Little kids are super when they actually are little kids, but when older individuals take on the same characteristics it's not super at all. It's perfectly reasonable when a two-year-old clings to a favorite toy, or hoards all of his toys in his toybox, but it's not so reasonable when older individuals have the same 'MineMineMINE!!!' attitude. It's more than negative- because they may have the power to turn their childish, self-centered approach into a reality that affects everybody.
I'd heard vague references to this in recent years, but last night I noticed a link to an article where a politician stated he wants to do away with the “Meals-on-Wheels” program- a program that's been around for decades, providing hot meals to elderly persons. I was most stunned, though, by multiple pages of comments from older people who agree with his viewpoint. And in recent years, I've heard that all so-called social programs should be eliminated- that no one has a legitimate reason for being 'needy,' but if they are, they should turn to 'their churches' for help. This approach goes hand-in-hand with the nonsensical comments I've read stating everything from Social Security and Veterans benefits to student loans are all 'welfare.' In other words, the belief that even if you pay into it or repay it, it's 'charity' that you do not deserve. Seems many want to return to the so-called 'Good old days' when everything was a matter of 'survival of the fittest;' and I think Americans should be better than that.
I was not alive during the Depression era, but I knew plenty of people who were, and they were around long before then, too. Without any legitimate forms of assistance available, there was only one course-of-action for individuals who lacked money, adequate nutrition, and appropriate medical care: they died. As only one example, there was a family who lost five children between infancy and early childhood. Why did so many couples have so many children when they were too poor to care for them?- in the United States, the federal ban on birth control for married couples was not lifted until 1938, and birth control for married couples was not fully legal until a Supreme Court decision in 1965.
However, in the minds of some, there are no reasons and there are no excuses- everyone should 'have,' and, if you don't, they take the modern approach of shrugging 'Sucks to be you.' These are the folks who believe income taxes amounts to thievery- 'I earned it.. not gonna share.. minemineMINE!!!'
A few decades ago, I read numerous stories in the news of elderly persons whose daily diets consisted of one product: canned dog food. As it cost much less than real food, it was all they could afford to buy. And this was during a period of time when various social programs were available- how about we 'Just Say NO!' to the radical element that wants to eliminate all safety-nets and take the entire country back to 'survival of the fittest'?!
The United States of America should be above the mind-set of the animal kingdom. But that's the direction this country has been going in for a long time- doing away with AFDC, then the Affordable Care Act in danger of repeal, moving closer and closer to 'only the strong will survive.'
I'd heard vague references to this in recent years, but last night I noticed a link to an article where a politician stated he wants to do away with the “Meals-on-Wheels” program- a program that's been around for decades, providing hot meals to elderly persons. I was most stunned, though, by multiple pages of comments from older people who agree with his viewpoint. And in recent years, I've heard that all so-called social programs should be eliminated- that no one has a legitimate reason for being 'needy,' but if they are, they should turn to 'their churches' for help. This approach goes hand-in-hand with the nonsensical comments I've read stating everything from Social Security and Veterans benefits to student loans are all 'welfare.' In other words, the belief that even if you pay into it or repay it, it's 'charity' that you do not deserve. Seems many want to return to the so-called 'Good old days' when everything was a matter of 'survival of the fittest;' and I think Americans should be better than that.
I was not alive during the Depression era, but I knew plenty of people who were, and they were around long before then, too. Without any legitimate forms of assistance available, there was only one course-of-action for individuals who lacked money, adequate nutrition, and appropriate medical care: they died. As only one example, there was a family who lost five children between infancy and early childhood. Why did so many couples have so many children when they were too poor to care for them?- in the United States, the federal ban on birth control for married couples was not lifted until 1938, and birth control for married couples was not fully legal until a Supreme Court decision in 1965.
However, in the minds of some, there are no reasons and there are no excuses- everyone should 'have,' and, if you don't, they take the modern approach of shrugging 'Sucks to be you.' These are the folks who believe income taxes amounts to thievery- 'I earned it.. not gonna share.. minemineMINE!!!'
A few decades ago, I read numerous stories in the news of elderly persons whose daily diets consisted of one product: canned dog food. As it cost much less than real food, it was all they could afford to buy. And this was during a period of time when various social programs were available- how about we 'Just Say NO!' to the radical element that wants to eliminate all safety-nets and take the entire country back to 'survival of the fittest'?!
The United States of America should be above the mind-set of the animal kingdom. But that's the direction this country has been going in for a long time- doing away with AFDC, then the Affordable Care Act in danger of repeal, moving closer and closer to 'only the strong will survive.'