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| Rob's Soapbox | ||
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Congratulations!
You have finally landed on the one page on this entire site (and on the entire internet for that matter) that is purely without bullshit... my soapbox page. There are a lot of times during our show that, whether it's because of time constraints and other obligations, I don't always get to address some issues that I feel don't get the attention they deserve. There are even more times when I just don't feel like waiting until the show the next day to get some things off my chest. Thus, I have started the "Rob's Soapbox" page. If you have clicked on this page looking for someone to coddle your fragile sense of self-esteem, or tell you what you want to hear or to reinforce your outdated world view, then exit this page right now and go somewhere else. If you are in search of the last forum for reason and common sense left in the world, then sit back, relax, and enjoy. I make only one promise with this soapbox page... if you read long enough and often enough, you will eventually be offended. So here's my latest soapbox. Listen up, 'cause you just might learn something... |
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November 12th, 2007 SACRE BLEU! If you believe that the United States of America is the greatest country in the world, and that she delivers all that she promises to anyone that is willing to work for what they are willing to achieve, then I defy you to read the following without at least getting the chills (and/or maybe shedding a tear); It was spoken by a great leader (revealed later), while describing the greatness of America: To the millions of men and women who came from every country of the world and who -- with their own hands, their intelligence, and their hearts -- built the greatest nation in the world, America did not say, "Come, and everything will be given to you." Rather, she said, "Come, and the only limits to what you will be able to achieve will be those of your own courage, your boldness, and your talent. The America that we love throughout the world never impedes this extraordinary ability to grant each and every person a second chance, another chance, because, in America, failure is never the last word. There is always another chance. Here -- in your country, on this soil -- both the humblest and the most illustrious citizens alike know that nothing is owed to them and that everything has to be earned. That is what constitutes the moral value of America. (http://www.nysun.com/article/66054) In that stanza, those few simple paragraphs, the entire embodiment of America is presented in all of its greatness. The United States of America is the only country in the history of the world that said to the planet; take me, I am yours. Anyone who is willing to work, (not beg), struggle, (not whine), risk (not follow) and courageously fail while knowing that a new opportunity in America arises with the sun each day is not only invited but rather is encouraged to grab their piece of the American Dream. Every single motivated, competent, self respecting person on the planet desires to be in America for all that she offers…except for most of us that are already here. The United States is filled with citizens who take everything we have and everything that the country offers completely and wholly for granted. We are an arrogant, ignorant, lazy group of people who, seemingly by growing numbers each day, whine, moan, bitch, complain and ask for handouts more and more. When something fails, we look for someone else to blame; whether it be the media, the government, the rich, the oil companies, the tobacco companies, our parents, or the boogeyman, there seems to be an endless parade of things Americans will blame other than themselves, rather than acknowledging that in the Untied States more than any other place on Earth we are solely and completely responsible for our lot in life. This is true not just in relation to wherever we are right now today, but more importantly, tomorrow and the future beyond. This in lies the greatness of America spoken above; “…in America, failure is never the last word. There is always another chance…” That second, third, ninth, tenth chance is not based or promised on the compassion of the American population and its’ seemingly never ending forgiveness. It is based solely on the beauty and greatness of the system that this country provides; one that says that anyone, anywhere, anytime can succeed beyond their wildest dreams if they are willing to work for it. The speech above can be counted as a coincidental continuance to an on-going theme here the past few weeks; self reliance and the American promise. Weeks ago a man tried to claim on our show that he was the Easter Bunny. Not literally, mind you, but for all intents and purposes he might as well have called in and claimed he was the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, Tooth Fairy or any other fictional character that does not exist since he made the claim the he was, “a responsible parent who doesn’t have health insurance,” (or the means with which to cover his children’s health care needs). In America, the only excuse for not having health insurance is being independently wealthy enough to not be concerned with health care bills. Yet this imaginary man makes the appalling choice to not only find excuses for why he has no health care coverage (“my job doesn’t offer it”), he goes further and demands that those of us responsible and self reliant should, for some inexplicable reason, hand him his health care coverage. Perhaps more appalling was the seemingly endless parade of people willing to either defend his position or simply stand in line behind him with their hands out as well. Appalling, but not surprising. Despite the words spoken in the speech above, more and more Americans do not understand or believe in the American Dream. Not though, for the reasons that the media and Socialists amongst us would have you believe. The citizens of America don’t believe that America is unfair or that it doesn’t offer greatness or that this imaginary “divide” between the have’s and have not’s is growing. The citizens of America are not stupid. They are, however lazy, arrogant and ignorant. The reason they don’t believe in the American Dream any longer is that we have done a marvelous job in the last 40 years of telling them that they are entitled to the American Dream, not that they must earn it. There is a whole generation of Americans that believe that by being born here, their job is done, and all they have to do is wait for society to puke into their mouth in order for them to be fed. The speech above should become indoctrinated required reading for every child in America beginning in the fetus stage. Read it to the mommy’s belly every night and don’t stop reading it to your child until they move out of your home and become self-reliant. Emphasize certain key sentences: America did not say, "Come, and everything will be given to you." Whether Born here, brought here or otherwise, America simply said “come.” The promise of the dream is bestowed upon all of us, but actualized only by those who earn it. The speech above was delivered last week to a joint session of the United States Congress by the new President of France, Nicholas Sarkozy. Mr. Sarkozy was elected on a “pro-American” stance in a country that hates our President and loathes the war in Iraq. However, France is also wallowing in twice the unemployment of America and has spent the last decade in and out of both virtual and literal economic recessions. The French people recognized that while they may not always like or agree with us, our leaders and our policies, they can’t argue with our abstract success based on the foundation that made this country the greatest in history and told Mr. Sarkozy to embrace our nation, our dreams and our systems. Some day, we can only hope that the people in America will once again embrace all that their own country has to offer and will stop taking it for granted, stop whining and start doing. Vive L’America!
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