Ever hear of a fellow named John F. Kennedy?
He made an interesting statement while president of the United States; it went something like, "Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country".
Your country has given you freedom and the oportunity to become what ever you want. Your government does not owe you a living.
When this country was established, the job of the fedral government was to; regulate interstate commerce, national defense, collect taxes and to print money, period that's it, bang nothing more. There is noting more threatening to freedom and liberty than becoming dependant on the government, because if they can give it, they can take it away and if they can take it away they can extort you with it.

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It's better to live one day as a lion than a hundred years as a sheep.

I was speaking of my abuse. I am a child. I was an even younger child when I was abused. From infant to age 16. I do not care if my government provides a "living". I plan on being a productive person and providing for myself. It is what I have done my whole life, and what I will continue to do. I do NOT have this animosity towards our government. I do not blame government. I do not blame the presidents. I dont blame anyone. It is how things are, simple as that. However, it isn't how it should be, that is certain. Rather than complaining about our country, or government, I choose to do something about it. Hence the charity I founded and I am President of.

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★ Magician☽O☾Tarot Reader☽O☾Clairvoyant ★

View my NEW blog at http://jasdelaluna.blogspot.com

I admire your attitude. Life is hard; harder for some than others but if one can remain strong and work through it the battle is half won.

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It's better to live one day as a lion than a hundred years as a sheep.

I am also sorry to hear of your hard times as a child. I am glad that you have the fortitude to over come it.

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It's better to live one day as a lion than a hundred years as a sheep.

tr8_48, I dare say you won't find anyone here who thinks the government owes them a living.

That's a pretty strong statement to make to someone you know little about.

Did you miss the "ill and disabled" part?

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"Now that she's back in the atmosphere
With drops of Jupiter in her hair, hey, hey
She acts like summer and walks like rain
Reminds me that there's a time to change, hey, hey
Since the return from her stay on the moon
She listens like spring and she talks like June, hey, hey" ~ Drops of Jupiter by Train

As America grew, however, pressures and responsibilities also grew. Keeping to those original tasks would have failed the country, hence the evolution of the government to gain new areas of control and regulation.

Additionally, I agree with Morgane. No one is talking about being given a living, just expressing a desire for some help to survive.

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Along The River: My paganism blog

Point well taken. I remember when my Brother was paralized from the waist down as a result of an accident. the medical bills were enormiousand when my Father went to the state for assistance with his rehabilitation, he was refused because we owned our farm, even though we were going bankrupt. Had we owned nothing had no income and paid no taxes we would have reaped all of the benifits that the state could heap upon us at the taxpayers expense.

I spent 28 years in the military after retirement I recieve a little over 50% of my military pay. With my disability I bring in a few more bucks. I get fairly good medical coverage, which I have to pay $400 per anum.
Congressmen and senators, the very people that sent me off into harms way, can retire after two terms at 100% of their salary and free medical/dental for the entire family for life. It all just seems out of balance to me.

These are the people that we have voted into office and have allowed to give themselves their own raises and benifits. This is the stuff that has to stop. They are not even required to participate in the riddiculous 20lb so called healthcare reform that they are about to saddle us with.

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It's better to live one day as a lion than a hundred years as a sheep.

Lets talk about that for a second shall we. The government is not independent of us or the country. The government is what we choose as educated voters. We just have long time ago decided that we let the government do whatever it does and no one is ever really sure what that is, not to mention that voter's education is farce all but replaced by propaganda. But in my view the government owes us to keep our best interest and not the interest of some corporation or another. The government in all theory is elected by the people and all power comes from the people. I just wish in our day and age someone in the government would remember that...or the people realize that they have the power and yet at the same the government is here for the well being of all and not some individuals. Coming from Europe the answer to that is to have a large welfare system where individual taxation is much higher than here for the common good of all. Of course it is not perfect, nothing ever is but it is a good start.
If someone is ill and disabled in my view the government has very much the duty to take care of him or her. If someone is getting abused the government is very much charged to put a stop to that. In short the government is here to take care of those and fend for those who cannot do it for themselves. Torey and Jas that is not an indictment of your individual ability and Jas more power to you but if the government does not step up in cases like yours then really what else has to happen for the government to take care and protect its own people?

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timendi causa est nescire

I agree ISO2, I just feel that although the government SHOULD be protecting people like Torey and I who did need/do need their help, they are not doing a very good job. I feel like people need to stand up on their own, or with like minded people, and let their voice be heard, to raise awareness of these issues.

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★ Magician☽O☾Tarot Reader☽O☾Clairvoyant ★

View my NEW blog at http://jasdelaluna.blogspot.com

Of course Jas. People should raise their voice if something needs to be said. Marx already wrote that communism cannot prosper without daily and relentless criticism. Funny that I hardly ever hear that about our government...
I know people do not believe but voting the right officials especially on a communal level is a very powerful tool. Voicing concerns and voting for those that hear you is the key to a functioning government. At least in a democracy based one and yes we could argue forever what democracy is and if ti really is such a good idea... but that can be another topic someday...

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timendi causa est nescire

Really? He wrote that? I have never heard that before. And believe me, growing up in East Germany, Marx was quoted rather frequently. On the contrary, anyone who dared to critice communism/socialism or their annointed representatives ended up in unpleasant surroundings quite quickly.

I think it doesn't much matter from what ideology government officials hail; in the end it's just human nature that they exploit their position for their own gains eventually. And the voters will let them as long as their own material situation isn't too unpleasant for the majority.

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Always keep your face toward the sunshine and the shadows will fall behind you.

I hope I don't sound like a complete idiot because I only skimmed over the previous posts, but here is where I stand on the issue about the goverment's responsibility to help those who are disabled or in any sort of negative situations such as Jaz's.

Yes I do agree that as citizens who are lucky to live in a country that gives us the freedom that we have. And I think those in uniform that defend our country and our freedoms are to be commended. But, being disabled myself, sometimes I feel that some are forgotten. Healthcare for example. Until I recieved my disability I was very sick (I am mentally ill) and because I had no children (which I do now, this was a few years ago) I was not elegible for any sort of health. This lead me to numerous suicide attemps, a cutting problem that was completley out of control and self medicating through drugs. When I did find a place that provided counciling on a sliding payment scale I was only allowed 10 sessions which was not enough therefore my therapy was never completed. So not only did I not have the medicine I so desperatly needed I still was left without the proper coping skills to help me with my self destructive behaviour. Now I ask this: How can someone who is that sick do ANYTHING for their country when their country won't do anything for them? I agree that JFK was a good president. But I must say I've always hated that quote. AND durring that era (vietnam) when those soldiers came home they were treated terribly and still to this day the vetran's hospitals are not properly funded and the care these people who did something for their country are poorly cared for unless they have private insurance. To me it is an outrage.

Now as for greed. I feel that the wealthy in this country are extremly greedy and it makes the majority of the population suffer because of it. For example, my husband works for a small bussiness that brings in a lot of revenue because of the expensive custom speakers they make. My husband makes eight dollars an hour and has worked there for a year. He has been told by management he is the best worker there. He has not recieved a review or one raise since he has worked there. The people that work in the office get their checks direct deposited, even though they set up accounts for all the blue collar guys to get theirs direct deposited. That means the people who get their checks direct deposited get their money a day early and in the morning. While my husband has to wait until 6:00 to get his paper check. This may not sound like a big deal but we live in a small town where all the banks close at 5:00. That means he can't even cash his check until the next day and if its a friday he has to wait until monday. Over thanksgiving weekend he had four days off. Sunday he got a call saying he couldn't work Monday because the air compresser was broken. He got to work today to find that not only did it work, but there were no footprints in the woodchips around it. It turns out it was a lie. The real reason they wouldn't let anyone in the shop work was because the supervisor took monday off. Therefore all the bluecollar guys lost yet another 8 hours of work. This isn't the only lie they've told. The office guys have lied about getting their checks direct deposited, they've lied about the bonuses they recieve. And these are all young guys without families to support. With X-mas comming you'd think that they would have just let them work. But the owner and the managers don't care because they are getting paid no matter what! Okay, I know I went a bit off the subject here, but my point to this story is that this country is full of greed. So to say we should be doing something for it, tell me what my county has ever done for me. NOTHING!

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You raise many valid points, and I am glad you voiced your opinion.

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★ Magician☽O☾Tarot Reader☽O☾Clairvoyant ★

View my NEW blog at http://jasdelaluna.blogspot.com

Lindsey...I will not lie and say I can fully understand what you go through simply because I have not had that experience. You ask what your country does for you and did for you. First, understand this country is young. It is is not unlike centuries ago Europe in a feudal system where nobility controlled almost exclusively all resources. Marx argues that history is an evolving clash between classes for the control over capital. he further argues that every reaction triggers an automatic, diametrically opposed reaction and progress occurs out of the synthesis of these two opposing views. In the past such a synthesis has brought you the 40 hour week, the right to vote, the right to speak your mind as you wish etc. etc. I feel like we are again at polar extreme where capital tries to control and I am waiting to see what the reaction and subsequent synthesis will be.
Now there are basically two ways to go about change, evolution and revolution, within the frame set by the government and agreed upon directly or indirectly by society or outside what is legalized as protest now. The choice is yours.

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timendi causa est nescire

I don't mean to veer away from where this topic is right now ... but ... I guess I am. Sorry. lol

I saw one of these little kiosk thingies outside our little town's postal office the other day. It was just so ... horrible. Free speech I think in this case is being taken too far. I honestly don't know why they're doing this, and don't really want to.

I'm kinda glad I can get stamps from the grocery store really, so I don't have to look at this mess. Not a very good/aggressive attitude, I'll freely admit that. Like I said, I don't want to know why they're doing it, so couldn't come up with an argument in his support if approached. I'd have to tell them that their efforts are falling on deaf ears as their methods in getting their point across are ugly.

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