's reproductive rights or immigrant rights organizations. Alas, they will always come in 2nd at best to whatever promises more money to whomever is sitting in a position of power at that moment. Go head, re-elect the democrat or the republican, or maybe replace them with something else. As long as state and federal governments are run by special interest groups it really does not matter either way. This all comes back to money, which I believe one old book so many people believe in calls "the root of all evil".
I'd move to the UK or Canada, but other than an infinitely better healthcare system, would it really be any different? I doubt it... so it goes.
Still, no man or woman alive should tell me what it is right or wrong to believe in. I am not a Christian, Muslim, Hindu, or Jew. I am a person. I believe what I choose to believe. Your religion does not believe in eating pork? Your religion believes life begins at conception? That is wonderful. However, I am not going to stop eating sacred cows or delicious bacon. I am not going to stop women from using birth control or terminating a pregnancy in the first trimester. Let a doctor determine if that should be done as far as late term abortions are concerned, you know, someone with a logical point of view rather than a fanatical one based on a book that is supposedly sacred or some such nonsense. It is fine if you choose to believe these books are special and their stories are true, but you cannot tell me I must live my life according to what you choose.
As far as outsiders are concerned, a rather vast majority of the population in these lovely United States of America comes from a lineage of outsiders. Most people are even proud that they are Irish in March, or Italian in New Jersey, or whatever the case might be. Yet how can these people so proud of their heritages say that a family with nothing that wants a shot at the American Dream we flaunt so often be thrown outside the borders? What gives us the right to say who or what is allowed to live the American dream? I thought these gods and deities were supposed to be kind and tell us to give to charity and help the less fortunate?
Taxes are a fucking disaster. Every state has its own system and a legislature that is 90% likely to be corrupt or full of idiots. The national politicians are not much better. Basically, the wealthy and the largest corporations willing to work together towards a common goal (say... Guns, Energy, Oil&Gas, or Tobacco maybe?) can get things done while those of us wanting better schools or roads will get pushed to the bottom of the pile so that a new pipeline can be built, a new hole drilled, a new mine started, a new machine gun built, or a new law repressing competition passed. What is really more important to us, educating our children and the future of the world and this nation or making sure the guy next door has a right to own a large enough arsenal to overthrow a small town? Yet which issue are we hearing more about?
Politicians and this country are circling the drain, but they keep afloat on piles of ill-gotten gains, bribes, pay offs, and lots of legal means of getting paid to pass or create legislation in the name of ALEC or some other large interest that wants to see something particular be accomplished. If only the teachers' unions had this kind of pull, or maybe women's reproductive rights or immigrant rights organizations. Alas, they will always come in 2nd at best to whatever promises more money to whomever is sitting in a position of power at that moment. Go head, re-elect the democrat or the republican, or maybe replace them with something else. As long as state and federal governments are run by special interest groups it really does not matter either way. This all comes back to money, which I believe one old book so many people believe in calls "the root of all evil".
I'd move to the UK or Canada, but other than an infinitely better healthcare system, would it really be any different? I doubt it... so it goes.
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