So I have a plan and you have a choice

A good friend sent me this article and I asked if I could post it today. Good food for thought.

by David Erikson

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”
“I have a dream…..”
“Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”
“Tear down this wall”

Rousing rhetoric defined: The ability to not only communicate, but to bring the words so alive that your heart leaps and your mind attempts to keep up. Just these few simple lines have had dramatic impacts on millions of lives.

We want to be inspired. We want to believe in something, to live today, but realize that during today, we can make tomorrow a better place. Just like the poor, cynics will always be among us. The majority of us truly want to be inspired. Most want something better for their children than they have had for themselves.

I never thought I would say this, but Obama is correct on one thing. We all want hope and change. Being a student of history, I immediately went to find out how we got here. What happened that we began to think that what we had was so bad?

· Politicians that are corrupt and do not seem to have our best interest at heart.

· A government that doesn’t seem as much bent on protecting us, as it is feeding itself.

· Business leaders that no longer are about serving their customers, but rather about having a lavish lifestyle that defies understanding.

· Church leaders that do not seem to be men and women of steadfast faith, and abuse their position.

· And a willing media ready to dig up every last detail, and wring every last moment of that 15 seconds so that they do can have their moment, they too can squeeze the last penny out of it.

Bottom line, Americans are mad because we feel taken advantage of, and many feel helpless to do anything about it.

So, what is America? What is it that we want? What will make us happy again? I have a few quotes that I believe can help give us direction.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

“We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

My definition of America is pretty simple. “Here, you have the opportunity to succeed, to offer your family a level of safety, to work and make something of yourself. You have the opportunity to own a home, the opportunity to get an education, and the opportunity to be able to help your fellow man. You do not have the RIGHT, to any of these, only a choice and a chance.”

While the Conservatives are attempting to find a voice, I have a new piece of rhetoric I would like to add, “I have a plan.” America has a simple choice to make, we either start pulling ourselves back up and become that shining city on the hill, that independent spirit that made our country great to begin with, or slip into the mediocrity of a has been, second rate country. Do we send our children to school to be average? Do we spend our time and energy running them to different activities so they can be just like everyone else? Or, is there a sense of pride when they succeed? Do we embrace them excitedly making the A on the difficult test, hitting a home run, or scoring a touchdown? And you, do you feel “better” about yourself when your manager tells you, well done? Do you think more of yourself when your husband/wife/friends comment on how good you look?

So I have a plan and you have a choice.
Tired of politicians that don’t listen? Get active, get out from the computer, the game, or the TV and get involved. Vote them out, and if that doesn’t work, term limits are next for congressmen. I know we never seem to have enough time, but these are the few rights we have left, and before long, if we are not careful, we won’t have those either.
Tired of the money and corruption in politics? Change the tax laws to the Fair Tax or something like it. When we take the money out, we just might get some actual public servants who are in it because they CARE about us again.
Tired of business leaders that have huge pay packages? DON’T SHOP THERE. Quit giving them your money. Yes, it will hurt, but until we stand up for ourselves, why would anyone else?

None of this is easy. It requires effort, hence the choice. Think of it this way, we all want to be great, and we all have that chance. Some are great on a world stage, and some are great just for their family. Stand tall, be as great as you want to let yourself be, understand that there is sacrifice, and that it will require you to make tough decisions and be involved. Yes, you will risk ridicule, and possibly friendships. You will not have as much time for leisure. You might not be able to purchase that new big screen, of have your latte every day.

The question is, are you worth it? Is life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness worth it to you? What impact will your actions have on your children, on your community? Send a message today that you want something better, that you are better than you are being treated. You are intelligent, you can make decisions for yourself, you do not need some intellectual PhD telling you how to think, what to do and when to do it.

Quit looking for hero’s, become one, you are one choice away. I don’t know about you, but “I have not yet begun to fight”