07/19/2012

I AM THE PEOPLE, THE MOB

I AM the people--the mob--the crowd--the mass.

Do you know that all the great work of the world is

     done through me?

I am the workingman, the inventor, the maker of the

     world's food and clothes.

I am the audience that witnesses history. The Napoleons

     come from me and the Lincolns. They die. And

     then I send forth more Napoleons and Lincolns.

I am the seed ground. I am a prairie that will stand

     for much plowing. Terrible storms pass over me.

     I forget. The best of me is sucked out and wasted.

     I forget. Everything but Death comes to me and

     makes me work and give up what I have. And I

     forget.

Sometimes I growl, shake myself and spatter a few red

     drops for history to remember. Then--I forget.

When I, the People, learn to remember, when I, the

     People, use the lessons of yesterday and no longer

     forget who robbed me last year, who played me for

     a fool--then there will be no speaker in all the world

     say the name: "The People," with any fleck of a

     sneer in his voice or any far-off smile of derision.

The mob--the crowd--the mass--will arrive then.

By Carl Sandburg

July 19, 2012

I will first and foremost say that I am a conservative woman who has worked for everything I've ever had in my life.  I come from a broken home and was raised by a single dad.  He taught me how to live responsibly and to depend on no one.  I put myself through college and chose something that was near and dear to my heart, health care.  I believe in working for what I have and consistently trying to do better each year.  My dad gave me a goal and that was to do better than those who were before me.  I strive for that goal everyday.   


Lately I've been wondering what exactly has happened to the America that I grew up learning about in History class.  We are on our way to a rotten core, and we don't even care about it.  I keep hearing excuses that put the blame on THE ECONOMY.  Yes, the economy sucks, but WE ARE THE ECONOMY.  America is on a downward spiral and going fast.  If the numbers for unemployment ever exceeds the numbers for the tax payers, we're doomed to fail.  Unemployment has never been so high in all of history.  I could sit here and blame the government for the increase, they sure haven't helped the situation, but I blame the laziness that has become America.  No wonder unemployment is so high.  We keep extending it, and those people have no incentive to get a job.  Some people need it.  I'm not that heartless.  I'm sympathetic to those who can't, but I can't seem to feel sorry for those who won't.  Many Americans abuse the system.  When my tax dollars are buying people iPhone and HBO, I have a problem with that!  You want to know who I feel sorry for?  The elderly people who get screwed every year because they've reached the "donut hole" of Medicare.  Why can't we get rid of some entitlements and "distribute" the wealth THAT way?  I think grandma might need her medicines more than that 25 year old needs an iPhone.  What about the veterans?  Do you realize that veterans make up a good portion of the homeless population?  I think the soldier who fought in a war deserves the help rather than Sally needing to watch Weeds on HBO.  Maybe I just don't understand.  Maybe there is a reason to all of the madness.  One day I'll figure it out, but today we're still drowning.  


EE