Entitlement issues!

The bonus Army.  Do you know it's history?  Most people don't.  I am going to over simplify it, but I have to in order to explain it.  It was a group of WWI veterans who had been promised a bonus for their service.  The Great Depression hits, they can't get jobs and their Bonus never comes.  So they "occupy" Washington, and demand that the Pres. Hoover pays them what he owes them.  He doesn't.  Instead he unleashes the active duty army on them AND their families.  Gen. MacArthur goes into their camp and tear gases the veterans, their wives and children, then burns down their camp.  The immediate result, two infants and one veteran dead, 153 wounded.

The election of 2012 is on the horizon.  I don't have all the answers, but given my INFJness I can see things as an entire picture.  I can connect dots others can't and lately I'm finding myself getting frustrated with folks for not seeing through propaganda.  This is what I see.  I see ordinary voters dependent on gasoline, and hard up for cash shopping at Wal-Mart, and not understanding that so long as they continue life that way our military will be REQUIRED in order to get their gasoline.  We have to compete with China for this precious oil.  They use most of it to manufacture all of those plastic toys, and cheap clothes that Wal-Mart is supplied with.  Since we, as a country, are dependent on China to keep our cash flow going, even if we all ride bikes everywhere our military will still be needed to be sure that oil is getting out of the Middle East.

Unemployment is quite the problem yet, in the name of budget cuts, the military is getting ready to Lay-Off 200,000 or so Soldiers, Air-men, Marines, and Sailors who will begin to compete for work with civilians.  When this happens it will only worsen the unemployment problem.  Some of these Veterans have serious injuries and/or PTSD, yet (if Obama's proposal is passed) they won't have the healthcare necessary to treat their physical and emotional injuries.  There definitely need to be cuts, but I believe they should be in the arena of weapons development, and ceasing the purchasing of multi-billion dollar weapons and equipment that we never use, nor intend to use.  That money is simply going to a politician's or politicians' pocket(s).  Personnel aren't nearly as expensive, and it seems wise to keep these folks under the military's care, and on their payroll.  Policy making such as this is destructive to American Society as a whole.  I don't understand how people don't see that unemployed, unmedicated, untreated soldiers are a bad thing.  It is a very bad thing for everyone, history has shown us that more than once.

I see us headed for another Great-Depression fueled by consumerism and ignorance.  I still think it can be avoided, but we'd need to start putting money in the pockets of mom and pop shops FOR EVERYTHING.  Traditionally mom and Pop operations hire workers faster, and pay better than box stores and chains, which is why they tend to be more expensive.  This structure means that consumers are literally paying the wages of those in their own communities.  This is unlike a box store (aka Wal-Mart) where only pennies of every dollar go to the employees/back into the community.  I think that we need to reduce our use of gasoline, and buy American.  This will, over time, give our country the ability to reduce it's military, in a way that isn't destructive to American society.  This election is a very precarious one.  I know little about the candidates as I write this, but I will learn as much as I can about each one regarding energy, economic, and military policy.  WE ALL SHOULD.

I am so sick of hearing people spout off about political issues but then not live their life in line with their opinions.  You have issues with war, fine I do too.  Stop driving so much, buy American.  You hate the establishment/banking system?  Fine, I do too.  Bank exclusively with a Credit Union, and DON'T USE CREDIT CARDS!  You dispise big corporations?  Me too, don't shop at Wal-mart, or any other box store.  WE, the citizens of the United States of America are responsible for where our society is at the moment.  WE wanted more for less, we wanted to drive our status, we wanted we wanted we wanted.  Guess what, there is a price for everything and we are paying it now.  Think it's sad your down town is empty?  You did it.  You stopped shopping there.  The only way out is to want less.  It is to take our money back from credit card companies (I.E. BIG BANKS), and box stores and give it instead to fellow citizens.  You can't afford it? BULLSHIT.  That's an excuse.  I bet you'll be the first one to complain to me about our government and society.  Excuse my anger, I've just let this build up over the course of years and I can barely take it at this point.  We aren't entitled to ANYTHING.  Cost of living is at all ALL TIME LOW in this country.  A "poor" family in 2012 can afford MORE than the middle class family of the 1970's.  You can afford to do with less.  Even if you are "poor" by our standards today you have more than the average person just a generation ago.

WE HAVE THE POWER TO SHAPE OUR COUNTRY... We've shaped it into this, now we have to recognize and harness our power and reshape it.  If you aren't interested in making the sacrifices necessary to get it where you want it...SHUT THE BLEEP UP!  If I didn't already make the changes I mentioned I wouldn't write this post.  We make a lot of sacrifices at our house, for YOU, for our country.  ONLY one of which is being an Army family, and it is probably the least of them all.