I appreciate your comments. I'm part of the "almost too young to qualify for an opinion" group - but I like hearing someone giving the other side of this issue. Growing up I thought we were a "conservative" family. However, as I watch my parents age and depend more and more on promised "benefits" I see them becoming more and more liberal. Being a "late bloomer" and nearing the stage of SS, yet having younger children to raise, I find myself at opposite ends of the pole from my parents on many issues. For instance, I don't want the government getting larger and dictating what, when, where and how my children are going to be educated. Parents are losing control daily on raising our own children! Yes, I could home-school my children, but that wouldn't free me from having to pay for the public education! Or, if I chose I could send them to private schools but I still would be hindered because I don't have the choice of redirecting the money I'm forced to pay the government for a morally declining school system! So, where's the benefit?

Social Security is just an extension of the dependence we have allowed ourselves to become addicted to with the help of our government and their benefit programs! Just as I would rather be free to invest education funds for my children - I would also like to be free to invest "my" retirement funds NOW while I have the ability! I actually find it offensive that the "powers that be" consider me not smart enough to make wise investments so they feel they should do it for me!!

Besides, is all this arguing on the wrong level anyway?? Yes, older people have often fought poverty but why isn't any finger being pointed at my generation and me? I don't remember many older people living in dire circumstances when I was young - they were contributing grandparents, great aunts and uncles who were living near/with their children! Our parents did the right thing - they helped and gave back to their parents. What happened? Why aren't we doing that

"Divided We Fail" seems to be the motto or theme of this site. We all most likely agree that the statement is appropiate. We have been dividing for years now and the driving forces, alive and well, in society are extolling more division! EG: our public school system for many years has attended to promoting social engineering more than academics. In today's world, if you do not extol multiculturalism, you are called a "racist". We complain how much "welfare" sucks the life blood out of our health system; yet our capricious politicos see to it that our immigration system is completely fragmented. It is a paradox in itself! The polyanas love expounding that our nation has always been diverse,and that our "freedom" has been built on that. Yet,how many have realized that we are no longer a spacious country with not many people. There were early attempts to help each other from all walks of life. (One example: the Brook Farm experiment) Movements like this were eventually abandoned in favor of industrialization. Over the years we have repeated history in that we have caved into power, greed, individualism, image, status and celebrity, all human traits which have destroyed other great nations throughout history. We are once again coming "full circle" and wish to save our nation. We write and speak of how well we pulled together during WWII .. and by-golly, we can do it again. Well, we are not fighting the Axis now. It is much worse! We are fighting ourselves! Like our old swamp friends in Walt Kelly's cartoons often said, "The enemy is us!" Question: How much have we REALLY learned from history? Has our hi-tech and media driven country really come to terms wth how "Status Quo" mind-sets will really bring new insights so we will achieve bi-partisan thinking? Will we allow big industry to continue to build and successfully sell gas-hogs while oil prices feed big industry co-horts? Will we continue to write and speak against sale of alcohol and watch millions die?

Here is the other side of the coin. I do have health ins but have had two heart attacks from the stress of my job and I cannot quit becuase I need the health ins and have no other option. Now I have pre-existing condition and would be almost impossible to get ins or the cost would be much more than I can afford.

I really am greatful for the ins and feel very deeply for people that do not have health ins. Medical treatment is so expensive.

What can we do to make things fair. I hope we can come up with something soon. I live in Michigan also and with all the unemployment it will probably only get worse as most people can only afford insurance thru thier jobs.

S.N.
Clawson Mi

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