The Word “Honesty” Scares People

It is my opinion that Mr. Obama is trying to not appear soft on people who prefer not to work. He will not lecture Hispanics or Anglos. However, by preaching to Afro-American men he gives the impression he is against all irresponsible behavior.

I keep asking how any politician can ask for more tax dollars from people struggling to make it in order to help people who are choosing not to work for them selves? The government’s broken promises of the past have made people be self-reliant. In this practice, many have come face to face with the basic principles that contribute to success. They are not difficult. Any one can employ them. This is why I think many are not willing to pay more taxes for social programs for the unmotivated and uninspired, regardless of race.

Today, I met a person who has been laid off, is struggling to find another job, and his wife has cancer. I know it is hard to work while you are having to take your spouse to all his or her medical appointments. Throw on top of it not knowing where you are going to get the money for the rent, utilities, and groceries, has to be heart wrenching. These are the people we should be helping. However, because of fraud and mismanagement there aren’t any resources for families going through these kinds of hardships.

Instead, we have a social system that encourages dependency with every politicians promise. People hear the politicians talk and they believe them. I have always said the best thing government can do for me is get out of my way. Moreover, I know from observation about people who don’t have papers to be in the country, get paid in cash, and their wives receive government assistance.

In addition, I am not the only one that knows about abuses of social programs. You would have to be living in a cave not to know. People are paying attention and you cannot easily convince these people that individual actions don’t contribute to personal hardship.

The politicians will, however, try to sell the same ideas as before. What I call the “politics of poverty” have been practiced before. For decades the democratic party has been singing the song of the poor an unfortunate, never asking why people are in those conditions.

These time around it is no different. I have heard Mr. Obama talk about universal healthcare, sending another “stimulus check” to the people, helping the unemployed, and increasing other social programs. Now I wonder how Mr. Obama and his wife managed to achieve personal success, if life in America is so hard?

Life is challenging. However, challenges educate us. We become wise through over coming hardship. I think Mr. Jesse Jackson is right. Obama’s blanket statement of Afro-American men running from their responsibilities fails to recognize the decades of oppression and abuse of people in the Afro-American community and the permanent effects these hardships have had on people from this community.

A traumatic life traumatizes people. Yet, we have politicians making promises, knowing the principles used to justify these promises are not conducive to personal success. This playing with the issues does not deal with the real problem. As long as politician’s lies spoken to get votes fuel social policy we will never get to resolving social needs. Furthermore, falling for these politicians lies just to get a hand out further complicates the problem. Which means we are just as dishonest as the politicians.