I have noticed that several bloggers out there thought that Edwards was out of the race a long time ago. He is now expected to make it official.
The buzz is that he's not going to immediately endorse either of the two remaining Democratic candidates.
Smart man.
He knows he has some bargaining power now and I'm sure that he'll make the most of it.
There is something that I have wanted to say about Edwards and his ad nauseum references to "tax breaks for the rich."
[Caution, you are about to enter the Talk Wisdom rant zone.]
Each time he spoke at a rally, the man just irked me no end!
That man is missing several facts that are quite important to share.
First. People who have worked their way up the ladder of success in this country should pay their fair amount of taxes; but they shouldn't be expected to give 60 - 80% of it to the government. That's just crazy! That's not fair. That's robbery. Even 50% is too much. Perhaps the super rich deserve to pay that. But if the Dems had their way I shudder to think where the cut-off might be.
Second. Edwards never seems to recognize that many of these "rich" CEO's, Corporate Executives, and small business owners donate very generously to various charities. I wonder. Has Edwards ever looked into that fact? Doubt it.
Third. The fact that many of these people provide jobs for so many others seems to escape his mind. Not only do they provide employment opportunities at their places of business, but many most likely pay monthly fees for services at their homes. They may not be under employment at the corporations they lead, but think about all of the landscapers, pool service people, pet sitters, housekeepers (I would love that one!!), home improvement contractors, etc. that they pay for services rendered at their homes.
Fourth. Without mentioning any names, I can say that I know of people who have gorgeous homes, expensive cars and enjoy many luxuries in this life. However, they have worked their butts off to earn such things. Many people, including Dems like Edwards, probably have no idea how much money, time, and mentoring efforts that such people have generously given away over the years. Do such thoughts ever enter into their minds? Doubt it.
I know of several people who have given, and/or raised tens of thousands of dollars for worthy causes such as Big Brothers & Big Sisters, The Boys and Girls Clubs, the YMCA, and various health care organizations.
Did Edwards ever do any research about this? Probably not. He is the type of man who has an agenda that he likes to spread about the country in order to garner votes from certain people who may have the same ideology that he has. I truly think that this is very regrettable. He attempts to divide this country with his negative and unpleasant combative attitude.
I know some personal stories about people whose families had financially struggled early on in their lives. In one case, a young teenager used a small, walk-in closet as his bedroom when his ill father's condition forced the family to move in with relatives. Did they mooch off of the government in order to get back on their feet? No. Families used to help related families when they were in dire straits. With so much divorce going on nowadays, it is a rare thing for families to remain intact. It is truly a sad state of affairs.
Fifth. Even though the traditional family is under attack at an alarming rate these days, there is still the fact that Christian churches often do come to the rescue of the downtrodden. Why didn't Edwards ever talk about that? I have seen hundreds of examples of Christian families generously donating money, food, clothing, shelter, Christmas gifts for children etc.; to those in need. Some of these families are very wealthy and donate thousands. Others, are not that wealthy but give what they can. In either example, it is the giving attitude that counts, not necessarily the amount of money given.
Sixth. The controversy over Edwards using a false claim that "thousands of homeless vets are being left out on the streets and under bridges" was just downright dishonest. Yes, our system is not perfect. Yes, there is room for improvement. Yes, some people fall through the cracks. However, Edwards never mentioned the fact that there is help available and some, if not most, make their own individual decisions to refuse that help.
The causes for their homelessness could be varied. Some, unfortunately, are drug addicted. Some are alcoholics. Some are mentally ill. Some just don't want the help. Some would rather panhandle than get help. Like the guest who works with veterans and appeared on Bill O'Reilly's show stated, "We can't drag them in if they don't want help." The same could be said for some of the homeless in the general public, too.
I once had a few discussions with a police officer who worked with getting help for the homeless. He admitted that some just refuse to come off the streets; even if the opportunity presents itself. They go to a shelter at night when it is cold, and then go back out during the day. They get food at soup kitchens and various church organizations that distribute food.
There are a lot of really good people who help others in this country. Many of them happen to be either well off or rich. But if we would take Edwards' pronouncements seriously, we would be left to believe that people (especially the "rich") are selfish, uncharitable, stingy, and uncaring about others down on their luck.
Seventh. The "rich" people that Edwards habitually rails against often donate lots of used clothing, household items, tools, bikes furniture...you name it...to Goodwill, the Salvation Army, AmVets and other organizations. Many people are employed as a result of such donations. Clothes that aren't resold or given away here are shipped to third world countries. Where is Edward's praise for such generosity? Answer: no where to be found.
Who usually gets praise for helping others? Celebrities. The super-wealthy. People like Oprah or Bill Gates, for example. Don't get me wrong...they deserve the recognition. But how about a clap of the hands for the ordinary Americans out there who work very hard at their jobs to earn good money to support their families and never take a cent of aid or handouts from the government? How about giving just a tiny bit of recognition for those who faithfully, and habitually contribute to churches, charities, medical research and various children's organizations both here in America and around the world? Don't they deserve more than condemnation from those like Edwards and his ilk?
Stepping off the soapbox now.
HT: Outside the Beltway
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1 comment:
Christine, you are so very right. On a 20/20 special, John Stossel did a report called "Cheap in America" that dealt directly with the claims about America and Americans being stingy and not giving money. They showed that while the American Government gives less in foreign aide as a percentage of GDP than many other countries, it gives far more in real dollars than any other nation on Earth, in most cases, by several orders of magnitude.
In addition, despite the fact that our Government gives less, as a percentage of GDP than others do, most of these countries have virtually no charitable giving from ordinary citizens. In the US the Citizens outgive the Government by several orders of maginitude, and, when this is added in, outgive all those other countries in terms of percent of GDP. You are correct, they never bring this up, and chances are, they never will.
And the above numbers were about foriegn aide, it didn't even account for all the giving to domestic Charities, which is a whole bunch more.
Further investigation revealed that those who made the least amount of money (as long as they earned it, not if it was a handout) tended to give far more, as a percentage of income, than those who made far more, and of course, those evil Christians tend to give, in addition to their Churches, far more than non-Christians, while Conservatives outgive Liberals at an alarming rate. Too bad Edwards didn't talk about any of that.
As a personal story, many years ago, when my father-in-law was a young boy, his families house burned down. As luck would have it, a local man had a house that he wasn't using at the time, not that he was rich, just owned it through other circumstances, and wasn't using it, so he let this family of 6 stay there while they built a new home to replace the one that burned down. Things like this happen every day, but how often do you hear of them? Oh, and by the way, in one of those "it's a small world" twists, the man that allowed them to live in his house, was my Dad.
Very good post, I'd say, rant away!
Matt W.
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