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I'm Tired - Robert A. Hall, Viet Vet and 5 term Massachusetts State Senator.
Ill 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, Ive worked, hard, since I was 18. Despite some health challenges, I still put in 50-hour weeks, and havent called in sick in seven or eight years. I make a good salary, but I didnt inherit my job or my income, and I worked to get where I am. Given the economy, theres no retirement in sight, and Im tired. Very tired.Im tired of being told that I have to "spread the wealth around" to people who dont have my work ethic. Im 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. Im 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, Im willing to help. But if they bought McMansions at three times the price of our paid-off, $250,000 condo, on one-third of my salary, then let the leftwing Congresscritters who passed Fannie and Freddie and the Community Reinvestment Act that created the bubble help them--with their own money. Im tired of being told how bad America is by leftwing 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 womens 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. Wont multiculturalism be beautiful? Im 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 arent "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 Quran and Sharia law tells them to. I believe "a man should be judged by the content of his character, not by the color of his skin." Im tired of being told that "race doesnt matter" in the post-racial world of President Obama, when its 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 its 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, or someone who believes more in freedom and the individual and less in an all-knowing government. Im tired of a news media that thinks Bushs fundraising and inaugural expenses were obscene, but that think Obamas, 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 Bushs 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 potentially the best president ever. Wonder why people are dropping their subscriptions or switching to Fox News? Get a clue. I didnt vote for Bush in 2000, but the media and Kerry drove me to his camp in 2004. Im 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. Im 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 Gores, and if youre greener than Gore, youre green enough. Im 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 dont think Gay people choose to be Gay, but I damn sure think druggies chose to take drugs. And Im tired of harassment from cool people treating me like a freak when I tell them I never tried marijuana. Im tired of illegal aliens being called "undocumented workers," especially the ones who arent working, but are living on welfare or crime. Whats next? Calling drug dealers, "Undocumented Pharmacists"? And, no, Im not against Hispanics. Most of them are Catholic and its been a few hundred years since Catholics wanted to kill me for my religion. Im willing to fast track for citizenship any Hispanic person who can speak English, doesnt 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. Im 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 heres the deal. Ill 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 well 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. Im 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 Im 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 Obamas cabinet are bi-partisan as well. Im 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. Im tired of people with a sense of entitlement, rich or poor. Speaking of poor, Im tired of hearing people with air-conditioned homes, color TVs and two cars called poor. The majority of Americans didnt have that in 1970, but we didnt know we were "poor." The poverty pimps have to keep changing the definition of poor to keep the dollars flowing. Im real tired of people who dont take responsibility for their lives and actions. Im tired of hearing them blame the government, or discrimination, or big-whatever for their problems. Yes, Im damn tired. But Im also glad to be 63. Because, mostly, Im not going to get to see the world these people are making. Im just sorry for my granddaughter. Robert A. Hall is a Marine Vietnam veteran who served five terms in the Massachusetts state senate. He blogs. Posted by: Besoeker 2009-03-04 |
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