Lonestar_logic
Republic of Texas
- May 13, 2009
- 24,539
- 2,233
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I am an "individual" American, that happens to believe
In "personal" responsibility, ie for my own success or lack thereof
If I choose to wait tables for a lving or become a CEO of a fortune 500 company, that is my choice, both can be hard work and rewarding in different ways
I believe in "hope". That is why I am a conservative. I believe people can be happy if they are "poor". I also believe the opposite
I believe the lefts ideals steal away hope and dreams. That is simply unAmerican
It takes all kinds of people and personalities to make the world go around. but the leftists believe we should all be "uniform" in all our hopes dreams and endeavors. I reject that on it's face
I think that's what everyone strives for, but when people are stuck in the CYCLE of poverty, it's far more difficult when they are unable to even have the choices you speak of. If a baby is born today of an uneducated, already poor mother, perhaps addicted to drugs or alcohol because that's what SHE was born into, that baby isn't going to know any other way of life except what s/he sees eventually on television from the outside looking in. So then the the child 'wants' what he sees but can't have it any other way than to steal it. And round and round it goes. There needs to be much, much more community involvement in parental education as well as forced academic education. Whatever happened to truant officers?
Stuck in a cycle of poverty you say. how does one get unstuck?
I can name you dozens of examples where people who were born into poverty overcame that obstacle and are now wealthy people. As a matter of fact almost two-thirds of the world's 946 billionaires made their fortunes from scratch, relying on grit and determination, and not good genes.
Fifty of these self-made tycoons are college or high school dropouts. The most famous billionaire dropout is Microsoft's Bill Gates, who finally got his honorary degree from Harvard University in June, 30 years after quitting the prestigious school to sell software. ''I did the best of everyone who failed,'' joked the world's richest man in his official graduation address. With failure like that, who needs success?
Other billionaires, such as media maven Oprah Winfrey, made their fortunes against far greater odds. Born in rural Mississippi, she spent her early years living in poverty on her grandmother's farm. Wanting a way out, she moved to Wisconsin to be with her mother, but was sexually molested by her male relatives. At age 14, she reportedly gave birth to a premature baby who died. Only after moving to Nashville to be with her father did her luck finally start to turn.
Liberals such as yourself Maggie always play the "they were born into it" card and that is a very bigoted and close-minded point of view. As I've shown with the example of Oprah, everyone has the opportunities to overcome poverty, it takes hard work and determination, for you to say that people born poor are not capable of being determined or aquiring a strong work ethic is saying that those people are inferior to those that are born into middle or upper class families. And that is wrong.
I myself was born into poverty, dropped out of school at 15, sent to prison at 17, released at 19 and thankfully was granted a full pardon at 25. A few years after my release I found work with Red Adair and through his kindness and generosity, I was able to forge a career for myself. I bought some land, some of which I've sold at a tremendous profit, raised a family and I've never once asked for any govt. assistance. So I beleive if I can make it and all these now billionaires can make it, then any one can.
Those of your ilk seem to condemn them to a life of poverty, as your statement suggest that those "born into (poverty) " don't " know any other way of life". And that is sad.