The way it SHOULD be.

[layoutshooter]

During my "Dark Days" 1973-1976 I was out of work more often than I was in work. At one time laid off from 3 different jobs at the same time. I had a wife and a new born son. I am hear to tell you it was NOT easy. I went hunting one day, hunting and fishing were my two main sources of meat in those days. I walked up to a farm where I had never been before. There was a very old, blind, black man sitting on the porch. I asked it I could hunt. He said sure and asked why I was not at work on a week day. I explained what was going on. He smiled. He told me that he had taken all the vegetables out of his garden that he could use and said I could have whatever I needed. He then asked me to mend a fence for him. This man understood dignity. He knew I was hunting to feed my family. He had extra to give but he knew not to "give". He offered goods for service. He was able to help a struggling family and still allow me to hold my head high. THAT is how MEN should act. Not what we have today with this government and the country in general. I never forgot the lesson that blind man taught me. He taught me to see the dignity of work and mankind. Not a bad lesson to learn. Layoutshooter

 

[chefdennis]

Good story and it also shows just how a man can be humble while holding on to his dignity.

Reminds me of those guys with the signs, "will WORK for food" , but when offered a bag of burgers from mcDonalds will turn them down, or when offered a small job , they turn that down, they don't want work or food, just the cash from a too busy public that feels guilty........No lesson there, they already said screw any dignity, just show me the money.

 

[layoutshooter]

It kinda is a little different than Turtle sees things. That man was older than my grandfather. I had been taught things like working hard and dignity by my dad and granddad, but they were family and I was a kid. When I met that old man I was a man myself. I had pride and dignity. I was in trouble, I was having a really hard time "doing the right thing" by my family. That man brought all the lessons of my youth to life. He saw that I was NOT asking for a handout, but hunting, as man has done through out his history, to feed my family. Not lazy. He knew I needed help. He allowed me to help myself. To keep my dignity and still have the needed supplies. He showed me respect. That old man is long dead and his farm is part of I-275 in Michigan. I will never forget that man and what he taught me. One generation passing on the meaning of right and wrong, dignity and respect. Sorry Turtle, but that IS the right way, for EVERYONE. Just because it's new or the "next generation" does it does NOT make it right. Men used to pass on the "Secrets" of living right to the next generation. They were not made fun of or ridiculed for those beliefs. In this "Old Farts" day, we were taught to respect our elders. What a shame that todays people did not learn these lessons. That Turtle, is what Obama and all his kind are missing. Respect for thier elders. He could learn a lot from them, but he is too worried about making sure the next generation rules rather than learning to pass the torch from one to the next and keeping the fire going. Layoutshooter

 

[chefdennis]

Thanks Layout...

 

[OntarioVanMan]

Nice story Joe...but it's not about the turning of a boy into a man and responsiblility and respect for the elders...this is about politics....different ball of wax...

 

[Turtle]

Well, OVM gets it. To be not-so subtly insulted in that I don't respect my elders or that I don't think there is value in the life lessons that can be learned from others is a little over the top and, I think, quite uncalled for in a new thread. You're taking something from one thread and moving it, out of context, into another. That old black man, blind or not, worthy of Snopes or not, probably wouldn't do that.

In any case, life lessons learned from those who came before you don't necessarily apply to politics. That's why they call it politics.

 

[Tennesseahawk]

In any case, life lessons learned from those who came before you don't necessarily apply to politics. That's why they call it politics.

Likewise, lessons learned in politics of the past, are pretty much ignored in the present. And laws made in the past, apparently don't apply to politicians of today.

 

[Turtle]

Sounds good, and it's temping to write that it's always been that way and it probably always will be, but that would be disingenuous on my part. I would argue that recent politicians like Obama, Clinton, Reagan, all used political lessons from the past for their benefit. And that the quiet back-room and under-the-table politics of Congress makes great use of the politics of the past.

 

[layoutshooter]

Guess you missed my point. Politics NEEDS to be run as people SHOULD be looking to thier elders to pass these lessons on. Obama and most polititions don't believe in the dignity of man or the self worth and pride gained be supporting your self and family. Welfare destroys dignity. It creates dispare. That is the main cause of crime. Dispare and hopelesness. Poverty does not cause crime. They forgot the simple lesson of giving a man a fish etc. Thier entire way of thinking is flawed. Welfare and govenment "entitlments" are the cause of most social problems, not the solution. Government is flawed, out for power and control, not the improvement of man. Layoutshooter

 

[chefdennis]

you mean the people that don't have a chance to make something of their lives aren't "entitled" to the "stuff" the government gives them??

 

[layoutshooter]

Gee, other than a very few people that are way too sick etc to work, I have NEVER met ANYONE that did not have a chance to work. Not one. Everyone has a chance. I met junk men, ditch diggers etc, all who worked. If you don't have the skills it is YOUR responsibility to get them. It is not the responsibilty of the government to provide you with them or a living if you refuse to get them. You and you alone are responsible for your actions and life. You are entiled to nothing but the chance to suceed or fail on your own. Layoutshooter

 

[Turtle]

Has anyone ever filed a restraining order against the government because the government won't leave them alone and get out of their lives?

Interesting.

 

[aristotle]

Governments, including ours, rule by intimidation at the point of a gun barrel and the threat of incarceration. We have little recourse but to comply.

 

[layoutshooter]

Very interesting idea indeed!!! I might have to try that!! By the way Turtle, I was not trying to imply that you don't learn or respect your elders. Obama does not, but I did not imply you. See, that is why I would like a person with SOME experiance of SOME kind in that office. School does not teach you how to work nor does it teach wisdom. You gain wisdom from doing, not reading. That old blind man (he was black and he was blind) was one of the most wise men I have ever run into. He understood the "Spirit of Man" When you give and hand out, you know, treat a man like a pet, you break the spirit. In other words, a "Hand out drives men down, a hand up raises them up." Do you remember the pride you felt when you got your first pay check? The pride you felt when you found you could do for yourelf? That you no longer needed mommy and daddy? Government hands out take that away. Layoutshooter

 

[Packmule]

And why should POLITICS not learn from its past mistakes?
History is history....Our Military sucess and strength comes from what we have learned from our mistakes in the past, (history) so why should our governing bodies also take heed to the past (history) and learn from our elders.

It may be a different time and technology but it's still the same game.

 

[layoutshooter]

They should but they NEVER do. Polititions are not the sharpest tacks in the box for the most part. Layoutshooter

 

[Turtle]

We do learn from our elders about politics, but that doesn't mean we have to have the same politics. My elders in my family, most of whom are now gone, are all now, and have always been, liberal Democrats. I'm a real hit at family gatherings.

 

[layoutshooter]

Same with my family backround. I did not see the light until I went into the Army. The press and the "Left's" story about what was going on in Viet Nam and the rest of the world during WW3 did not even come close to what was really happening. I would work on an "event" one day and then read about that "event" in the papers or here about it on the news later. It was very odd but they, for the most part, seemed to be two different events and the "media" version almost always seemed to be lacking in facts and reality. I still see that today with storied that I know things about. It often appears that things are reported that just don't fit. The press often has no clue what they are talking about and seem to make no effort at all to get it right. I am not talking about the political "bend" to thier reporting but thier inability to get basic facts straignt. When I here so many things wrongly reported I have to assume that most everything they write is wrong. Layoutshooter

 

[OntarioVanMan]

The press often has no clue what they are talking about and seem to make no effort at all to get it right. I am not talking about the political "bend" to thier reporting but thier inability to get basic facts straignt. When I here so many things wrongly reported I have to assume that most everything they write is wrong. Layoutshooter

haha..thanks for the lead in Joe......That statement is WHY we don't believe a word of the Chefs posts!!!*LOL*

 

[layoutshooter]

Yea, the press does tend to make a FEW mistakes every once in a while. Not to mention that they tend to "LEAN" a bit to the left. With SO many important things coming up, like nationalizing health care etc it would really be nice to get an accurate picture of BOTH sides of the issue so anything that is done or not done in the open with full understanding of what is being done to or for us. That will NEVER happen of course, but it would be nice. I can't wait to hear all the bogus or trumped up stats they use. No proof of those stats, the methodology used to come up with them. The controls to insure accuracy etc. Not that the press would ever lie about anything. Layoutshooter