January 18, 2013

Freedom is hard

For me one of the highlights of the Olympic Games is the opening ceremony. Not for the spectacle, the parade of nations, the singing and dancing or even the lighting of the torch.  I like to see the US team enter and steadfastly refuse to dip the flag to the potentate, king, or leader of the host country. You see, that single act of defiance is the root of my America.

One of the keys to understanding American freedom is there is no ruling class. There is no royalty. Every single American is afforded the same opportunity. There are no class barriers. There is no upper class. Every time I hear a politician invoking the "middle class" I cringe. Do you know why they always address the middle class?  Because your average politician knows we all think of our selves as equal. No one wants to proclaim themselves as "low class". We cannot define a middle class because we all are part of it. That is the genius that is America.

We can all make our own Horatio Alger success story. Is it easy? No. Is success in life guaranteed? Certainly not.  Is it most likely we will fail?  Yep. But that in no way means success is not possible. We are all just men and women created equal.

I have often stated it is a good thing I am not Catholic.  I would never, under any circumstances, kiss the Pope's ring. It is a good thing I never happened upon the Queen during one of my visits to England in years past. I would never bow before her. I will take a knee for no man. You see, no matter the titles, the royalty, the wealth, or the power, no person is better than I am. No One. That is why I have no interest in what prince is getting married and what princess is knocked up. I don't care any more than I would if a distant neighbor suddenly announced a baby was growing in her belly. That is nice.  Good for you. Why should anyone outside if their immediate family have any interest at all?

When  reporters claim that Obama's kids are more important than mine,  I call bullshit. You see, President Obama is no more important than I am. He is man, elected to a job. He may think of himself as royalty. Michelle may think it OK to jet the world at taxpayer's expense, but they are just ordinary Americans, no different than you and I. Their kids are not special. Oh, I am sure they are darling children. It is likely yours are too.

This is where we have come as a nation. There are people who think they are the new royalty, the ruling class. This, my friends, is the coming Civil War -- not soon, but it is coming. Believe it or not, the roots are the same as those which caused our break from Britain some 238 years ago.

We have developed a whole group of people who think they are a ruling class. There are a whole set of   people who think they are smarter than the ordinary citizen., These liberals believe you and I cannot succeed without their help. The average progressive is convinced you are too dumb to know what to eat, what health care you need, what you should drive, how warm you keep your house in the winter.

The liberals think they should tell you how much sugar you can eat, what kind of fat to use to fry your potatoes and regulate your salt intake. They will dictate what size soda to buy and regulate your ability to defend your home, your person, your property. Your typical progressive believes they know how much money you should have and how you should spend it. These self-designated elitists will tell you and I "You don't need..." fill in the blank. These busy bodies know it all and will tell you so.

Sadly, there is a large group of Americans who have fallen prey to this mindset. Life is easier when someone gives you food, a house, a cell phone. It is easy to listen when someone tells you the mistakes you made in life are not your fault, when actions have no consequences.  You should have to choose between baby formula or cigarettes. You should go without a cell phone if you need groceries. If you cannot afford a kid, don't have sex. It really is that simple.

Just because you were born in an inner city project housing complex does not mean you are consigned to that life.  You do not have to stay in that small town in western Nebraska. Get a job, get an education. Learn a skill. Opportunity is before you.  Take advantage. Yes, it is hard.

Life is hard.

Freedom is hard.

There are lots of people who can run faster, jump higher and are stronger than I am. There are folks with lots more money and power. There are better looking men. I meet smarter people every day. Not one of these folks is better than me. No person is more important. But we are all equal.

19 comments:

Fuzzy Curmudgeon said...

Well said as always.

Rey B said...

Damn Straight!

Anonymous said...

Hit the nail on the head again.

JOG

Ed Bonderenka said...

A Manifesto.

Ed Bonderenka said...

BTW I linked this on FB also and got a few shares.
When you become a famous writer, remember me.

Anonymous said...

Ha I don't think we have to worry about that Ed

I seriously considered making this my very last post

Joe

Erin O'Brien said...

You see, President Obama is no more important than I am.

I trust the same was true of Ronald Reagan, the Bushes, etc.

More important? No, but Obama's kids are in significantly more danger than any of ours.

Anonymous said...

I guess Erin has a point, moving out of Chicago didn't hurt. Then again are they in any more danger than Bill Gates kids?

JOG

Anonymous said...

Question? Who sends a 13 years old girl to Mexico on vacation with 25 bodyguards on the governments dime with no parents along? No idea.

JOG

Greybeard said...

President Obama's kids are alive, aren't they?
The kids of Newtown aren't.
And that, Erin, is the point.

Erin O'Brien said...

This post is all over the place, but as for security detail on the first family, it comes with the job. Get over it.

Hoose, the only person who's going to tell you what to eat will be the damn administrator of your corporate wellness program.

I'm probably repeating myself, but in CLE you cannot work for any of the major health providers--including the Cleveland Clinic--if you test positive for tobacco.

Smoke a cigar or cigarette on your own time and you will not get hired by them. Trust me, the private sector will regulate you plenty. Probably already is.

Anonymous said...

The difference since you can't grasp the obvious is I DON'T have to work for a company whose policies I disagree

If I own an eatery in New York I'm told what kind of fat to use how much salt to put in or how big a soda I can sell all by the government under pain of loss of treasure or jail.

It's all right if gbe post is all over the place. So far I can write what I want. I'm pretty sure the lobs will get around to that basic freedom soon

Joe

Anonymous said...

And good news soon the Cleveland clinic will have to provide coverage anyway Under force of law

Isn't government interference grand!

Anonymous said...

WOW, the famous labor unions of Ohio aren't up in arms about what is clearly a personally choice?
As far as the POTUS kids, I have no problem with protection, I do have a problem with gross abuse of the privilege.
JOG

Woodman said...

"More important? No, but Obama's kids are in significantly more danger than any of ours."

Yes they are, but according to the mush we're being fed right now, more guns aren't the answer. I would hold out now that more kids were killed at Sandy Hook than presidential dependents have even been shot at. And it's likely that more kids were beat to death by their legal guardians last year than died at Sandy Hook.

So, instead of working on fixing a problem, let's focus everyone on stupid crap. It's like looking at obesity and saying we need to ban yogurt with fruit on the bottom.

Joe said...

Swimming pools, cars, and the flu all kill more children than guns.

Your point is what I am trying to make, Woodman -- if guns do not protect us, why do the President and his family have constant gun protection? I would think a simple Gun Free Zone around the POTUS would suffice.

Erin O'Brien said...

The guns the Secret Service agents were carrying as they surrounded Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1981 didn't protect the President and three other people from John Hinckley's six bullets.

Good thing he only had a revolver.

Gee, I wonder how much damage Hinckley could have done with a semi-automtic.

Anonymous said...

More people are killed by handguns than all other guns combined. More people are beaten to death than are killed by rifles. We will watch the press, the President and Congress go totally bat shit about guns and ignore the real issue. Black on black crime is rampant and accounts for 80& of the shootings. Stats are available at multiple government and state crime sites. There is no fix.

James Old Guy

Joe said...

"Good thing he only had a revolver.

Gee, I wonder how much damage Hinckley could have done with a semi-automtic. "

it only takes a fraction of a second longer for a revolver to cycle and fire compared to a semi-auto. There are autoloaders that allow one to reload a revolver almost as fast as a semi-automatic pistol.

We cannot have a real discussion about guns until we get rid of the fairy tale that an AR-15 is more dangerous or kills more people or is a "machine gun" and that 10 bullets is OK, but 11 is dangerous

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