By Douglas V. Gibbs
As the ship pulls into the harbor, the Statue of Liberty comes into sight. With Ellis Island on the right the boat slows down and begins its turn. Lady Liberty beckons the world to reach out for freedom, to join America as a nation of opportunity, but the world is ruled by powerful men who dare not allow liberty to seep into their countries - to do so would result in a loss of their power. So, those seeking the American Dream don't wait for their homelands to follow America's example. Instead, the people begin to move towards the beacon on the hill.
America.
The Land of Opportunity.
Old films show the immigrants as they file off the ship, all of their belongings in the world hanging loosely on their weary bodies. You can see the anticipation, the honor, and the joy on their faces. No more would they be ruled over by a centralized government run by a powerful few. Now, in America, they have freedom, opportunity, and the ability to become prosperous through their hard work and responsible actions.
The American Dream never included government handouts. The new Americans immigrating to the United States were not like today's illegal aliens, arriving with their hands out, expecting a lifetime of benefits they didn't even pay for. They did not expect the Americans already here to bend over backwards for them, providing written forms with their language on it, or giving them special services that included government health care, food stamps or welfare checks. Assistance, when it was received, was much appreciated. But the goal of the American Dream was to be American, to learn English, to work hard and live better than before, and to give their children the opportunity (not the guarantee) to pursue education, and a better future than they would have had in the homeland.
New Americans worked hard, and lived impoverished lives, because they knew they needed to save every penny, and to be responsible with their new freedom. Nobody benefited from the opportunities America had to offer by being irresponsible, and by not planning things out. They did not live to their means, or buy things on credit they did not need, while over-extending themselves financially. They worked many hours per day, and brought home meager meals. They fought and they scratched, until the hard work paid off, and life got a little more comfortable.
Then, when the chains of hardship were lifted, they could say that they accomplished it through their hard work and dedication. And as individuals, they voluntarily helped others along the way.
Some did not succeed as well as others. It took longer, or perhaps they never made it to the next level at all. But their children did, and later those kids took care of their old, poor parents. Not only had the parents been responsible enough to work towards their goals, but the children were responsible enough to take care of their parents should their parents not be able to do so for themselves.
Families would sometimes live together, sharing the expenses, under the same roof. That is what working towards a goal encompasses. One must do whatever it takes.
The big fat hearts of liberals hated seeing these people struggle, so through a process not unlike the rise of socialism in some countries, government programs sprouted into being. Much of what we see in the terms of entitlement programs is the result of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Marxist New Deal, and Lyndon B. Johnson's communistic Great Society. The problem is, in their attempt to help, they have actually hindered the American Dream. Rather than fight and scratch to succeed, many Americans are content to do nothing, and sit back and receive "benefits" from the government. And like any hand-out that has no limit, it didn't take long for others to get the bright idea to take from the golden pool of welfare benefits as well.
I applaud the few that partake in the Welfare System, but want nothing more than to never need to use it again. These folks feel ashamed for using the taxpayer's money, but had no choice. They have used the system on a temporary basis, and nothing more. They worked as hard as possible, working more than one job in many cases, doing whatever they could to be self-reliant and get off of the government dole. Unfortunately, most of the people that take advantage of the entitlement programs are not these personally responsible people, but instead of the kind of mindset that believes that somehow the government owes them something. Many of these folks also believe the wealthy have the money they have because they earned it on the backs of the poor, and that by becoming wealthy they somehow took away from the poor, and owe those below them.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
It is this kind of leach on society that the entitlement programs are currently feeding, for the most part. They have more babies for larger payouts, or as youngsters have babies so that they can afford a bigger apartment. These are the kinds of people who, after being laid off from a job, refuses an offer to go back to work so that they can continue to receive benefits.
In California, as with a number of other states, food stamp recipients can be given debit cards to actually withdraw cash from their benefit amount. They are told what the rules are (government money to you means a plethora of rules to follow) and then they do the opposite. They could care less about being responsible with their benefits because they aren't in this for responsible reasons. To them, the American Dream is being able to let everyone else work hard, fight, and scratch, then taking from that pot for themselves what they never worked for. These folks were irresponsible with their time, money, and opportunities in the first place, and that is what put them in their current situation - so how can the state expect them to be responsible with the taxpayer's money in the form of a debit card?
It was shocking to me (and yet, not) when I discovered that California welfare recipients have been using the state-issued debit cards to withdraw cash on casino gaming floors in more than half of the casinos in the State of California. But when I thought these folks could sink no lower, it seems casinos are not the only place welfare debit cards are being used. California is now discovering that welfare recipients are using their debit cards as strip clubs as well.
What did the bleeding heart liberals expect? The welfare recipients are the segment of society that has refused, for the most part, to be responsible with their money and opportunities, and then the liberals act all surprised when the welfare folks act irresponsibly.
Today we are celebrating Independence Day. The people who forged this nation into existence, and those that participated in its growth, were not the kind to sit and wait for a hand-out. They made things happen. They discovered new ways to accomplish their goals. They began as poverty stricken vagabonds, in some cases, and worked their butts off to become something productive, and responsible. This nation is great because of that attitude, because of the never ending push for achieving the American Dream. That is the American Spirit, that is the American Way, that is the American Dream.
I refuse to sit down and wait for government to do something for me. My chance for happiness does not lie in the hallways and file drawers of bureaucracy. Independence is just that, Independence. To be dependent on the government is not freedom. . . it is slavery.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Welfare Debit Cards Used On Casino Floors - Political Pistachio
Surprise: CA Welfare Cash Used At Strip Clubs - American Pundit
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