I didn’t grow up rich, but for me, there was always a pathway through life, and when I bumped into an obstacle, I crawled over it sometimes. Other times I walked around it. As with many of you, I went into the military. That was before it was social justice/tranny friendly and you could swear and spit if needed. Combat didn’t frighten me because I was bullet proof – and as it turns out, I was. But there were others who were not.
But I digress. The point is that there was always something out there to try, and there was opportunity. Speaking of young people, I don’t see much of that today. Good jobs are very hard to find and the notion of changing jobs because you have an itch to try something else isn’t something that you’d want to do. Most folks are clinging by their fingernails, hoping that the other shoe won’t drop.
Social Justice in lending during the Bush Years and endless, worthless, Middle East wars along with vast hand-outs to buy votes have beggared the nation. We have a larger national debt under Obama than under every single president that came before him – combined. Everyone I speak to talks of business being off 20% or 30% with no way to make up the loss. Retail is tenuous at best. Costco seems to be doing well but even they have seen serious dips because of the economy. Add to that, a burning desire among the progs to raise the minimum wage to $15/hr and there is an even bigger problem.
Do I hear an amen? This is a sermonette, after all…
Today, on a daily basis, Americans needs to turn to WikiLeaks to learn what the fourth estate is covering up. Imagine that twenty or thirty years ago? There is more truth on the pages of the foreign press than in the American press.
Russia lectures America on the sanctity of human life in the face of an America that is poised to adopt elective abortion up to the moment of birth. Social justice doesn’t apply to the most vulnerable among us and the progs are fine with that.
Minorities on college campuses are DEMANDING segregation with equal fervor to their demands for desegregation only a generation ago. They are unable to decide what they want. Brown vs The Board of Education, Topeka, KS remains in effect. But maybe it’s time to go back to “separate but equal”? Or is it racist to even discuss it?
Despite massive corruption with evidence that puts the issue far beyond the question of reasonable doubt, Hillary Clinton may be the next president. Election fraud is significant, and there is no requirement that anyone be identified in order to vote. There is no way to insure any election in America is free or fair — and we look down at third world countries. The ascendence of Hillary feels very much like a tin pot potentate in a third world country.
There are signs along our Southern Border, posted by USGOV, advising citizens that the area has been ceded to drug gangs – and they are to proceed at their own risk. It’s a situation that would have been intolerable a decade ago, but it’s become how the nation works (or doesn’t work) now. Candidate Clinton and SECSTATE Kerry want a border-free America. One can only imagine how much more territory would be in the same status in that situation. The upside is that arms smuggling into the US from Mexico (a place with draconian firearms control laws) would increase the number of military style small arms, land mines, hand grenades and rocket launchers in private inventories. The addition of RPG’s to the community inventory would make inviting targets of those up-armored SWAT vehicles and bank vaults.
The country has been mismanaged, often with intent, and our best interests are not seen to. The military has been betrayed. Post 9/11, the CIA was tasked to take down terror networks, then Congress flip/flopped and wanted to see those very people punished for doing what Congress told them to do. The FBI has been racked with political scandal and corruption at the highest levels, and trust in this nations institutions has never been lower since the beginning of the War of Northern Aggression/Civil War. Constituted government has become an adversary to many Americans rather than an enabler and honest broker regulating with common sense and an even hand.
The pathway that people are looking for is a rocky one. Things never remain the same, ever. However the change is disturbing. California and four other states are looking to make marijuana legal. Prop 64 has widespread support. A lot of people smoke it now. This would legitimize it and would give those lay-abouts who use it now even greater incentive to lay-about, cash their government welfare check, and stay high. I’m not going to argue the merits of drug laws here, but statistics show that the public is not better off with more legal drugs. The cartels, businessmen who are keenly aware of the market, saw this coming and shifted production from c. sativa to opiates. America is awash with heroin as a result. The law of unintended consequences strikes again.
For me the decision to “go Galt” is a natural one, and one that a person who is unafraid of living in the mountains finds appealing. Grinding loneliness can be tempered with an antenna and bandwidth… But I fear for my nation, my countrymen, and my family, who find it more difficult to bunker up than I do.
As to my grandchildren, all I can hope is that I can leave something worthwhile behind.
I grew up pretty darn poor in Oregon. When time came for me to seek my fame and fortune, federal legislators caved to the greeny tree huggers and decided to shut down the federal forests to logging concerns to protect the spotted owl habitat. Of course, that threw about half the work force in Oregon into the unemployment line, and accordingly you couldn't even get a job at McDonalds unless you were the son of the franchise owner. And the oldest son, to boot. Jobs were non-existent.
So much for staying in Oregon, a guy has to eat, and I had to go. At the time, I didn't understand what happened, but now I do: liberals (and greenies, a particularly dangerous subset of liberals) screw things up thinking they are doing good.
Jobs? I was just thinking about that and wondering what I would be doing if I was just starting out. Since our government has trashed our manufacturing, other than a few white collar jobs, what does a young person have to choose from? I remember my commie brother touting the "information age" many years ago. All I could think of was, "You can't eat information." Somebody has to actually make something. Like Trump says, "We don't make anything." He's right.
Segregation? Works for me.
I feel sorry for anyone in the services, and especially our vets.
Alone in the mountains with lots of books? Heaven.
MAGA
Huma. Hillary. Oy!
Oh – I meant to tell you that since it's raining today, I think I'll go see The Accountant on your recommendation. There's a showing at 11:20 and then some lunch that I don't have to cook or clean up after.
Amen. Looking forward to your mountain redoubt, btw.
And the unintended consequence of no logging is massive forest fires. When we first moved here, the logging and wood companies lining the Spokane river and lake Coeur d'Alene were massive. Now all those glorious piles of logs are gone and it is completely developed. Is it pretty? Sure. But all it provides in the way of jobs is waiters/waitress, baristas, and retail store clerks.
I tell the young men I know to skip college and go to HVAC school. Welding is another good field.
LSP – just so we get this straight up front – the guest room is for me first. K?
The way the gubment is lusting for immigrants, especially illegal ones, I think your warning sign should also have added the phrase, "And feel free to vote anywhere and often." As for the military vote, I seem to remember when the Demorats and MSM were contesting the hanging chad bullshit in Florida, the Dems would not allow the absentee military ballots to be counted because they KNEW it would be strongly for BUSH. My memory may be wrong on that part, but it is my memory so I will enjoy it.
Forest fires rage every year now, vs in years when logging was underway, the fuel was removed by a responsible lumber industry and massive out of control blazes were few. Nowadays, piles and piles of tinder dry wood that was illegal to do anything with just catches fire at the first lightening strike, and burns down a few hundred square miles of forest.
Do the greenies give one poo about any of this? They deny this fact. They oughta be thrown in chains, if you ask me. But nobody ever asks me.
Liberals screw things up and then "move on". Logging is just one of many things that they've destroyed. Hillary's promise to destroy the coal companies in 'coal country' and take the jobs is something that I hope she regrets saying. She's down 25% in W-VA.
Adrienne – there are always jobs for plumbers and electricians too.
I have a theory that the job finds the person more than the other way around – if you are industrious. And if you're good at whatever you do, the world does beat a path to your door. However the present generation doesn't seem to have that burning in their gut to achieve. I always (and still) have that sink-or-swim thing going on in my head that was beat into it at an early age.
They're not Bambi and Leather, Wo…
The Accountant is a good film. I don't think that I reviewed it here but I did see it. It's not a great film, but it's worth the $5 that I paid to sit and watch it.
I don't know if the Dems are messing with the military ballots or not this time. Last election with Romney, they didn't want them counted. Typical prog behavior.
LSP – I don't know if the fishing will be up to your exacting standards of a trophy fish with every cast, but the country is wild and beautiful. That may count for something. And the canoe is also fun for running rivers.
Amen Larry . . . Here's my take on a job – it's up to the person in the mirror. A person still has the capability to create the job they want. I look at my son-in-law, and artist by training, a small college prof that is moving in the direction of furniture maker, sculptor, liturgical artist and brew master. My son . . . a chef, learning the craft of restaurateur and brew master. And Daughter – science teacher. All have jobs, two are creating their own. It's because they want to . . . it's that simple. That said, since the progs make it easier and easier to stay alive without working a single day in their life – it would seem that 10s of millions prefer that route . . . what a shocker.
I've passed this particular part of your wisdom on to my friends – thank you for this . . .
I know lots of peeps around here who are making a darn good living working on their own doing electrical work and such. My tree trimmer guys (in their very early 30's) are raking it in and enjoying every minute of their work.
Like the people who sit around at home and submit resumes online. WTHell? Every time I've needed a job, I've made a list of where I wanted to work, got up every day, dressed up, and showed up. It rarely took me more than one day to find a job.
One of the reasons I migrated to sales was to gain control of my life for my benefit. As such, I was thrown out of more places by Monday afternoon than my peers saw in a week. Never got rich was but was always solvent and never kissed anyone's ass to keep my job.
If I did one good thing as a parent, I have three sons with a strong work ethic. Since two are somewhat impaired by autism, they struggle but never quit. The third is medically retired from the Army.
I too worry about the world my grandchildren will live in.
To be fair, I've learned from my kids that many businesses only accept resumes on-line these days. When work comes to me these days, it's a phone call asking if I want to do this or that. I'm spoiled but I'm also old and know people from a life time of skulking in the shadows.
Obviously the apples don't fall far from the tree. Your children are your legacy and in a potentially uncomfortable way, they are also our benediction.
Then there are grandkids and they are a pure joy.
Generations of "you didn't build that" people toiled to create something good here. The progs want to change it into a wasteland of entitled bums who do nothing and create very little. It's up to us to do our best to leave something for our children and grandchildren to work with.
*urp*
Adrienne – Last time I visited someone, I ended up sleeping in a hammock, outdoors, strung between 2 trees. When I woke up, there were 4 little nieces standing over me, giggling, poking me with a stick. I have a feeling, if we visit LL, we might get the same accommodation. Don't forget, he has family with grand-daughters living with him. And they get up early. And they have sticks.
Everyone needs to find equilibrium in their lives and in their careers. That's easier for some than others. It just is.
And most likely sharp sticks….
Yes, Great Karnac, it could happen as you foretell.
I know enough people voting for Killary that our votes won't matter; but we will vote anyway, and pray that enough others are tired of lack of jobs, or being told they are not the right race to get the job.
I do wish I could have a mountain abode, but am glad to know that some will outlive the zombie apocalypse.
Maybe we'll pack up and try Texas or Alaska when they secede from the non-Union.
Be safe, all, and God bless.
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