Wednesday, April 6, 2011

What are your dreams and wishes for America?

In my previous post I was criticized by teabagger Linda for saying no president can give us 100% of our dreams and wishes, so I would gladly vote for Barack Obama again. She of course went a little crazy on me and accused me and liberals of only wanting what we can personally GET from the president, the nanny state will be alive and well as long as ignorance reigns, she said. I responded with some of my dreams and wishes for our country since she was SOOOOO off base in her criticisms as usual. My list was short and written in my amateurish way and at the end I asked my readers to add to the list. My good friend Flying Junior added this moving list that was worthy of a new post. Please add your dreams and wishes in a comment if you'd like.



"Too often I have failed to dream about what I would like to see happen in this country. I have become increasingly discouraged about so many things that I have seen happen around me in the last two decades that I have traded my optimism for resentment, blame and distrust. I tried to tell myself that my youthful hope simply evolved from a naiveté, unsophistication and lack of general knowledge about the true evils of this world. Now I believe I understand the degradation that has occurred before my own eyes. I think we all have a sense of blaming a willing coalition of politicians and conglomerates for the deregulation of the media, the diversion of valuable tax dollars to selfish schemes and the loss of so many protections for the common, hard-working people that have been the backbone of this country. Perhaps most disheartening of all is the deep divisions that seem to turn us blindly against each other. After the nightmare presidency of Bush, turning our precious notions of decency and responsibility upside-down, I was left with very little in the way of dreams.

But if I still could, I would dream of an America where our minds could truly be free, fed by the lofty aspirations and honest reporting of a society united by a common goal of caring for every citizen and keeping our commitments around the world. An America where the cold-hearted and insane ramblings of agitators like Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck were simply relegated to the trash can of ignorance and prejudice as they once surely were in my childhood. I would dream of an America where knowledge and achievement were valued above ideology and narrow-mindedness. I would dream of an America where school employment centers did not rest until every graduate had been placed in a position of gainful employment. I would dream of an America where even the great robber barons and captains of industry remembered the value of charity and philanthropy. I would dream of an America where conservatives and liberals alike could work together in a spirit of enlightened self-interest seeing our nation as a whole, not a tapestry of haves and have-nots. I would dream of building more libraries in more small towns and promoting life-long learning for anyone who would seek it. I would dream of an America where the accumulation of wealth would be balanced by care and protection of American families, singles and senior citizens, with pensions and health care and rewards for honest toil.

But believe me, if it were up to me, I would just give up. That’s why I was so attracted by our current president. He still refuses, to this day, to just thrown in the towel!"
Thanks FJ!

Let me also say. I believe most conservatives want to live in a country they are proud of, they want the same things we liberals want, but to claim liberals are destroying this country and turning it into a nanny state is off base. Their accusations are unfounded and mean-spirited. They also have their priorities screwed up and the people they are listening to do not have the best interests of middle America in mind.


Liberals are people too, GOOD PEOPLE!

12 comments:

Ligtstar said...

My dream for the country would be that the Republicans go back to the conservative platform they had in 1956. Does anyone remember that? Both parties had great goals for the country, the difference was in the details. Now, there seems to be nothing in common. What happened to the Republican goal of "shall continue our far-reaching and sound advances in matters of basic human needs—expansion of social security—broadened coverage in unemployment insurance —improved housing—and better health protection for all our people. We are determined that our government remain warmly responsive to the urgent social and economic problems of our people."?

I would like to go back to when we could work together without personal attacks becaue of differing opinions.

Sue said...

thanks Ligtstar,
Do you think the conservatives are just retaliating for the way the left treated Bush for 8 yrs? Because damn it, Obama has bent over backwards to please those hypocrite do-nothings! I'm sorry people but civil I can not be tonight. Yes we need to get along but why is it always US liberals who have to take it up the ass?? Teabagger Linda really believes liberals are lazy ass, teet sucking, losers. She truly believes the conservative agenda will make our country prosperous! Sorry Ligtstar I'm pissed tonight..

Shaw Kenawe said...

I can't add much more to what Flying Junior wrote. Well said.

But I will add this: I dream of an America where a person will have the civil right to marry the person they love and that that marriage will be recognized nationwide.

I dream of a country that allows women to keep their right to decide their reproductive rights in private with their own health care provider and where those who provide those services will not fear for their lives.

Most of all I dream of an America where education and intelligence is valued above popularity and a person's appearance [you all know who I speak of here] and where the opportunity to better onself is available to all.

FJ, one of your dreams has come true! And, may I add, one of mine as well:

"An America where the cold-hearted and insane ramblings of agitators like Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck were simply relegated to the trash can of ignorance and prejudice."

Beck is leaving FAUX NOOZ!

Jittery said...

Thank you Flying Junior for such a thoughtful and well written dream. I whole heartedly agree with you and honestly, there's nothing to add to it as you covered it all! Thanks Sue for posting this as I haven't been keeping up. Coffee anyone?

Sue said...

can there be any better Nooze than that Shaw??! LOL!

Thanks for stopping Jittery, I gotta come by and see you girls!

Flying Junior said...

What an unexpected honor. Maybe we should all dream a little bit more often. It must be Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. calling from the spirit realm for the removal of the man who so dishonored his memory.

Hey Glenn,

C-Ya! Wouldn't wanna be ya

Hey Jittery,

I've been hopping up with green tea from time to time. But coffee is the elixir of life.

Ligtstar said...

Oh, please, the left did not treat Bush badly. They pointed out the inconsistencies and tried to find the humor but they were not vicious. The right is downright nuts. I CANNOT for the life of me figure out WHY Obama bends over backwards to these people.

We should not be the ones to always take it. We MUST fight back. That is the only thing you can do with bullies and today's Republicans, for the most part, are bullies. They honestly believe the garbage they hear from the posers on FOX who call liberals whiners and lazy bloodsuckers who only want to take from the government and feel that somehow we are robbing them.

Don't apologize to me, I am just as angry as you are. I know that Reagan began this change and incivility but I don't know how the Republican party let it get so out of hand to the point where it has divided this country.

The Prophet Dervish Z Sanders said...

Beck is leaving FAUX NOOZ!

I've heard he might start his own network... like Oprah.

According to a 2010 Project Vote article, "two years ago, African-Americans, lower-income Americans, and young Americans all participated in the 2008 presidential election in decisive numbers, making it the most diverse electorate in history. In 2010, however, these historically underrepresented groups were underrepresented again, as they... largely stayed home".

My dream would be for these people to wake up and realize that real change doesn't occur two years after you vote in ONE election. It's a process that's going to take a long time.

But the process of transitioning to a political system that represents EVERYONE can't even begin if you vote only once and then give up. We're moving back to a system that represents only the wealthy. In fact, that happened fairly quickly -- which is why people need to get active and STAY active.

Dave Dubya said...

Half of my dream and wishes for American is for the majority of Americans to discover that "promote the general welfare" is written in our Constitution, and that allows the government to provide public health care, education, jobs, and safety nets.

The othere half of my dream is for politicians to adhere to our Bill of Rights and work for the public's interests. They would start by passing legislation for public funding of federal elections, and ending the falsehoods of corporate personhood and money as free speech.

If this dream is dead, then so dies the American dream of oppportunity, prosperity, freedom, and justice.

okjimm said...

well.... last night my dreams were really really discombobulated. I think I put tooo much hot sauce on the fish tacos.
In other news..... paper will be dropped on the second Wis. Republican State Sernator...... There mostly certainly be a recount on Supreme Court candidate JoAnne Koppenburg's 204 vote victory..... but it is gratifying to report that voter turnout was almost record setting across the State.
In still even other news.... I'm getting a haircut at 4pm.

I just want to share all the important stuff, see! ;)

Mordechai said...

I wish the people who are trying to exploit the memories of our founding fathers actually tried to LIVE UP TO the actual actions of the founding fathers.

You know where the founding fathers committed to personal sacrifice and personal responsibility, not stomping their feet and throwing temper trantrums when things didn't go their way.

Nor did the founding fathers rely on empty rhetoric and meaningless soundbites created by paid for political hacks as the foundation of their actions.

Instead of attacking other American citizens, they should start with the person they see in the mirror and stop asking for all they can get for themselves, but instead put the country AHEAD of personal gain.

PS the Koch brothers would do very well to abide by this also, for the good of the whole nation.

Flying Junior said...

That's beautiful Dave. I feel like I just attended a good class in civics.