I'm tired by Robert A. Hall
I'll be 63 soon. Except for one semester in college when jobs
were scarce, and a six-month period when I was between jobs, but
job-hunting every day, I've worked, hard, since I was 18. Despite some
health challenges, I still put in 50-hour weeks, and haven't called in
sick in seven or eight years. I make a good salary, but I didn't inherit
my job or my income, and I worked to get where I am. Given the economy,
there's no retirement in sight, and I'm tired ....very tired.
I'm tired of being told that I have to "spread the wealth
around" to people who don't have my work ethic. I'm tired of being told
the government will take the money I earned, by force if necessary, and
give it to people too lazy or stupid to earn it.
I'm tired of being told that I have to pay more taxes to "keep
people in their homes." Sure, if they lost their jobs or got sick, I'm
willing to help. But if they bought Mansions at three times the price of
our paid-off, $250,000 condo, on one-third of my salary, then let the
leftwing Congress-critters who passed Fannie and Freddie and the
Community Reinvestment Act that created the bubble help them-with their
own money.
I'm tired of being told how bad America is by left wing
millionaires like Michael Moore, George Soros and Hollywood entertainers
who live in luxury because of the opportunities America offers. In
thirty years, if they get their way, the United States will have the
religious freedom and women's rights of Saudi Arabia, the economy of
Zimbabwe, the freedom of the press of China, the crime and violence of
Mexico, the tolerance for Gay people of Iran, and the freedom of speech
of Venezuela. Won't multiculturalism be beautiful?
I'm tired of being told that Islam is a "Religion of Peace,"
when every day I can read dozens of stories of Muslim men killing their
sisters, wives and daughters for their family "honor;" of Muslims
rioting over some slight offense; of Muslims murdering Christian and
Jews because they aren't "believers;" of Muslims burning schools for
girls; of Muslims stoning teenage rape victims to death for "adultery;"
of Muslims mutilating the genitals of little girls; all in the name of
Allah, because the Qur'an and Shari'a law tells them to.
I believe "a man should be judged by the content of his
character, not by the color of his skin." I'm tired of being told that
"race doesn't matter" in the post-racial world of President Obama, when
it's all that matters in affirmative action jobs, lower college
admission and graduation standards for minorities (harming them the
most), government contract set-asides, tolerance for the ghetto culture
of violence and fatherless children that hurts minorities more than
anyone, and in the appointment of US Senators from Illinois. I think
it's very cool that we have a black president and that a black child is
doing her homework at the desk where Lincoln wrote the emancipation
proclamation. I just wish the black president was Condi Rice, Colon
Powell or someone who believes more in freedom and the individual and
less in an all-knowing government.
I'm tired of a news media that thinks Bush's fundraising and
inaugural expenses were obscene, but that think Obama's, at triple the
cost, were wonderful. That thinks Bush exercising daily was a waste of
presidential time, but Obama exercising is a great example for the
public to control weight and stress, that picked over every line of
Bush's military records, but never demanded that Kerry release his, that
slammed Palin with two years as governor for being too inexperienced for
VP, but touted Obama with three years as senator as without question the
best president ever.
Wonder why people are dropping their subscriptions or switching
to Fox News? Get a clue.
I didn't vote for Bush in 2000, but the media and Kerry drove me
to his camp in 2004.
I'm tired of being told that out of "tolerance for other
cultures" we must let Saudi Arabia use our oil money to fund mosques and
madrassa Islamic schools to preach hate in America, while no American
group is allowed to fund a church, synagogue or religious school in
Saudi Arabia to teach love and tolerance.
I'm tired of being told I must lower my living standard to fight
global warming, which no one is allowed to debate. My wife and I live in
a two-bedroom apartment and carpool together five miles to our jobs. We
also own a three-bedroom condo where our daughter and granddaughter
live. Our carbon footprint is about 5% of Al Gore's, and if you're
greener than Gore, you're green enough.
I'm tired of being told that drug addicts have a disease, and I
must help support and treat them, and pay for the damage they do. Did a
giant germ rush out of a dark alley, grab them, and stuff white powder
up their noses while they tried to fight it off? I don't think Gay
people choose to be Gay, but I damn sure think druggies chose to take
drugs. And I'm tired of harassment from cool people treating me like a
freak when I tell them I never tried marijuana.
I'm tired of illegal aliens being called "undocumented workers,"
especially the ones who aren't working, but are living on welfare or
crime. What's next? Calling drug dealers, "Undocumented Pharmacists"?
And, no, I'm not against Hispanics. Most of them are Catholic
and it's been a few hundred years since Catholics wanted to kill me for
my religion. I'm willing to fast track for citizenship any Hispanic
person who can speak English, doesn't have a criminal record and who is
self-supporting without family on welfare, or who serves honorably for
three years in our military. Those are the citizens we need.
I'm tired of latte liberals and journalists, who would never
wear the uniform of the Republic themselves, or let their
entitlement-handicapped kids near a recruiting station, trashing our
military. They and their kids can sit at home, never having to make
split-second decisions under life and death circumstances, and bad mouth
better people then themselves. Do bad things happen in war? You bet. Do
our troops sometimes misbehave? Sure. Does this compare with the
atrocities that were the policy of our enemies for the last fifty
years-and still are? Not even close. So here's the deal. I'll let myself
be subjected to all the humiliation and abuse that was heaped on
terrorists at Abu Ghraib or Gitmo, and the critics can let themselves be
subject to captivity by the Muslims who tortured and beheaded Daniel
Pearl in Pakistan, or the Muslims who tortured and murdered Marine Lt.
Col. William Higgins in Lebanon, or the Muslims who ran the
blood-spattered Al Qaeda torture rooms our troops found in Iraq, or the
Muslims who cut off the heads of schoolgirls in Indonesia, because the
girls were Christian. Then we'll compare notes. British and American
soldiers are the only troops in history that civilians came to for help
and handouts, instead of hiding from in fear.
I'm tired of people telling me that their party has a corner on
virtue and the other party has a corner on corruption. Read the
papers-bums are bi-partisan. And I'm tired of people telling me we need
bi-partisanship. I live in Illinois, where the "Illinois Combine" of
Democrats and Republicans has worked together harmoniously to loot the
public for years. And I notice that the tax cheats in Obama's cabinet
are bi-partisan as well.
I'm tired of hearing wealthy athletes, entertainers and
politicians of both parties talking about innocent mistakes, stupid
mistakes or youthful mistakes, when we all know they think their only
mistake was getting caught.
I'm tired of people with a sense of entitlement, rich or poor.
Speaking of poor, I'm tired of hearing people with air-conditioned
homes, color TVs and two cars called poor. The majority of Americans
didn't have that in 1970, but we didn't know we were "poor." The poverty
pimps have to keep changing the definition of poor to keep the dollars
flowing.
I'm real tired of people who don't take responsibility for their
lives and actions.
I'm tired of hearing them blame the government, or
discrimination, or big-whatever for their problems.
Yes, I'm damn tired. But I'm also glad to be 63. Because,
mostly, I'm not going to get to see the world these people are making.
I'm just sorry for my granddaughter.
Robert A. Hall is a Marine Vietnam veteran who served five terms
in the Massachusetts state senate. He blogs at www.tartanmarine.blogspot.com
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