Monday, October 13, 2008

AMERICA LOSES

Before the eulogy, you might want to click on the header. It's something for everybody. My parents told me about Mr. Common Sense early in my life and told me I would do well to call on him when making decisions. It seems he was always around in my early years but less and less as time passed by. Today I read his obituary. Please join me in a moment of silence in remembrance, for Common Sense had served us all so well for so many generations. Common Sense Obituary Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn't always fair, and maybe it was my fault. Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children are in charge). His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition. Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job they themselves failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Aspirin, sun lotion or a Band-Aid to a student, but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion. Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar can sue you for assault.Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement. Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by three stepbrothers; I Know my Rights, Someone Else is to Blame, and I'm a Victim. Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing. Author unknown The above are, indeed, my feelings about the coming elections. Here in Albuquerque and New Mexico, we have men and women who want to be elected or re-elected when they have shown themselves to be, at best, just mediocre. When they have leaned over backwards not to prosecute criminals (it's easier to plea bargain -- you don't have near as much work) but they go after patriots with a vengeance. We allow illegal aliens to come and go as they please and even to have major gun fights on American soil to the point that Americans are afraid to leave their homes. We allow legal aliens to bleed our coffers demanding and getting food stamps, housing and medical care from the taxpayers. We think it's ok to hear constant haranging via our radios and TV sets denigrating other Americans without backing up the statements. We accept the interminable advertising that becomes mind numbing, when all we wanted was to be entertained by the TV sets we have paid for. We accept the shoddy merchandise, the poisonous food and the poor workmanship from other countries in the name of "trade". We think the utter disregard for our health as practiced by the gasoline and diesel fuel companies allowing volatile emissions, a cost we must all pay for the pleasure of driving our cars, when we know it doesn't need to be. We accept the pleasure of putting our great, great, great grandchildren into debt because greedy companies are in financial trouble and we must bail out the multi billionaires. We patiently sit waiting for any kind of medical help while the doctors in "carpet alley" fatten themselves over our misery and the almost incompetent assistance they offer. We listen to the interminable listings of recordings when phoning a company in the hope that, sooner or later, we might get a real person to give us some help. Only to have someone whose reason for being in the system is that English is their second (or third) language and no, they don't understand what we are saying any more they we understand what they are saying. We tolerate "political correctness" to the point of absurdity, but we are cowed by the noise the minorities make if we ignore it. Whether their view is correct or not. We are required to pay for TV stations we don't want. Even in languages we cannot read, write nor speak. We are being spied upon by faceless beings, who may or may not have morals we would approve of. Every telephone call, every web site we visit, every email or IM we use is open to these unidentied and unwelcome listeners. Our streets have cameras on them, telling the spies if we even dare to pass gas.