It makes me want to cry to even think of my children's future. For one thing what the hell are schools going to look like in another ten or even twenty years. We keep throwing more and more money at them and yet things still keep getting worse and worse. My personal belief is it is because people are greedy and won't put in what it really takes to get results and/or because they don't believe they are paid enough. Don't get me wrong, I think teachers are wonderful people and I have met some amazing ones in my lifetime, but are some/a lot of them just quieting their consciences by telling themselves they are doing a good thing by being a teacher and getting paid a crappy salary, therefore they don't go above and beyond because it's not in their contract and they are already doing a good thing? I don't know, but I'd bet there are at least some out there.
Another thing about schools that drives me crazy is shit like this......We have like 5 schools on the chopping block in Fort Collins, yet others have 52 inch flat screens in every classroom to replace overhead projectors. TECHNOLOGY IS NOT THAT IMPORTANT TO EDUCATION!!!! I understand that kids need to use it but geez people there is absolutely nothing wrong with overhead projectors. How much money is that, that could have gone to another school that needed it for basic funding.
Look at how much our country is in debt. I feel like that pretty much says we don't even own our country anymore. Trillions of dollars is a bit ridiculous. Then again I have a couple of thousand on my credit card and I hyperventilate. It reminds me of a saying. When you find yourself in a hole what's the first thing you do? STOP DIGGING! Granted I know our country needs to spend money to operate but what is the point in passing stimuluses and other Government aid when it isn't really even coming from them. Then they just make it harder on everyone else when they raise taxes to try to pay for it. I feel like I have been taxed into a black friggin hole. Eventually I'm going to wonder what's going to be left for me to live on. It seriously scares me.
Ok I know I sound like a rightist right now and I guess to an extent I am. I can't help it. I don't think it's the government's job to play Robin Hood. It's their job to protect our rights and liberties. I feel like they're just taking more and more of them away. Telling me nobody has the right to be who they are except the people who are struggling and discriminated against. I want to help people who are struggling and discriminated against, I want to fight for them, but I want it to be of my own free will, not what the government wants to make me do.
I don't want them to tell me it is the law that I have to have health care, I want to do it because it is the best thing for me. I don't want them to parent me. If I want to pay for medical services out of my pocket who the hell are they to stop me. I understand there are people out there that need it and can't afford it but look at what we already have in place. A hospital cannot deny anybody care that is not in stable condition, wether they have coverage or not.
I guess what I'm saying is there are ways for people already to get what they need. So why not focus on helping people who need it figure that out. Help them help themselves. Encourage people to stand on their own two feet. I think there are some government programs that do things like this that are great.
I guess I just really think the meaning of being free is changing. Hard work doesn't pay off as much anymore. You can actually get farther on handouts and it is (but not to me) socially acceptable.....and that is sad.
How is it that more and more people are going to college and getting higher education yet they say we're falling behind other countries, that we're just not cutting it?
And just working hard won't get you through college. You HAVE to go into debt just to get through college. Why does money have to be in the equation to be happy. How is it that nobody that is poor is ever shown as happy or fulfilled and ALWAYS shown in need of help? I just can't see that as being true. You can be the happiest person in the world and live in a cardboard box. I believe that.
I have so many more questions than I have answers for and it really pisses me off that everything seems so much more complicated than it needs to be sometimes. Notice please that I said SEEMS, not IS. I'm sure when you get down to the root of it, it is all very simple. But I don't think I will ever see that root because of all the twists to the truth that get people paid that cover up that root. I don't have a problem with people making money. I just want them to be honest and do so, and I feel like that doesn't always happen. In fact I'm pretty sure it happens more than any of us probably want to even believe.
And don't even get me started on the higher than god asshole rightists that have the money and think they are entitled to their money and don't want to share it with anybody. Ok that's just how I view some people that have a lot of money. Like I said I don't think it's the government's job to play Robin Hood. I think these people are greedy assholes and if they even took a quarter of what they have and gave it to somebody or many somebody's that need something, they would really make a difference to somebody. I just don't know why anybody think that in order to be happy everybody needs to be brought up to the same level. That couldn't be farther from the truth in my opinion. In fact I think they have more of a problem with themselves than anybody at a lower level has.
I guess in the end I just want my kids to be able to grow up happy and free. I want them to be able to pursue their dreams and I don't want anybody telling them what that should be. I want them, and everybody, to be able to accept and be comfortable with everybody in life from the white middle class, to gays, to the poor, to the rich, to the disabled. To know that they don't have to feel guilty for being who they are, even if that means they are the gay, or the homophobic white middle class. EVERYBODY has a place in our society, and I don't think that is clearly stated anywhere. ESPECIALLY in government. Nobody is really embracing our differences in my opinion.
Anyways if you actually make it this far in my post thanks for listening to my rant. I know it probably didn't make sense I just needed to try to put into words some of the questions on my mind and how I feel about things. And if you don't agree with me I hope it's ok with you that I have a differing opinion. After all, how boring would it be if we all felt the same?
TTFN
