Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Free Milk

My Dad didn't say much. And I was with him a lot, until he died when I was 34. But when he did talk, people listened.
My first recollection of, or the beginning or our welfare state began when I was sitting in our one room school house that used to sit 2 miles from my present home. President Kennedy was in office and I came home from school to report that a refrigerator had been put in the wash room at school. When I say wash room I don't mean restroom. The toilets were two little buildings out back. We had a wash room where we all lined up to wash our hands with rusty water and a bar of Lava before we could eat. I went home the day they installed the 'fridge' and reported that it had been placed there and it had been stocked with 'FREE' milk from the government. Even though we brought our own sack lunches we were now going to get cold mild for lunch. I thought the reaction to this news would be good from my parents. It wasn't. It was disgust. My Dad's reactions was "Oh Bull." The government shouldn't be involved in that sort of thing. It's up to us to take care of our children and their schooling. Mom replied that they will want something in return.
These were very wise people. They knew the dangers of relinquishing control of anything. They were always completely against any organized farm group saying that being independent and completely backing the free market system was the only answer. He hated the farm programs when they got started.
I'm headed to a statewide meeting. This annual conference is largely to educate us on the brand new ways the federal government is going to tighten their grip around the throats of the counties in our country, and the adverse effects it will have. How they want us to take care of more and more folks and they want to give us 'part' of the money to do it. The mandates keep coming and now this conference will likely have an organist over in the corner of the big hall playing a death dirge for the individuals who are on their way to losing all control of their lives.
The free milk paved the way to a majority of this country (all be it a small majority) who now believe that government is the answer. They can't see 'NO' as a viable answer to the disaster that is looming large. They can't see that we should be letting the free market system work. You know, where the less competitive go out of business and the ones who know how to survive continue getting bigger and hiring more and more people. I'm not against helping someone who is out of work for a short time.
The big problem with extending help to everyone for everything is that you could end up with big cities full of parentless kids in gangs who kill more people in American cities in two months than we lost in Iraq. Who end up in the prison system. Who never were educated. Who grow up with no morals because there was no Dad, and Mom is on welfare and knows that if she can produce another child she can get more money.
You see, there is no end to a free market society. But we already know that there is an end to our country if we continue down this path.
My children were eligible for welfare the whole time we were raising them. We never thought once about accepting any of it. Don't get me wrong, we never lacked for anything we needed. It's just that the bar had been set so low that almost anyone with kids qualified for some sort of help from the government.
Has anyone else noticed that since the time of free milk, we as a country have thrown more and more and more money at all of these social programs and education, and we've ended up with everything getting worse. The number of people getting in line for 'free milk' is getting longer, and longer, and longer instead of shorter. I have a smirk on my face when being absolutely sure of the fact that MONEY IS NOT THE ANSWER I see politicians in the act of giving away the farm in the hope of being re-elected. It's not the politicians fault. It's the voters of this country. They knoweth not what they do.
Now instead of raising the bar, we are about to lay it on the ground. That ought to do the trick.

12 comments:

EV said...

Those who subscribe to individual responsibility and capitalist philosophy readily exploit entire segments or classes of society, cling to a belief in their imaginary friend [God] and are naturally resistant to the common good. Absolute truth exists only in blind allegiance to the State. There is no family other than greater mankind. We should work collectively for the day of a singular government, of universal peace through surrender, ending divisiveness through silencing discussion, plenty for all through government measures and an end to want through regulation. Pass the milk and print more money.

Debit = GNP. That equation balances, right?

Cliff said...

Thanks for the laugh EV. I needed that.

Sue said...

Helping those that need help has turned into one big scam. Welfare to mothers for having children. The more kids the more money. There should be a law that anyone collecting welfare for 2 or more kids should be sterilized.

A single, unemployd college student who has 6 kids should not be implanted with any embryos, let alone 6. She says she is not on "government money" but is receiving disability for 3 of her kids and living on student loans meant for education. What world is she living in?

I could go on and on about this situation, but the more I think about that fertility Doctor, the more I think he should foot the bill for the litter that was born.

Lanny said...

Just popped in to say hello. And yes the experiment has definately gone a wry. I'm ready for a new experiment, golly I wish they'd take me up on my offer of drafting a new one.

Janell said...

You said it, Brother! I like the way you think... and write!

Anonymous said...

Right on Right on!
Well Written!

Jamie Dawn said...

Thou speaketh the truth.

I heard your senator Ben Nelson waxing UNeloquently about why he voted for this huge spending bill that is being promoted as a stimulus bill.
I emailed my house and senate members as well as those three mousy Republicans who voted for this hideous bill. We need to band together as conservatives and kick non-conservative Republicans arses to the curb!!! I've had it with them!
As for Obama and his give away mentality, I plan to grab onto a government tit and get in line for all the milk they will give.
Currently, we pay for our kids' health insurance, and now we can qualify to get that free, so... why not?
Also, I want my home mortgage cut in half with the swipe of a government wand. Who cares where this money comes from?
I also would like to have a brand, new car instead of having to pay through the nose for repairs all the time on our old one.
I just want the government to give me an easy life, without all the hassles and problems and stuff like that.
Lastly, I want big CEOs to suffer, suffer, suffer. Even if they don't own a private jet. But the ones who DO own jets, REALLY should suffer.
Barney Frank is my friend.
:-)
Good post, Clifford.

Ralph said...

Cliff
I learned a long time ago that there is a cost associated with everything. Everything. If someone is drinking “free milk” someone else, somewhere, is paying for it.
Now would be a good time for middle class taxpayers to start asking the question we know will be stuck with. Given the way things are going the question is simply, “Do you want white or chocolate milk?”
Ralph

Lucy Stern said...

Cliff, I think we are twins!!! We think exactly the same.....Our country is spirling down hill so fast it will make your head swim...I think we are in for a very bumpy ride...Hang on, the roller coaster is just getting started.

Shannon said...

Well said. I think the crazy lady that just had 8 free babies is a great example of how wrong our system is.

JunieRose2005 said...

Cliff,

You think exactly as we do here_(Charles and me and all our family) I wish there was something we could do to help turn things in a different direction!

Thanks for this post. You said it all so well. I'll let C. read it too!

Junie

Paul Nichols said...

For the first time in my life, I am afraid for our country. Worse, I am afraid for our grandchildren. I'm convinced our country made a mistake last November. Next to that carter fellow, we couldn't have done worse.

Well written, Cliff.