So it's 8am and I've been hard at work this morning, listening to the morning news show and trying to salvage my winter squash harvest; more to come on that later. Anyway, there has been a real trend to the morning show programing this morning: dependence and irresponsibility.
(Let me warn you this is going to be a rambling post.)
Story 1 on the morning show: those lousy teachers and why ~they cain't teach our kids nothin'~. Why our kids can't read, can't write, can't do a bit of 'rithmetic in their heads without using their fingers...Yes, it's the teachers' fault that our kids are way behind on everything when compared to the rest of the world.
What a great story for the media to jump on and beat to death: American kids are lacking because the teachers aren't teaching.
I know first-hand that there are some lousy teachers out there. I had at least one or two in my day. But here's the thing; as a mom to 2 in a rural public school, I'm already getting newsletters asking parents to remember to feed their children in the mornings.
~Please pack a snack because it's going to be 5-6 hours til your 5 year old eats lunch.
~Please remember to send a lunch or lunch money so your kid doesn't go hungry.
~Please dress your child appropriately as it was 44 degrees this morning when you sent your kid to school in shorts, flip flops and a tank top.
~Please send your child's school supplies so they don't have to borrow from other children.
~Please make sure your child does his homework.
~Please make sure your child sleeps each night.
Seriously. And ours is one of the top ranking districts in the area.
At what point do we stop blaming the teachers for our own failings? At what point do we begin to take personal responsibility for raising our children? These people are teachers, not miracle workers and a hungry, cold, sleepy child is absolutely not going to perform like a comfortable, nourished, secure child. For crying out loud, people....do you really need a reminder to feed your kid and stick him in a sweatshirt on a cold morning? Apparently yes or the Kindergarten teachers wouldn't be sending home these newsletters.
So let's move on to Story 2; Hurricane Irene, the government response and FEMA.
I watched ample coverage of Hurricane Irene, from the evacuations to the aftermath and let me just say I'm glad we no longer live in the Hatteras area. Horrible, bad stuff there, but I'm sure FEMA is doing good work. What unsettled me about this story were all the comments preceded by the phrase "after the lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina". "The lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina". What I learned from Katrina is that hurricanes are bad and if you know one is coming, you should get ready. Hunker down or evacuate, whichever. There will be repercussions to either choice, but you still need to make one and live with it.
What our culture seems to have learned is that you don't need to be responsible for your choices. You can choose to live 2 feet over sea level in Hurricane Alley, ignore evacuation plans, not store food, water or first aid supplies, wait til the last minute, put yourself in deathly peril and then first responders will put themselves in danger to swoop in and rescue you. Deus ex machina, baby.
Where is personal responsibility?
And the most ironic part of the story: the people complaining about the local government's actions: "There was no need to evacuate. There was no need to shut down transit. There was no need causing all that upset. They just over-reacted." I'm not a betting person, but if I were, I'd bet those complainers would be the first in line to sue had they been injured because they hadn't been forced to evacuate. Just a thought.
Story 3 for the morning: the economy and what Obama intends to do to make things right in the world. He's a-gonna lower taxes. He's a-gonna extend unemployment benefits. He's a-gonna make sure every family has a chicken in the pot and a hybrid car in the garage. He's a-gonna make sure we're not foreclosed on after we financed more than we could afford. He's a-gonna make sure we can put expensive new energy-efficient windows in our home, get provisions for kids we can't support and heat homes we couldn't afford to buy in the first place. And the best part, he's a-gonna form a committee to make sure we rural folk have an improved quality of life.
Well. I write that "Well" with all the sarcasm I can muster. I suppose I should write it like I say it...Way-ell. Followed by a Bless His Heart, assuming the Deep South/Appalachia connotation. (If you don't understand that connotation, please leave me a note.)
Where is independence and personal responsibility?
Why is it the government's job to pay for my kids, your house, his heating oil bills, their windows, my clunker car?
Why is it the government's job to ensure I have a good quality of life? How do they even define that..."good quality of life"?
We've gotten way of track somewhere in the past 10-20 years. (Maybe longer, I just don't recall what the policies, economy and politics of the 80's and 90's were like.) But the trend lately to be entirely dependent on other people and entities to care for our well-being is disturbing. The expectation that we really aren't responsible for our choices is troubling, to say the least. And what the upcoming generation is learning is positively frightening. The worst part, in my opinion, is that with the push of mainstream media, it's the new normal.
Taking care of yourself, your children, your home= Freak. Troublemaker.
Dependence, irresponsibility, reliance on others= Good. Normal.
Does anyone else feel like we've become a nation of over-indulged children?
And just a last thought, before I go cry over the remains of my butternut squash...why would governments, local, state and/or federal, go to such lengths to encourage so many people to become dependents? Why so many 'outs' for bad choices? Why so many second chances (at tax payers' expense) for irresponsible behaviors? What possible motivation could there be for creating a culture completely and totally dependent on a governing body? At one point in time, that would have been a liability. Now it seems to be an asset.
I have some thoughts on the topic, but I'm curious to hear yours.
13 comments:
Amen Sista! LOL I love your mentality! If we just took care of the things we are doing wrong instead of pointing out what everyone else is doing wrong then we might get something right. Thanks for stopping by my blog.
Oh, I think the government wants us to be dependent on them. I don't know enough about the workings of our government to know WHY they want it, but everything they're doing today is designed to encourage dependence and discourage independence. It's suspicious, for sure, and also disturbing.
Hubby and I were just talking last night about the need to refocus on becoming more self-sustaining. I'm too much of a "modern" girl to probably ever go off-grid, lol, but I'd like to definitely increase our own food production and rely less on... well... anyone else.
Curbstone-Thanks for dropping by! I got such a kick out of your canning post a few days ago!
Bitsy-You and I are much alike. I like central air way too much to go off grid...but I really enjoy it when I can replace a store-bought goody with a homemade/homegrown goody.
It seems like this administration is doing everything it can to prop up the dependents...maybe hoping this will better Obama's chance at reelection?
I'm astounded at how often people expect a single person (in this case the president) to Fix Everything. He's in a no-win situation. I voted for him because his campaigning talked about everyone pitching in together, everyone doing a share of the work to fix the economy/deficit/schools/etc. And I'm continually baffled by the number of people (especially politicians) who are complaining he hasn't done it yet. My gut reaction is always "Well, what have you done to HELP him?!"
Hubby and I have been ranting about these same issues! You've summed up our positions 100%. I'm a former teacher (current SAHM), and it's appalling how some parents send their kids to school and then turn around and blame the system for their children's failures. Anyway, my family has just spent the last 4 days without power (we're in Eastern NC), and you'd be amazed at how FEW people are prepared around here. Seriously, some people just plain refused to take any kind of precautions. ??? We were fine-- generators kept the essentials going, and we ate just as we always did. We read, I knit, and we took care of the animals and looked in on our elderly neighbors (who, by the way, WERE prepared). Anyway, THANK YOU for your post. There are plenty of us who aren't sucking from the govt. teat, but it doesn't often feel that way!
What a fine post! You have hit the nail squarely on the head! If we would all take personal responsibility for ourselves and our families, we wouldn't be in such a mess as a country. Thanks for the reminder!
I enjoyed you blog on personal responsibility and I'm a big fan.
As for the issues you mentioned you might find more info at these sites:
The education thing has really bothered me for a long time. I have asked many teachers about the situation without getting a very clear picture. I think Charlotte Iserbyt may have found the source of the trouble:
And this is how the government plans to help its rural citizens have a better life.
Enjoy. I'll be back to get your input if you have time.
Hmmm. I can't seem to leave you a link. Sorry.
Willy-Thanks for the comment...I'm not sure why you couldn't leave a link, but I googled Charlotte Iserbyt and loved what I read. The irony of it all is that I talked to a friend last night about the dumbing-down of our culture. Maybe I'm not too far off base.
Tarheel, LeFlore- Thanks for the encouragement. I was worried that this post came off as harsh, but it is what it is. At some point, we have to cowboy-up and take responsibility for ourselves.
Stacy-Good to hear from you! How's the kidlet doing in Kindergarten? This administration has been a huge disappointment for me, on both sides of the aisle and across the board...I'm waiting anxiously for November '12.
The kidlet is good - Kindergarten doesn't start here until Sep 7, but he's all geared up and itchin' to go, Star Wars lunch box in hand! He spent the summer learning to swim. The lifeguards at the local parks&rec pool aren't sure which class to sign him up for next year - he's outpaced their typical age breakdown, even if he still doesn't QUITE have swimming/breathing simultaneously down.
I know your blog is not political - and there are plenty that are - but at the base of the problem is the fact that Obama's grandparents - who raised him - were Communists. Frank Marshall Davis (google him for more info) was his mentor in Hawaii when he was an early to mid teen, and was a registered Communist in Chicago.
I'm not sure you could call Obama a Communist in the sense of party affiliation, but he _was_ a member of the Socialist Party - in fact, they sponsored him for one of his early elections. And just as you determine your children's moral and social development, his family determined his.
The fact is that the underlying principle of Communism is that the State is the sole determiner of right and wrong, as well as based on the concept of "from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs", the right to determine what each citizens' abilities are and what their needs are. (and as a by the way...the first step in making the State the prime authority is the destruction of the family unit. Destruction of the authority of religion comes next. Only the State can determine what is "right" and what is "good" for its citizens)
Also, if you're not familiar with Saul Alinisky, you _should_ be. Hillary was an Alinsky follower, as was Obama.
If everybody is dependent upon the government, then the government controls everybody. As Dennis Prager says: " The bigger the government, the smaller the individual".
Stacy- Wow! You guys start school much later than here! Hope you have some emotional support for that first day...it's a gut-wrencher!
Suek- I just can't figure Obama out. I mean so far there's been a LOT of money spent, a LOT of talking but nothing really accomplished, you know? I just have it in the back of my mind that this presidency was/is a big set-up for something bigger down the road. Of course, I've been told that I need a tin foil hat, so who knows?
>>I just have it in the back of my mind that this presidency was/is a big set-up for something bigger down the road.>>
Yeah...I have the feeling his intent was to be president of the "New World Order" or something similar. Fortunately - for us - I think his performance has blown that as an option. JMO...
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