"What we obtain too cheap..."

"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands is now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet, we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly....Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its good; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as Freedom should not be highly rated."

Tom Paine

In a comment to a previous post, GotDesign (see below for link to his blog) mentioned entitlement. Best I can tell, our Founding Fathers' ideas about entitlement were pretty much exhausted in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. According to them, there are those things to which we are entitled as men (rights), and those things we obtain through effort (the pursuit of happiness).

Liberal thinking today confuses the pursuit of happiness with rights. The War on Poverty in the 1960s solidified this concept. Generations of people in much of Appalachia and many inner cities gave up what was once a proud independence and self-reliance and nuzzled close to suck at the Government teat. The "You deserve it, it's your right" mantra of the left, constantly repeated by the liberal politicians as they dangled morsels in front of the populace, festered and spread throughout our nation until a substantial portion of our people, uneducated in the history and foundation of our country, desiring only what is easy and without personal effort or cost, no longer have the desire or will to work for what they want.

More on this later.

The myth of the disenfranchised

Great article from Jonah Goldberg from TownHall.com that echoes my post of 10/21.

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/jonahgoldberg/jg20041022.shtml

Saying so don't make it so. Where's the proof?

Some don't understand the personal responsibility of voters?

(A recycle from the 2000 election with a few minor edits)

Well, it's election day, and somewhere, sometime, people are going to be whining, "They did this," or "They did that (whoever They are), and I didn't get to vote." I don't understand it. It seems some people are unable to understand the simple concept of, "It's my vote, and I am responsible for seeing it cast, and cast correctly."

There are few requirements for which I am responsible.

First, I must be legally eligible to vote.

Second, I must be legally registered to vote, that is, within the correct time period allowed for registration, and within the correct precinct and for primaries, registered to a party that has candidates on the ballot.

Third, I must go to the proper polling place to vote.

Fourth, I must provide to the poll workers legal proof of my identity that agrees with my registration information.

Fifth, I must know for whom I will be voting.

Sixth, I must understand how to cast my vote correctly. All the information necessary to successfully cast a legal vote is readily accessible to anyone who cares to know it.

Under Kentucky law, if I am not legally registered, I do not have right to vote. If I am at the wrong precinct, I do not have a right to vote there. If I cannot provide legally required identification, the poll worker is required by law to deny me access to the voting booth. If I cast an incorrect or blank vote because I haven't taken the time to understand, or asked for instructions about the voting method, I have no one to blame but myself. If any of these occur, it is not some conspiracy by (fill in your favorite bug-a-boo here) to disenfranchise you, it is your failure to secure your right to vote.

I have worked polls in the past here in Kentucky. It is the duty of the poll workers to ensure, to the best of their ability, that the votes which are cast are legal, and cast correctly. Poll workers must ensure the identity of the voter. Any voter may ask for assistance from the poll workers. Representatives of both parties then assist the voter. Some counties use paper ballots (no punch cards of which I am aware, you fill in a circle with a pencil), some machines in which you flip a lever for your candidate. Instructions are posted outside and inside the voting booths. Sample ballots are available to study before you go in to vote. If you have a disability, you have the right to bring in a person of your choice, with a few exceptions, to assist you in casting your ballot. Provisional ballots are on hand for the appropriate circumstances.

Poll watchers who have received the same training as poll workers are allowed inside the polling place. They, just as a poll worker, can challenge a voter's eligibility to vote. However, if you are legally registered, are at the correct polling place, and have identification, you cannot be stopped from voting in the appropriate races. If you let a challenge intimidate you and do not vote, you have no one to blame but yourself.

For years, I was challenged at every election. Poll workers and watchers would not, rightfully so, allow me to vote in city elections because I resided 20 feet out of the city limits. I was in the correct precinct, but was not a resident of the city. I could have called the challenge harassment, could have stayed home and complained about someone else taking away my right to vote, could have charged that my rights to vote in the city elections had been denied, or I could have gone to the polls and cast the legal votes I was eligible to cast. I never missed an election.

I don't care what color you are. I don't care about your sexual orientation. I don't care about your religion. I don't care what part of town you live in, and it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks about these things or any others. Be responsible for your vote. Do what you need to do to be able to cast a legal vote, and then go do it! Be an proud, responsible citizen and get the job done.

And if you don't, well, STOP WHINING ABOUT IT!!!!

Do we make a difference?

At a meeting this evening, our Pastor said, "It's one thing to be a success, it's another to be significant."
That's a real challenge. It's not enough to be good, we should make a difference. How have we touched another's life today in a positive way? Has something we said or did today made a positive difference in someone's life? Does the way we live our lives have a continuing influence on others?

No coasting allowed here. Significance is seldom accidental. Pastor's challenge this evening was for us to purpose to make a difference, to look for the opportunities to exercise our intention, and continue to stretch beyond what we think we can do to what God can do through us.

At the barbershop.

Had an interesting time at the barbershop yesterday evening. When I walked in, the gentleman in the chair said, "Can't get your hair cut here unless you're a Republican."

Figuring I had walked into the middle of a political discussion, I told them not to worry about it, I had been a Republican since 1973.

My barber said, "You know, it's funny, but I don't have many Democrat customers."

My reply was, "That's because most of them don't go to barbers, they go to stylists."

Well, I thought the fellow in the chair was going to end up with a mohawk. (Wait, is it politically correct to call a haircut after a tribe of Native Americans? Don't want to offend anyone.) Both he and the barber started to laugh, and the clippers got terribly close a couple of times.

When they calmed down, the fellow in the chair allowed that my statement was probably truer that we would think.

Are you undecided?

Have you made a decision about your vote for President? I have. In any political race there are certain prioritized criteria I use as I decide for whom to vote. The criteria is set before I know who is running, and they are valid for every race from the local, to the state, to the federal level. For me, choosing a candidate is just a matter of determing who fits the bill. In a primary, it may take a bit longer, but generally speaking, there are very few races that I haven't already made up my mind about by the time the primary election results are in.

Now to the crux of this post.

I don't understand undecided, particularly at this point in a presidential race. We have two major candidates that represent two completely different philosophies of goverment and policy about almost every issue on the table.

So. Door #1, or Door #2? And you know exactly what's behind them.

Are you undecided about the presidential race? Can you tell me why? I'd really like to know. Can you tell me how you'll make your choice, what you'll base it on and when?

Please note I am trying to keep this general. If you answer, I promise not to beat you up or convert you. I would really like have a better understanding of this.

Just a thought.

Been flipping thru blogs. Lot of people doing some serious thinking out there. Many more that aren't. That's not a bad thing, just an observation.

Lots of young folks writing. I wish blogs had been around back when I knew everything!
:^)

"Bring it on!"

Glad to hear the President and Vice-President taking it to them in PA and on the debate last evening. A couple of my liberal friends are all over Cheney's "lie" about just meeting Edwards. Of course they completely ignore the rest. Hey folks, being in the same room with someone, even sitting beside them, even several times, isn't what Cheney was referring to. I think he was really pointing out Edwards' essential uselessness as a Senator. With his nearly non-existent attendance on the Senate floor and committee meetings, it makes me wonder if the Dems were hiding him...

I wish my liberal friends could see the irony of hating Bush so much they would vote for two candidates that would have had a terrible time holding onto their seats in the Senate.

I overheard a conversation at an outdoor table at a restaurant today. The couple, liberals themselves, were discussing their liberal friends. The discussion didn't hinge on the war in Iraq, terrorism, or domestic issues. The sole criteria for just how liberal they were was the degree of hatred they held for Bush and Cheney.

Now, I have to admit, there would be little political love lost between me and most Democrats holding office, but it is based on their political position and policy, not personal animosity. I have a number of friends with whom I strongly disagree on almost anything political, but they are still my friends.

My first BLOG

I have been wondering how to force myself to write on a regular basis. "Maybe a blog would do trick," I said to myself. Well, I doubt it, but it looks like fun, so I thought I'd try it anyway.

My thoughts are pretty full of politics these days, so I guess I'll be writing about that quite often. Maybe some musings on religion, culture, work, or whatever has ticked me off during the day. Who knows?

My goal is to post at least one article a day. We'll see what happens.

Check out http://www.gotdesign.blogspot.com/