life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

i had an interview on monday for a temporary position within the louisiana house of representatives. it felt pretty cool going to the state capitol for a reason.. not just as a tourist. the interviewer kept focusing on my lack of qualifications for a full-time position because they "haven't hired someone with just a bachelors in over 25 years".. thanks for that tidbit of trivia sir, but i'm pretty certain i went in there seeking temporary employment. which is why i started off by saying i was looking to get my foot in the door, make connections, and improve my experience. when i apply for a job in august, me in august would be a heck of a lot more marketable than me right now, if i were to get a legislative position of any kind.

as i walked down the hall leaving his office in the underbelly of the state capitol, my emotions overwhelmed me - not to the point of tears, but of some level of grief. i thought to myself, why am i getting emotional.. i soon realized these emotions weren't the product of one not-so-successful interview.. it was a culmination of over 3 months of continued rejection. that sort of crap starts to weigh on you after a while. and, i'm not going to lie.. it sucks. i hate not being good enough in practically every employers eyes.

i met my dad for lunch after and we had a good long talk that i really needed, to be honest. he told me some stories i hadn't ever heard of his and mom's life just outside of college graduation. it helped encourage me to keep my chin up and not allow the constant rejection to weigh on me. the rejection does suck, but i'm bigger than that. and frankly, what they think doesn't matter anymore because they aren't my boss. and it helped me also remember that i need to do what i enjoy. i want to enjoy whatever my life is and what it will become. i'd rather make $2 dollars a year doing something i absolutely love than $200,000 a year and hate my life. i am passionate about analyzing and debating government policy.

today, the u.s. house approved obama's 3.55 trillion budget for 2010. as i've now listened to floor debates for numerous massive spending bills (including ones during the end of the bush administration) i've always come back to one thing: sure these plans sound lofty and admirable, but is it the federal government's place to do these things? and the resounding answer is HECK NO! aside from bailing out banks and homeowners, those are obvious no's.. we get into things like ramping up emission standards on cars, throwing billions of dollars at an endless war on drugs, paying for volcano monitoring, bike paths, atv trails, raising taxes and mandates on cigarettes, reinstilling the death tax (not only are you taxed all your life, now you're taxed when you die!)... i could go on and on. 

the increasingly intrusive government has taken away more of your freedoms and more of your hard earned money over America's lifetime. we have abandoned what this great nation was established for - individual freedom and liberty. to make decisions for yourself. thoreau said it best in his essay "civil disobedience" when he said "that government is best which governs least." i had jury duty one day a while back and had the opportunity to read this essay during my free time. many people in today's society attribute it to the abolition of slavery, but i propose those are the people who have never actually read it. i too thought it was going to be all about the abolition, however, the subject only arose in one paragraph. i suggest everyone read this essay. its as applicable now as it was then.

this post turned out to be much more political than i originally intended, but i hope it encourages independent thought. i'll leave you with some more quotes to chew on.. (note: these are all founding fathers)

"the liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them."  - patrick henry

"the natural liberty of man is to be free from any superior power on Earth, and not to be under the will or legislative authority of man, but only to have the law of nature for his rule."  - samuel adams

"in all our associations, in all our agreements, let us never lose sight of this fundamental maxim - that all power was originally lodged in, and consequently is derived from, the people."  - george mason

and finally..

"when the people fear their government, there is tyranny. when the government fears the people, there is liberty."  - thomas jefferson

from each according to his ability, to each according to his need

Wasting time on facebook, I ran across this political cartoon, and felt it was just too fitting not to share. Its ironic how socialism sounds so great to some, until you turn the tables back on themselves. Only then, when it is unfair also to them, do they disregard their own policies. NO ONE in their right mind would EVER work their butts off (like the rich have) only to have the profits of their hard work distributed to others who have not worked hard for it and don't have any sort of understanding of what hard work is. It's my recollection that Marxism failed.

(click picture to enlarge)

This is America. The land of opportunity. When did we forget this? Anyone can become anything they want to be in this country.. they only have to set their minds to it. No one is dealt an "unfair disadvantage" they aren't able to overcome through hard work and determination. Take the immensely wealthy Rush Limbaugh, who started off, not as a rich commentator, but as a poor college drop out working construction jobs.  He stayed determined to make something of himself and become better than what he was. Whether you agree or disagree with his views, his hard-work is an example that anyone can become anything they want.

Well, he is a white male so he has an "unfair advantage" which made it easier for him to succeed, you say? Well first of all, I disagree completely that anyone is dealt an unfair advantage or disadvantage that cannot be overcome, or lost, by hard work, or the lack thereof. Secondly, to give an example of a non-white person who has become extremely successful in the face of great adversity throughout his entire life is Democratic Presidential-nominee Barack Obama. While I do disagree strongly with nearly all of his policies, his story and rise to power is one to admire and seek to replicate. Obama was born to a non-existent father (as well as a polygamist and a drunk) and a mother who died when he was young. Not only the lack of true parents, he was born as a mixed race child. You can't get much more "underprivileged" than that. Yet despite ALL of these odds against him, he set out to make a name for himself and become something many only dream of. 

The difference he had was DETERMINATION and WORK ETHIC. That is exactly the thing people stricken with poverty are lacking. Get a little motivation and do something with yourself. Obama now has a 50/50 shot of being the next President of the United States of America, the leader of the free world, the most powerful position in the world. Not only the next President, but the FIRST ever black president, crossing a barrier no other person has ever done in the 230+ year history of this great country. Proving civil rights have reached a more equal state. 60 years ago, he could never have even had the dream of becoming President, or really anything for that matter. 

But times have changed, and here he is, knocking on the door of the White House. And he did it without the help of over-reaching governmental programs. Why can't he realize his own success and be an example to others to make something of themselves. Heres why: votes. A message of self-help doesn't gain voter support. A message of "I'll help you," let's get those rich whities for hoarding all that wealth, and here's some many programs to help you get a leg in society.. That gains votes.

Again, what has happened to America? Where is our "can-do" spirit? The gumption to make something of ourselves? To not just accept our situation, but to strive for more? To serve a higher purpose than merely existing? I can't ever imagine sitting at home doing absolutely nothing with my life, stealing the money of those who actually DO something with their lives. That, to me, is one of the most pathetic things ever. And I will go on to say, those who engage in this activity, or lack thereof, are part of the cause of this downfall of our great country.