Thread: Presidents: leaders or beggars?

Absolutely not.

What I am saying is that it is not white and black, and we cannot assume because someone is unemployed or uneducated that they are "lazy drunks".

You have two women... GirlA and GirlB.

GirlA comes from a wealthy family. GirlB comes from a family well below the poverty line.

GirlA/GirlB have aspirations of being a biologist.

GirlA/GirlB do average in High School and get average scores on college entrance exams. Neither do well enough to get a scholarship.

GirlA/GirlB meet the man of their dreams. They both end up pregnant and said man of dreams disappears.

GirlA/GirlB now have tough decisions to make.

GirlA now has options. Abortion would be quick and easy for her, but she decides it is against her moral convictions and decides to carry the child to term.

GirlB might have options. She might be able to get an abortion, but due to the current political climate may be restricted. It doesn't matter though as she decides it is against her moral convictions and carries the child to term.

GirlA now lives with her parents, and attends college while a nanny watches the child for her.

GirlB now lives with her parents, but poses a burden to the family with the newborn. She is forced to work two jobs to pay for all the necessities of life, and to attend her local college. Childcare is difficult since she must rely on family/friends.

GirlA obtains a degree with an average GPA.

GirlB drops out after the first year when working two jobs and taking care of her child become overwhelming.

GirlA finds a nice job making a very nice wage. Buys a nice two story house in suburbia and lives care free.

GirlB loses one of her jobs, and is living day to day just hoping she can afford food until she can find a replacement for her lost job. She applies for government programs to avoid losing everything.

Both girls made the same decisions, and both worked hard to obtain their desires. The difference was that GirlA had the financial backing to allow her success in spite of her mistakes. GirlB had no such backing, and had to rely on the government when things went south.

I would contend that GirlB worked MUCH harder at trying to realize her dreams, and GirlA simply coasted through life lazy and unaware.

It's not always black and white like the politicians want you to think. It's those darn shades of gray that test a moral society.

The problem with the citizens of the United States is that secretly they all pretty much want "big government",

I assure you I do not want big government or the government involved in any of my daily affairs. However this is unavoidable since in The United States...keyword States...the states should govern the day to day lives of its citizens. Federal government is for international affairs and those powers not specifically granted to the states. Most in our current day have this backwards and have given the federal government powers that were expressly granted to the states. States are beginning to fight back but it is a lost cause b/c once power is given to the federal side it almost never is given back. The federal government in America is far too large and far too involved in day to day affairs of the citizens of the U.S. to be efficient at what it is they are supposed to be doing via the Constitution.

Another problem is that all the world sees of the United States is what our horrid mass media sends their way or the what the absolute idiots that populate Hollywood spew out of their mouth. In truth everyday America is actually quite simplistic and although most if not all love their country they cannot stand their federal government for the same reasons the rest of the world cannot stand it. State government is something altogether different though and very rarely, if ever, do you hear of any American complain about government at the state level. When we mention 'big government' in America we are talking about the federal government. I think it is high time the States tell the Feds to shove off and get out of the affairs of its citizens and then maybe the Feds can get back to what it is they are supposed to be doing.

I fortunately had the chance to attend college, but some of the best/brightest people I have worked with had no formal education.

I, too, fall into this category. I have not found a direct correlation between education and the intelligence of a person. Intelligence is not based on your formal education b/c we have all met some pretty ignorant college graduates. We have all also met some pretty ignorant people who never attended college. College, in and of itself, does not make one intelligent or smart nor does it guarantee one's earning potential increases as some would have you believe. There are plenty of degrees available that cannot come close to the earning potential of jobs that do not require a degree such as construction, maintenance, manufacturing, etc. I certainly condone attending college but I do not judge another person nor their earning potential or possible benefit to society simply on college alone. If you had the chance to attend college that is great but do not think yourselves above another simply because you did. As well all people who did not attend college are not drunken lazy people who depend on the government. There are plenty of recent examples of highly educated workers being lazy and wanting the government to coddle them as much as the next person. A lack of college does not mean you are going to end up in a trailer court in Arkansas, beat your wife and kids, drink all day and all night, and contribute nothing to society...not that all people who live in trailers in Arkansas fit into this mold either b/c they don't but you get the idea.