SharedSacrifice
10-21-2011, 01:14 PM
I am 48 years old and have been voting for over 30 years now.
I know many who have been voting for well over 60...and yet even more that have yet to cast their virst ballot ("0").
For some unknown reason...I had the sense of mind when I was yet in the "0" category (and every year there after)...that it was a joke indeed for me to believe that the entitlement system as structured then or now would ever return me a dime of what I was about to pour into it (maybe many of you had the same feeling in '81...I have no idea).
My questions are as follows:
1) Have we yet to observe a political leader of any party very simply assign the blame for the mess that we are in presently to those who have spent the most time creating it? (60 years responsible down to "0" responsible).
2) Am I to teach our children that it was indeed the political leaders of our various parties (as opposed to the collective citizenry themselves)...who should indeed shoulder the blame for their future role on the world stage?
3) If "I" have been willing all my voting life (knowing that I effectively had no choice through my love of this country) to throw away everything that I have effectively ever given to 'the cause' ...along with any expectation of the government ever being solvent enough to solve any other problem that cropped up in my lifetime (see Medicaire/Medicaid)...why wouldn't I look at all those praising Ryan's plan or any other American presently grabbing all they can get before the well runs dry...with amazement?
and finally the most important question:
...How do you teach the "0" generation that they must build a society completely different than the 30 and 60ers who have willfully destroyed this one...if they aren't taught and forced to observe first hand what their parents/grandparents should receive for their lazy political supervision and all present attempts to shamefully turn the 60-30-0 responsibility equation on its head?
If our children observe their grandparents and parents (most of whom will go along with any 'keep it this way' plan save Mom or Dad moving in or getting into their bank accounts) not taking a sliding scale responsibility for electing the people that they did or the long term policies that they year after year refused to march in the streets with pitchforks to correct...there is absolutely no reason to think that our children will not create the same society again for themselves.
If I've been (again, with no choice in the matter) willing to do my part to fix this mess since day one and additionally feel just as much responsiblity for what has happened as anybody...why would those yet even older than me feel that they have been somehow 'cheated' in any manner whatsoever today? (having lived arguably the most opportunistic/prosperous life in the history of man to boot!).
60-30-0 is a "what did you know and when did you know it.." concept that really has nothing to do with age or political intellectual capacity...and everything to do with teaching our kids that it is not who you vote for...but what the consequences are (or should be) for not following up on that decision after you do.
I know many who have been voting for well over 60...and yet even more that have yet to cast their virst ballot ("0").
For some unknown reason...I had the sense of mind when I was yet in the "0" category (and every year there after)...that it was a joke indeed for me to believe that the entitlement system as structured then or now would ever return me a dime of what I was about to pour into it (maybe many of you had the same feeling in '81...I have no idea).
My questions are as follows:
1) Have we yet to observe a political leader of any party very simply assign the blame for the mess that we are in presently to those who have spent the most time creating it? (60 years responsible down to "0" responsible).
2) Am I to teach our children that it was indeed the political leaders of our various parties (as opposed to the collective citizenry themselves)...who should indeed shoulder the blame for their future role on the world stage?
3) If "I" have been willing all my voting life (knowing that I effectively had no choice through my love of this country) to throw away everything that I have effectively ever given to 'the cause' ...along with any expectation of the government ever being solvent enough to solve any other problem that cropped up in my lifetime (see Medicaire/Medicaid)...why wouldn't I look at all those praising Ryan's plan or any other American presently grabbing all they can get before the well runs dry...with amazement?
and finally the most important question:
...How do you teach the "0" generation that they must build a society completely different than the 30 and 60ers who have willfully destroyed this one...if they aren't taught and forced to observe first hand what their parents/grandparents should receive for their lazy political supervision and all present attempts to shamefully turn the 60-30-0 responsibility equation on its head?
If our children observe their grandparents and parents (most of whom will go along with any 'keep it this way' plan save Mom or Dad moving in or getting into their bank accounts) not taking a sliding scale responsibility for electing the people that they did or the long term policies that they year after year refused to march in the streets with pitchforks to correct...there is absolutely no reason to think that our children will not create the same society again for themselves.
If I've been (again, with no choice in the matter) willing to do my part to fix this mess since day one and additionally feel just as much responsiblity for what has happened as anybody...why would those yet even older than me feel that they have been somehow 'cheated' in any manner whatsoever today? (having lived arguably the most opportunistic/prosperous life in the history of man to boot!).
60-30-0 is a "what did you know and when did you know it.." concept that really has nothing to do with age or political intellectual capacity...and everything to do with teaching our kids that it is not who you vote for...but what the consequences are (or should be) for not following up on that decision after you do.