01-18-2009, 07:33 PM
Gary,
I appreciate what you are saying, and I agree with most of your reasoning but I do disagree with your conclusions for the fix. I applaud how you in your small way are trying to make a difference with your own time and money etc. Your above comments are a sad reflection on what government has become in this country. But how did it get this way? I think that both parties are to blame. I am not a Republican or a Democrat or a libertarian or a constitutionalist. Most of the people on this board would agree with me on that. I am a person who derives his world view and thus my political philosophies from the Bible. As such I am probably one of the most conservative people you'll ever meet, both fiscally and socially. In a nut shell I believe that government should only be concerned about defending its citizens and guaranteeing only the basic rights such as freedom of religion, speech, right to bear arms, fair trial etc. The reason so many people have jumped on what you have said is you believe the government should legislate equality for everyone by guaranteeing a good education. By your own admission government is corrupt beyond belief, hardly the institution you want giving you an opportunity. My idea of the ideal government is one that will give its citizens an opportunity to better themselves. But I also believe that until Christ comes back we will always have people who are poor, middle class, and wealthy. I think that history proves that when people try to give everyone the same exact starting position it fails on a colossal scale. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't be concerned about helping those in need such as you have. But that is not the governments place. Individuals and churches should be the ones that lend a helping hand on their own initiative. Another thing that you mentioned when comparing "rich" districts and "poor" districts was the grade difference. That doesn't surprise me but my conclusion is different than yours. I think that "rich" kids are more likely to have responsible parents who will impart to their kids character traits such as a good work ethic, honesty, and responsibility. Now what I am about to say could be considered racist but that is not my intent so please don't take it that way. If you look at the poorer districts most of them will have a majority of African-Americans. Now why is that? I believe that is because their family culture is dysfunctional. We have all seen the statistics where blacks have the highest violent death rate. If you think of the typical 18-30 black male you unfortunately think of somebody who is not very responsible and is directionless in life. They have very little drive to improve their situation. This is a very broad generalization and is becoming true of whites as well as blacks. If you look at African culture you will generally see two common threads, corruption, and a lack of exposure to Christianity. Those two factors combine to create a very dark environment as the dad has no cultural or religious reason to invest in his children. And what do you know the African society almost completely lacks responsible fathers! Even those African Americans who are famous have an absent dad and a very strong mom or grandmother (Oprah, Obama). And these same factors are beginning to influence America today. The simple reason that the government is looked to for everything is because individuals and churches have shirked their responsibilities in helping those who need it. But in my opinion the ultimate reason is that we as a nation have strayed from our Christian background and are turning our back not only on the religion itself but the basic tenants that come from it.
I hope this gives you an idea of where I am coming from. I donât think I can convince you to see things my way but I wanted to set the record straight so that you know what I base my beliefs on.
Farmerboy
I appreciate what you are saying, and I agree with most of your reasoning but I do disagree with your conclusions for the fix. I applaud how you in your small way are trying to make a difference with your own time and money etc. Your above comments are a sad reflection on what government has become in this country. But how did it get this way? I think that both parties are to blame. I am not a Republican or a Democrat or a libertarian or a constitutionalist. Most of the people on this board would agree with me on that. I am a person who derives his world view and thus my political philosophies from the Bible. As such I am probably one of the most conservative people you'll ever meet, both fiscally and socially. In a nut shell I believe that government should only be concerned about defending its citizens and guaranteeing only the basic rights such as freedom of religion, speech, right to bear arms, fair trial etc. The reason so many people have jumped on what you have said is you believe the government should legislate equality for everyone by guaranteeing a good education. By your own admission government is corrupt beyond belief, hardly the institution you want giving you an opportunity. My idea of the ideal government is one that will give its citizens an opportunity to better themselves. But I also believe that until Christ comes back we will always have people who are poor, middle class, and wealthy. I think that history proves that when people try to give everyone the same exact starting position it fails on a colossal scale. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't be concerned about helping those in need such as you have. But that is not the governments place. Individuals and churches should be the ones that lend a helping hand on their own initiative. Another thing that you mentioned when comparing "rich" districts and "poor" districts was the grade difference. That doesn't surprise me but my conclusion is different than yours. I think that "rich" kids are more likely to have responsible parents who will impart to their kids character traits such as a good work ethic, honesty, and responsibility. Now what I am about to say could be considered racist but that is not my intent so please don't take it that way. If you look at the poorer districts most of them will have a majority of African-Americans. Now why is that? I believe that is because their family culture is dysfunctional. We have all seen the statistics where blacks have the highest violent death rate. If you think of the typical 18-30 black male you unfortunately think of somebody who is not very responsible and is directionless in life. They have very little drive to improve their situation. This is a very broad generalization and is becoming true of whites as well as blacks. If you look at African culture you will generally see two common threads, corruption, and a lack of exposure to Christianity. Those two factors combine to create a very dark environment as the dad has no cultural or religious reason to invest in his children. And what do you know the African society almost completely lacks responsible fathers! Even those African Americans who are famous have an absent dad and a very strong mom or grandmother (Oprah, Obama). And these same factors are beginning to influence America today. The simple reason that the government is looked to for everything is because individuals and churches have shirked their responsibilities in helping those who need it. But in my opinion the ultimate reason is that we as a nation have strayed from our Christian background and are turning our back not only on the religion itself but the basic tenants that come from it.
I hope this gives you an idea of where I am coming from. I donât think I can convince you to see things my way but I wanted to set the record straight so that you know what I base my beliefs on.
Farmerboy
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