Several months ago I ventured into the mystical realm of social networking, Facebook. I have been able to get connected with family, friends and old high school chums all across the world. I have been enjoying getting to know people in a little different way than I had in the past. When I post things on Facebook it is usually a quote or something that has inspired me that day. Sometimes it is just little tid bits of what the family or I has done. Lucky for me some of the people I am friends on Facebook are similar. I have been known to have a bad day every once and a while and sometimes it is a simple post by a friend that can help me find the positive and sway my mindset back to the positive.
One of my friends on Facebook is a woman that I went to high school with. We weren't particularly close in high school but we got along well. She is a fireball! In highschool you knew which bands she loved at the time, she must have had every band's t-shirt. She appreciates what is now known as classic rock; however, I don't know how songs we listened to in highschool could be considered classics. We are NOT that old. She was always very positive, laughing and smiling. Now I am getting to know Robin in a different way and she seems to be teaching me something about myself, or maybe better would be realizing things about myself. Robin makes some very political posts at times. I myself have never considered myself very political and don't like to get into political conversations. Or so I thought! I don't vote for one particular party. I vote Replublican and/or Democrat. I generally try to vote for the person who I think will do a better job in the position they are vying for. Unfortunately, when it comes to the bigger elections it feels that more times than not I am choosing the lessor of two evils. It appears that by all of the comments that Robin has posted and that I agree with, that I may just be a little more conservative than I originally thought.
One of her more recent quotes is:
"The American dream is NOT a handout"
I have come to develop the opinion that this world would be a little better place if more people realized this. Unfortunately, I know one too many people that actually do believe that things should be a "handout" to them or they are "owed" something and that they shouldn't have to work to take care of their responsibilites. I know that I got the lesson early in life that "if it isn't worth YOU working for it then YOU don't need it". I have been babysitting/paper routes since I was nine years old and had my first job when I was 14 years old and have been working ever since.
I am reminded of a woman that I went to school with 19 years ago at CCRI. Rene was a baby and I had just found out I was pregnant with Kire. This woman was quite a bit older than me or so I thought at the time. I was 23 and she was in her late 30s or so (now that I am in my 40s that doesn't seem so old). When she found out I was pregnant she was happy for me. There is one conversation that I had with her that has stuck with me now 19 years later. I remember her telling me that if she could, she would stay at home and have babies and be on welfare. I can remember my feeling of disbelief. That was my first experience with people "living on the system". I still didn't fully understand that term until I was a bit older. This woman was in school because she had to be. She didn't want to go to school but it was a requirement for her to continue with her welfare benefits. She was bold faced honest about it and the way she told us it was like that was a norm and nothing wrong with it; Nothing wrong with keeping her income low so she could receive benefits. This woman had an impact on my life. There have been others who have tried to sway me to that thinking, but I have a challenge with it. This woman influenced me to try harder.
Trust me, I know that what I just wrote probably makes me sound like some snob or something. I am not. Presently, I live pay check to paycheck and am very grateful that I have the ability to work and earn that paycheck. I shop at thrift stores, yard sales, and any other type of sale to make our dollars stretch. We have 6 of 9 children which we support/provide for (3 are grown, living on their own and supporting themselves). We currently do not receive any welfare benefits of any kind. We are no different than many other families out there that are struggling to provide.
I did say that we "currently" dont receive any welfare benefits. I have been on Food Stamps before. Not that long ago, There was a time where I was unemployed for 8 months due to a serious illness. I did not qualify for unemployment because I was physically unable to work. I could not receive SSDI because I am not permanantly disabled and there are no temporary disability programs in Idaho and I did not have disability insurance (which I highly recommend people have). I did what any mother would do and I sought assistance. I was able to return to work 5 months after having a series of surgeries and continue to work. I still have my health issues which will remain (as of today there are no known cures) as I have several auto-immune diseases. I suppose I could sit around and not work to provide for myself but I have chosen not to. It is a choice. I could have just as easily taken the route of my fellow student and do what I had to to get by to qualify for benefits. I made the choice to get back to work. I used the system for what it was intended to do, help a family for temporary assistance.
There appears to be a generation of people who think that the system is there so they don't have to work. I know of children who are being taught "you don't have to work" and it is being taught by parents who aren't working themselves and are expecting others to provide. I don't understand the concept. I know that I have tried to instill in my children the same work ethic my parents instilled in me. If you want something in life, you have to work for it. I have an 18 year old and a 20 year old who have held jobs longer than some people my age have. It is not an easy thing to teach to a child. It is not a popular lesson to teach, particularly when they are teen agers and there are always other kids who have the latest and greatest. If we don't teach our kids to provide for themselves, there are going to be more and more people "living on the system". They will have the thought that someone else will do it and not be motivated to do it themselves.
Another one of Robin's posts was: "The difference between a capitalist and a socialist... a capitalist is determined to provide her own success, a socialist expects success to be provided for her" and the discussion developed and someone said "the only thing that ever really helped a poor person was a job". I know that there have been times in my life where I have had to take jobs outside of what I got my degree in because I needed to provide for my family. That didn't mean that I didn't want to move back to my career path, it means that I did what I had to. I eventually got back to my career path-but I had to work to do it. I never thought of myself as a capitalist, but if it is believing in working for sucess-maybe I am a bit.
It used to be that the American dream would be that people came to this country, were able to find work to provide for their families with certain unalienable rights and freedoms. What is happening to the country when people start believing it should be handed to them? Increased federal debt, more crime and more greed. It may seem simplistic the way I am thinking this. I know that if I were truly liberal I would think that there should be more systems in place to help people. I do beleive that the systems are in place and do help those in need and we need those systems. I also believe that there needs to be stronger guidelines and limitations so people will have the incentive to actually work for their American Dream instead of sitting at home and living off of someone else who is working for their American Dream. That is a more conservative stance but I think it has a significant impact on the state of affairs in this country.
I am not sure I am as conservative or as much as a constitutionalist as Robin but I am definately learning a few things about me politically. I have got to say Thank you to Robin for getting me thinking about the things in our country differently than I have before. Thank you for reminding me of facts from our country's fore fathers and the reasons for things that are in our constitution.
Time to get off the soap box and get some sleep.
