"In a democracy (‘rule by mob’), those who refuse to learn from history will be the majority and will dictate that everyone else suffer for their ignorance."
I need some help on some lyrics. A childhood “song” (of course it was a song! What else could it be? Better, in many ways than Top 40 crap nowadays… ) that stuck in my memory–all save two words–and pops up (though only very, very, very rarely out) at the most inappropriate times. *heh*
More below the fold… Continue reading “Lyric help?”
I saw what seems at first to be a really good idea when I was out picking up some groceries the other day. Local school district school bus, folks handing out a “shopping list” that read:
Help Us Stuff the Bus with School Supplies for LOCAL Xxxxx County Children in Need
Most needed items:
Crayons
#2 Pencils
Glue
Glue Sticks… etc.
The 20-or-so-item list included backpacks and other items as well, of course. (Where was my backpack when I was a kid half a century ago? Nowhere, mon frere. Now, it’s an essential? *feh*)
At first blush, this seemed a good idea. Then I began wondering how many large LCD TVs, how much beer, etc., the parents of these “Children in Need” had spent their “economic incentive” checks on*.
Perhaps it’s just my experiences while living in an “inner city” neighborhood watching neighbors “pay” for steak and lobster with food stamps then drive off in their recent model Caddy while I could only afford macaroni (because I was working). Or perhaps it’s my experience working with a homeless shelter, where half the folks who were there were “homeless” because their children wanted nothing to do with them or because they were on the lam and hiding from the law.
A myriad of other experiences led my mind to the thought, “Sure, I suppose there are some genuinely needy children, but most of this will simply be going toward enabling childish “parents” to avoid providing for their children while they greedily seek to meet their “wants”.
Nope. I didn’t even toss a #2 pencil stub in the hopper. The amount I saw there already would probably provide for the school needs of the genuinely needy kids in the county for the next few years. The rest will go to children of illegals (who should be educated in their own country), lazy bums and those who are simply working the system.
*BTW “economic incentive” moneys here at twc were not put into paying off bills, savings or such, because we made a choice to instead make some capital improvements around here at twc central. After all, this home is our single largest asset, and since it will be entirely ours next year (except for the fact that we actually–as does everyone who thinks they own property outright–simply “lease” it from our local governments who can take it away from us on a whim), keeping it in good shape makes good sense. And, since the “economic incentive” money was really just a “loan” against 2008 taxes (just wait and see), the “use it (for something durable) or lose it” principle applied big time.