A Nation of Entitlements...

There used to be times in my life when I say "Why Bother".... Lately, and I am noticing, much more frequently it is turning into Times In My DAY that I say why bother? Why not let other people just give me shit....
Over the last couple of decades we have seen so many advancements from the minds of our countrymen (and women) and I look at our youth today and wonder at what point will the advancements stop and we begin to rely solely on other countries for our advancements.  It really seems like the youth of today feel a sense of entitlement to have good things and little to no passion to create good things...
As a nation, we have handed so much to people "in need" that they train their kids on how to manipulate the system and somehow manage to stay "in need".
With so much focus on helping those "in need" we have forgotten to 1) verify that they actually NEED and not just want and 2) that sometimes you have to tell someone to get off their ass and get a fuckin job!!! Sometimes, MOST TIMES they need to have that said...
I have always had a problem with someone telling me "They deserve" or "We owe" them something.. Maybe it is all the work stress of this week, or that I'm just tired; but, whatever the reason, I felt the urge to let one unfortunate person know my views on this today...

As I was getting gas at a convenience store in Greenville, MS earlier I heard the uneducated southern drawl of a girl talking very loudly about it being "hers birfday, and shes gonna gets some money to go drank on".
On her shirt was about 15 or so dollar bills pinned on with a pin.  Where the fuck did this shit start? Pin a fucking dollar on your shirt and everyone gives you money for your birthday? Or in this case, Birfday...
As I walk in to the store she says, or yells, to me "hey, yous gones gimme a dolla for my birfday?"
"Got change for a five?" I ask as I pull a five dollar bill out..
"Aww hells yeah!" she replies and begins to unpin this wad of dollar bills and slowly counts five out. I give her the five dollar bill as I grab the five ones and I begin to walk away...
"Wait! Yous didn't gimme a dolla!" she yells..
"I know.. and I'm not going to... I don't know who the hell you are, nor do I know your momma... And I see absolutely no reason why I should give you a "DOLLA" because your momma squeezed you out so many years ago! Hell, I should give your momma a dollar for putting up with your begging ass!" was my reply...
Not the nicest I know, but hey, I am me..
"I aint beggin nigga! Fuck you!" she yells at me as she storms off screaming all kinds of racist cracker this cracker that comments at me...
Not begging? Really? What the hell do you call it when you pin money to your shirt and expect total strangers to give you money because you say its your Birfday? Hell, I don't even know if it was her birthday!
This sense of entitlement is what is wrong with today's culture.
Sure, if you need assistance I say go for it.  And yeah, I tend to be a hard ass, but for those that know me know how I really am.  I say we as a nation need to stand up and say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! Stop with the handouts! Stop giving the guy on the corner your change! Stop giving the bum at the gas station a dollar...
How many times have you offered the guy standing with a "will work for food" sign FOOD instead of money? I've done it many times and more often than not I have been cussed out!! They aren't hungry they just want your money because as a nation we are quick to throw money at those less fortunate and these assholes have learned to exploit our good hearts and deep pockets!
Many times while working nights in Jackson I have had to use my asp baton, a broom stick or whatever to chase and at some times beat the crap our of beggars...
Too harsh you say??? Show some compassion you say??
I tried.. And the guys that got the sticks and batons would ask my customers for money and would become violent if they were told no and one even pulled a knife on a customer because they "didn't give enough"!
He even told the police he felt he was owed more!!
Yes, these are isolated cases, but the idea is the same.
We have handed out so much without question that many youth in our culture have stopped trying and expect it. They have never been taught that you have to work for what you want, because if you don't work, someone else will take care of you..
There was one guy many years ago while I was checking the pressure in my tires at 2am while working nights in Jackson that I did give something to.
He walks up to me, standing a good thirty feet away starts saying "sir! sir! I don't mean you any harm and I'm not going to come closer I know it's late and there's lots of crackheads out here. I'm one of em.. But, if you could spare some change I would be grateful.. I'm not going to buy food, or drugs, and I don't own a car that I can say I ran out of gas and need money for... I just want a beer. Not a coke or water, I'm an alcoholic and I'm thirsty and I just want a beer to go sit under the bridge and drink"
I'm telling you, I was floored... The first honest thing I had heard form a beggar in forever!
I bought him a 12 pack and told him to have a good night..

Now back to the other thing...
I understand helping people I really do... But let's focus on how to help these people. Stop giving money because they have a raggedy jacket and an open hand.
Point them towards a shelter... Donate to your local food bank, volunteer at the shelters... donate to Goodwill or other Charities.. If these people are hungry, they will accept food.. If they are cold they will accept shelter. If they are wanting a better life, they will accept the help of the charities to find a job, an education, a better life... But, make them work for it. You work for the money they want you to hand out, it's not too much to ask for them to work for the hand out you are giving....

So yeah, I keep going to work, busting my ass, scraping by... And I raise my kids to do the same... I believe I have to work for what I want, what my kids need and that in doing so it will pay off... It may NEVER pay off, I may ALWAYS be a broke paycheck to paycheck guy... But I was raised to work for things.. And I will do as I was raised to do...

Your kids will do as you raise them to do...

Jus sayin

Taxes, Oil, and Patriotism...

So..... It's been awhile since I've ranted about the goings on of life, politics and other idiotic shit and now it's beginning to fester up inside me like a hand grenade with a long fuse.. Lately the work load of the "day job" has had me running all over the state and in my off time I have tried to spend as much time with Sarah and my kids as possible, so for those of you that follow this and not Facebook it's been awhile hearing from me..
Now, if you follow Facebook I'm sure you understand the delay.. On top of all the traveling, I now have a moron of a trainee that I swear if he wasn't going to be fired I'd write a book of dumb shit I have to deal with every day with him!! Chronicles of the New Guy!  I swear it would be a best seller....
 Anywho...
Let's go back to the whole Financial Reform that's coming down the pipe....

Does the whole Wall Street/Banking thing need reforming?
Why hell yeah?? But, I really don't like the way this administration does business in a way to try and influence our opinions rather than relying on facts.. Did Goldman Sachs do something wrong? We don't really know right now, but it would appear that they did.. But, to announce a Formal Investigation during trading hours is just insane and very unfair! It should never have been done during that time and was a deliberate attempt to cause hysteria during the day to show that reform was needed and to push the agenda....

That's not really my biggest issue, I just thought it was crappy and typical of the tactics they have used the entire time thus far.
Next, during all of this Obama slyly announces the possibility of a national type sales tax to help alleviate some of our deficit and further help subsidize the terrible Obamacare issue... (You all know my feelings on that so I won't bitch and moan about that now)
For years I have chanted and argued with any that would listen (and a lot that wouldn't) that we should definitely go to a national sales tax... However!!! I don't believe it should be on TOP of the taxes we pay now and definitely not to the tune of 7% or more that he is contemplating... If this goes through as it is designed, on top of what we are already paying, if you do the math correctly you will be taking home less than 30% of your pay... I don't know about yall, but I live paycheck to paycheck, I need my shit!!
Now, my plan was a little bit different and I will try to explain it a little and see if it makes sense.
I have found that when talking to most people, many are as I am. Paycheck to paycheck with some minor investing here and there. The following numbers I am referencing are from the ABT Associates report from 1998 documenting amount of money spent on illegal drugs in the US in 1998 and the IRS's numbers for taxes collected in 2009... So the numbers of Illegal drugs purchased will be off since its old data and should be alot higher, but you'll see my point anyways..

Now my idea for a National Sales Tax would be to ELIMINATE your current Federal Income Tax all together.. In doing so we could drastically downsize the amount of personnel we have at the IRS since they would only have to audit businesses to insure that the taxes collected are being paid appropriately.
With the elimination of the Federal Income Tax we as Taxpayers will now have more expendable income at our disposal and the government would now trust us to be good little consumers... Which, let's be honest.... One thing we as a country know how to do is spend our money!
What would you do if you were able to keep that extra money in your check? What would you buy? Think about it..

As it is now, the government collects our money every week, they keep it, let it collect interest, give us some of it back if your lucky without interest.. People commit fraud by filing wrong data and cutting corners to get that little bit extra back. For those of you that itemize, how many hours a year do you spend keeping, filing and tracking receipts and other expenditures?? It adds up!

Now with a national sales tax, that is all eliminated! Just go to work and buy shit!! NEVER have to deal with the IRS or TAX PEOPLE!! No paying H&R Block to fuck up your return... (Which is a main reason this will never happen.. The tax preparation industry is way to big and way to powerful to allow it, but hey, I can dream can't I?)
Now at the end of the week you bring home you check, ALL OF IT, and you go buy shit! Steaks instead of bologna. You save some for the new car, a house, or whatever it is you desire. You play the stock market and you buy a lottery ticket...

Now imagine if everything you bought cost just 2% more for a National Sales Tax... That's all.. That's not a lot. Granted if you buy a house or fancy car it adds to the sticker shock a bit, but if you know this going in it still saves you money.. I promise it does if you look at it.
But how can it save us money and still provide the money needed to run this country you ask??
Because it taxes EVERYONE EQUALLY!
The rich people pay that 2% on everything just like us.. 2% on every stock purchase, yacht bought, mansion and private jet. But, that's not where the main point is.
The main point is, how many people do you know right now, that DON'T pay any taxes or a lot less on their income?
Drug dealers?? Ever seen them file?
In 1998 Sixty Five BILLION dollars was spent on illegal drugs in this country and not a dime of it was filed on a 1099 from the IRS.  Sixty Five BILLION!
What if we collected some of that every time they bought the Escalades or big ass rims or paid cash for their boats in someone else's name?
Just picture that... That's a lot of money there people!
Now that is just the obvious choice. I have made cash doing things from time to time that I didn't claim as most of us have, and you know what? I spent it! What if they collected their money on that too?
Bartenders, waitstaff, the kid that mows your lawn?  Our "adult entertainers", sideline construction workers?  Many of these people pay taxes now, but most don't claim everything they make.  If we did a national sales tax and alleviated this crappy income tax system we would be soooo better off and everyone would be happier..
Sleep on that.. Just a thought..

Next, there is boom in the Gulf and 11 people lose their life in an instant... Oil everywhere and this goes on for days, weeks while the cleanup will take months.
There hasn't been a big push from our government to seriously crack down and do much. We have been pretty much sitting there saying, We'll let BP figure this out...
Come to find out BP was one of the biggest contributors to the Obama Administration.. So you have to wonder if being in bed with them is the reason?
Didn't someone mention being in bed with the oil people or other people wouldn't happen? That the administration would have an open door policy and everything would be "transparent".
This has been far from transparent! While BP execs make comments about "Louisiana isn't the only place to get shrimp" while another makes a joke to Dr. John (a brilliant musician and New Orleans native) to "not eat the blackened shrimp when you get there" our administration watches as this cluster unfolds.
Slow to respond, but quick to get in front of a camera and talk big once someone writes a speech for him!
And did we forget that 11 people lost their lives? Where is the investigation to see what the hell happened and if someone is liable not only for the oil seepage but for the loss of 11 people that were loved by someone..... 

But, still that doesn't chap my ass the most! And I really hate what is happening to our coast line right now. The ramifications of this spill is going to really be detrimental and felt for years to come. The ecosystem is going to totally be changed and may never be as it was again.

A couple weeks ago, it comes out that the Obama administration tried to get Sestak to drop our of an election with promises of a position in the administration.  This is ILLEGAL but, worse it's IMMORAL! Something this administration is lacking.
Does this make me mad? Hell yeah!!! How many other elections did he influence or try to influence that we don't know about?  Where's the transparency in that shit?!

But, the thing that gets me the most is what is happening this weekend.
Regardless of my political views, my crazy antics, my obnoxious behaviors or my rude comments...... I love my country..I love everything about it. I love that an idiot is able to be elected to office of the presidency and that this liar can become his successor... I love that I can write this bullshit blog and that I have the right to express my opinion, although unfavorable to some of you.  I love everything about this country, even the bad.  Most of all I love and RESPECT every one of you that serve or have served in the military keeping my rights to be an idiot safe! With everything that is going on, Why, Why, Why Mr. President, can you not be at Arlington on Monday?  I understand that you will be at the Abe Lincoln Cemetery in Chicago doing a memorial but let's be realistic. The entire time you ran for this office and since your election you have come under fire for your lack of patriotism for this country. You have been questioned about your muslim beliefs, your birthplace, your intentions to change everything that makes this country great.
Is it too much to ask that you take your vacation on Tuesday and go to Arlington to lay the wreath on Monday?
Hell, YOU are the President sir.... I think your family will understand, and they could probably get off work to see you in Chicago during the week...
I just don't understand why it's so hard to do the little things that we as a nation believe are important.
I don't care about your agenda this weekend.
It's Memorial Day. A day for all our Fallen and Faithful Heroes..... I guess being in Chicago is more important.......