Soap Box

There was a time in America when a man who shirked the duty of supporting his family was looked down on, a social outcast, a pariah, without respect and little companionship. Anyone who brought children into the world and didn't put a roof over their heads and food on the table was held in contempt, ostracized and belittled as a man who was on the very bottom rung of society, beneath the contempt of the hard working generation of responsible citizens who built this nation and made it what it was.

I sadly say, "was" because America today is not the nation it once was. It seems that a type of miasma has fallen across much of the population fostering a dependence on social programs, disability claims and other publicly funded handouts. 

A pandemic of people purportedly "hurt on the job", the ever expanding unemployment payments, the much abused dependent children program, the unwillingness of native born Americans to do the mundane, entry level jobs that has exponentially inflated the illegal alien population to the point that vote hungry politicians are willing to ignore duly mandated law, in hopes of creating another favorable voting block, swelling the unskilled labor force to the red line.

Social programs were created to help Americans over a rough patch, an injury, the death of the breadwinner in the family, a prolonged sickness or disease, a bridge to the other side of a setback, a reprieve to get a citizen in need back on his feet when he could again take the reins and provide for his, or her, family again.

The original intent of these programs were strictly temporary except in cases where the damage was permanent and the need for assistance would be ongoing.

This is not an indictment of anyone who is on assistance, I�m speaking only about the ones who are abusing the system.

These programs have been so convoluted by power seeking politicians and so abused by a contingent of the population no longer willing to take responsibility for their own futures that it is fast becoming a 50/50 proposition, 50 percent of the nation working and picking up the tab for the other 50 percent who don't work, don't want to and have no intention of ever trying. 

Ultra liberal social programs weaken a society, causing them to be so dependent, so used to somebody else taking care of every need that they get to the point they are unable to even think for themselves.

When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, the day after the wind stopped blowing and the water stopped rising, the Mississippi Gulf Coast was a beehive of activity with citizens cleaning up the storm damage, opening roads, restoring electrical power, seeing to the needs of themselves and their neighbors, already on the road to recovery.

Next door in urban New Orleans, people weaned on generations of dependence basically just sat there and waited for somebody to come get them. Many of them were herded into the Louisiana Super Dome where rape and violence were common and the lack of sanitation was deplorable.

No nation can exist with only half its population working supporting the other half and living under the repressive tax policies and silly business restrictions of an intrusive, glutinous government who thinks the national treasury is their piggy bank.

Many cannot see a way out of our conundrum, but if you apply a little cowboy logic to the situation it becomes possible.

A few ideas.

First of all, anybody who fathers a child supports that child until they reach the age of 18 and with the capabilities of DNA these days identifying the father is no problem.

For the mother to become eligible for public funds she must first name the father, who would then be verified and given two choices, work and pay child support or go to jail until that child and any other ones you may have fathered reaches the age of majority.

If you have fathered multiple children, get enough jobs to foot the bill.

Secondly, tort reform, which would cover a multitude of, sins too numerous to even go into here.

Third, Educate young people to understand that entry level jobs are a stepping stone to bigger and better things, a training ground to develop work ethic and social skills that will take you to the next rung of the ladder. And that you are responsible for what quality of life you have, not some government program designed to turn you into a dependent.

America needs to go back to work.

Sound idealistic?

It is, but it's also a very stark reality.

What do you think?

Pray for our troops and the peace of Jerusalem

God Bless America

Charlie Daniels