October 20, 2008                 

WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO MY AMERICA

     A commonly used expression these days is “that’s a no brainier.” What does it actually mean; that you do not have a brain! However, it appears that its use is when something appears obvious you do not have to think about whatever it is that is obvious. That is a contradiction, if in fact you did not have a brain (mind) how would you know that something was obvious in the first place.

     Many years ago I too used the concept and term when I was contacted by someone interested in buying one of my sleeping bags. Because of how good my bags are (I make no bones about that statement) I would tell my potential customers that buying my bags was a “fool proof purchase”. Then I began to realize that the customers were reading the information in my catalog and making a purchase after they became informed about my sleeping bags. In order for them to make the decision to buy my bags they had to have a brain (mind) in the first place. Therefore, my statement that they were making a “fool proof purchase” was an insult. I stopped immediately using the statement and resent the use of the term “no brainier” today.

     You hear or read the term used consistently because we have developed a society that has for the most part I believe chosen not to think. We have schools that for the past 60 years have tried to homogenize the students from kindergarten through college. When a student shows signs of revolting against the system ridilin is the answer. Conform student conform! This need for the government schools to control the student body’s thinking is not new it was in effect when I was in grade school in the late 1940’s. It has only gotten worse over the years. Today the students who leave high school, I say leave because most probably do not graduate or if they do they do not have but a small portion of the knowledge my generation had when we graduated, and of course they do not think. This is evidenced by the very simple fact that we the richest country in the world and rank far below many other countries students. It is for this reason the “no brainier” concept has been embraced as strongly as it has.

     We are in an election year for a president and I believe the “no brainier” concept is very much in place. If you do not use your brain (mind) to recognize the substance of the candidates and analyze what they are saying how can you make a rational decision as who to vote for? Of course you can abstain from voting all together, but then if the elected president doesn’t do things as you would like you can’t complain. So I believe all should vote.

     A large number of my fellow American’s are listening but not absorbing what is being said by the candidates. They are not thinking! As an example we in America have lived in a basic capitalistic system, and it has worked so well that America has become the wealthiest country in the world. Capitalism took us out of poverty. We have seen where all other forms of government have been totally successful failures. We have seen it time and time, again and again throughout the world, but we have one candidate who in the campaign wants us to become a country that follows these failures. Do we really want SOCIALISM? Let us who are productive and hirer people and pay payroll taxes; hell I pay an average of $4000.00 per week. That is matched by the employees of Wiggy’s. Do you think they want to fork out more money for some dead beat who does not want to work? Do you think these people want a president who hasn’t a clue what it takes to have a successful business take more of their hard earned money? I doubt it, we, all of us who work are not altruists.  I for one do not and I do not believe any educated people through out the world, and that does not mean school educated, want it either except of course the ones in power; such as Castro, Chaves, Putin, etc. Then there are those who want even a worse situation for us, they want us to be poverty stricken and bow to religious fanaticism as exists in their country. THINK about it, do you want to have to deal with a president who espouses these concepts. When you do think about it I think you will reject these ideas. Incorporating any of them will start the destruction of my AMERICA and yours.

     When I read that the potential president is intending to “change the world” it is very troubling. How about putting your efforts into changing those things that are going bad in the AMERICA I live in. How about encouraging those who are poor to educate themselves and pull themselves up by their boot straps and assimilate into AMERICAN society as the immigrants who came here in the 1700’s, 1800’s, 1900’s and now in the year 2000 have and are doing versus giving these citizens of AMERICA a permanent hand out. When my son Robert graduated from high school he had three choices; join the military and they will take care of you, go to college and I will take care of you or get a job and you will take care of yourself. I am proud of Robert who many of you have spoken with as he worked outside of Wiggy’s for a few years and when I needed someone I offered him the job and he has since learned all aspects of Wiggy’s. The reason he has learned is because he used his brain (mind) to his best ability and the more he has learned the easier it is for him to learn even more. The greater the amount of information that is absorbed by the brain (mind), the greater the amount of information that can be absorbed. It is like lifting weights; the more muscle you develop the greater the amount of weight you can lift. Because he is my son does not mean he is in a “no brainier” situation. In order for him to know what I know he must put in the time and effort to learn, and that requires the use of his mind.

     I know that it can be helpful to confront an adversary with conversation sometimes, but to confront an adversary who openly states that he want to destroy my way of life in AMERICA is NOT someone I want the elected president of AMERICA to speak with. If I did not vote I would have no right to voice my opinion as a free citizen of AMERICA. But I do vote and therefore I am expressing my opinion now. Further, in my opinion we should terminate all communication with the representatives of the country to the extent that we send their representatives out of our country and stop doing business in total with them.

     I could offer many more examples of subjects that require you to THINK about in order to make the most informed reasonable decision as to who would represent us the AMERICAN citizen. Without people actually using their mind to evaluate what would potentially take place if one person versus another were to be elected we can have a catastrophic situation presented to us.

     I am a product of immigrants, second generation citizen of AMERICA and I am living proof of what can be accomplished if you as an individual want to try; there are no guarantees. I did not need the government to do anything for me except to protect me as is one of the primary purposes of government so I could think for myself and if possible succeed. I am by no means alone, there are millions of us. The president as a spokesman to the nation should encourage one and all to do it on their own, not to come to government for a hand out before you have put forth any effort in the first place.

    Therefore, I say THINK, THINK, THINK about who will be in the best interest of our nation AMERICA the best president, not what some politician wants to give to the rest of the world. In my opinion any politician who wants to be president and give to the rest of the world what we have, has no respect for AMERICA in the first place.