Posted by
Katherine Harms on Wednesday, August 27, 2008 9:55:30 AM
The United States of America was founded by people who did not ask their government for much more than the freedom to take advantage of opportunities. If our Founders had acted the way Democrats act, we would all be singing “God Save the Queen” to this day.
Last night, I watched the Democrat convention starting about 6PM Eastern. I stayed with it past Hillary’s speech through a few comments. Today, thinking about what I saw and heard, I realize that the entire evening was a single long whine. The image of families sitting around the kitchen table wringing their hands was referenced in almost every speech. We were all made to believe that there is something wrong with a world in which people don’t all get what they want – the job they want, the pay they want, the healthcare they want, and so forth. It was demeaning to the human race and demeaning to the citizens of the United States. The image of humanity projected by the Tuesday evening session of the Democrat convention was one of tears and groveling before the god-like government who must run to the rescue of the hopeless ones.
I am appalled by that image of the citizens of this country. We are not hopeless. We are not incapable of solving problems. We can and do deal with personal and family crises every day without any assistance from the government. In fact, every time the government intrudes itself into our lives, there is a very great likelihood that the government will take something away from us rather than do good for us.
The people among whom I live are strong and intelligent. I am not rich, and I don’t know any rich people personally. The people I know work for their money. Sometimes they lose their jobs, and do you know what they do when that happens? They either look for another one or start a business of their own. They don’t sit down to the kitchen table and wring their hands. They don’t cry on national TV because they are without work at the moment. Losing a job is not a national tragedy. I have lost jobs and found jobs throughout my life. It is a common saying among the people I know personally to observe, “I was looking for a job when I found this one.” The reality is that there are always jobs to be had, even though some are less desirable than others. The difference between us and the people the Democrats paraded on TV last night is that we don’t think any particular job is beneath us. We believe that work is honorable, and we work. That was what I didn’t hear last night. Work is honorable, no matter what work you do. It is your human responsibility to find or create work that will support your family. It is not the work of government to assure that you have the job you dream of with the paycheck you long for and the benefits that will take care of you, your family and your dog until you die.
In the world I live in, government does not exist to create jobs and assure income. In my world, government exists to protect the people from dangers that would prevent businesses from succeeding. We believe that if business thrives, from the corner grocery to the multinational oil company, people will thrive, too. Business is not the enemy of personal prosperity; it is the engine of personal prosperity.
Here is the change I hope to see during the final months of the election campaigns. I hope to see Republicans counter this sniveling, whining image of humankind with a new image, an image of free, strong people who take charge of their lives. That kind of people sailed west and marched west into unknowns and challenges and threats that make last night’s sob fest look like the pathetic pity party that it was. I hope we can change the image of US citizens from three-hanky crybabies to that of powerful, strong and free people who take on the unknown and whip it into a great country.