By: MOTH
I awoke this morning thinking how much my priorities have changed in regards to self preservation-actual definition would be that of “family preservation.” A lesser example would be putting off buying that relatively inexpensive blu-ray player, mainly for the use of streaming movies. A major example would be considering trading in the sports car for a 4 wheel drive. My idea of the American dream has turned into “how do I survive the American Nightmare?” My life has definitely become one of preparedness; I was never one for instant self-gratification, but looking to the future has taken on new meaning. Dreams and goals have been replaced by thoughts of what will be most useful, most beneficial to survival, rather than what would be nice to just hang on the wall, be it big screen or wallpaper.
My involvement in politics has not changed, but my self awareness (or should I say, family awareness) has increased tenfold. My constant searching for news has made my mental and emotional burden heavier, but I will not choose to be blindly uniformed, as so many citizens do, mainly because of the way the political landscape has shifted so dramatically.
A comment from this blog that references a Reuters article demanded further introspection:
Submitted by DWCAP on July 14, 2009 – 3:02pm.
I think some little part of MY American dream died when I read that. Maybe it was just cardiac arrest and could be rescued, but I kinda doubt it.
I take liberty here to assuming the ‘cardiac’ arrest’ was caused by the reference to the “jobless borrower” being subsidized by the government. The definition of “subsidized by the government” in this case is strictly in reference to We The People, in other words, Us The Job-Working Taxpayer.
The government stops short of debt forgiveness, (although this is a concept being pushed by some left-wing blogs) instead, planning to assume the role of future slum-lord of the United States. How wonderful the concept of a unionized public worker plumber (insert required butt crack here) coming to unstop your toilet. Which begs the question-how long would the wait list be? Two weeks? Two months? Two years, maybe, or longer, while waiting for Congress to pass a budget?
To digress into a little brief history, I bought my first home (part of my personal American dream) when the housing bubble was beginning to burst. I was offered a loan of more than twice what I assumed. Why didn’t I jump onto that big credit/big house band wagon? Because I did my homework. I asked myself: if others seemingly smarter than I, richer than I, were going belly up, what made me so smart? What made me think I wouldn’t end up parting ways with my American dream? Because what I found was simple math: (and also a lesson taught very young by the parentals,) NEVER BORROW MORE THAN YOU CAN AFFORD. I took the responsibility upon myself to know what I could handle and what I couldn’t BEFORE I signed on the dotted line. I took responsibility for my actions, so that if I failed, I had no one to blame but myself.
Even three and a half years ago, I looked to the future. I perceived this home I own now as an investment, and a legacy, not some garbage-strewn hole in the ground that will end up being bulldozed and subsidized to some oppressed person by the government. It may be my subconscious thoughts then will save me and my family some day. This home has equity and farmable property. Not a survivalist when I purchased it, but this place has acquired the meaning of self (and family) preservation on levels I cannot begin to describe. [It is probably important to note here that I had to work for it, it wasn’t just subsidized to me because I was OPPRESSED in some fashion.]
In recent years, the concept of “live and let live” has morphed into “shoving-it-down-your-throat-ism” under the guise of political correctness and tolerance for the lesser of us occupying space in society. Who fits the role of “lesser” are those who are currently being OPPRESSED. It appears from this Reuters report, that the administration believes those without their wallpaper of choice are oppressed. If you check with the Reverend Al Sharpton, those without big screens are being oppressed as well.
The thought of tolerance and/or oppression reminds me of a current debate of the rainbow pride flag being flown with the American flag in Richmond, Virginia in front of the Federal Reserve Bank . Having witnessed Che Guevara t-shirts on fashion models in this country makes me wonder what comes next. This is a slippery slope of so called acceptance that means others will be clamoring for attention, and SOON. (A new buzz-line is forming in my brain: “Tolerance rears its ugly head!”) With the rise of the new Nazi party in Egypt, with the foundation of political correctness, I have to wonder if seeing a swastika below the Red, White, and Blue will be on the near horizon. Would that be the point that the American Dream then becomes the American Nightmare? (That may be the American Dream for some, depending upon whom you ask.) Seems hard to swallow? Who would have guessed that someone in our government would have stated “Al-Jazeera is real news…”
I firmly believe that Americans cannot currently be propagandized at this time. But political correctness is assaulting our ability to have independent thought and manipulating our discussion. Political correctness, the gateway for tolerance, which is the substance of lifting the oppressed, is paving the way for future propagandizing.
Of course, I consider myself a fiscal and constitutional conservative. But if the truth be told, I am libertarian. With no current nor future plans of divorcing myself from that stance. (I had the good fortune of my parents ‘forcing’ me into being raised in an ethnically mixed neighborhood and high school. Even though I am constantly being perceived in the main-stream-media as an “evil capitalist” or a “bitter clinger,” I fly my libertarianism flag high.
So what flag do you see outside my humble American Dream home-owning accomplishment? The Stars and Stripes, of course.
And, the flag below it: “Don’t Tread on Me.”