My husband relayed a story he heard on the radio the other day. It involved someone flipping the bird to a cop and the officer pulled him over for it. The man's lawyer got everything dismissed because of the man's right to exercise free speech. When is it going too far, though? Since when is free speech a guise to hide behind when you feel like being disrespectful, crass, or blatantly mean? I remember a time (not THAT long ago) when younger people respected their elders (ESPECIALLY their parents), respected authority (like police), and took pride in themselves and their actions. Oh, and let's not mention people actually realizing that their actions do have consequences. Geez.
But get this...now the government wants to place regulations on what items are used in food or even what foods are okay to purchase. There are "whisperings" of not allowing salt to be used and even taxing sodas. Since when is it okay for my elected officials to tell me what I can or cannot eat, what I can or cannot put in my body?? Who are they to tell me what is best or to "help" me define moderation? They want to take away or tax sodas, which I drink instead of coffee. What about coffee, tea, or worse things like "energy drinks" like Red Bull? Just because I drink sodas doesn't mean I don't know the benefits versus the risks. You can't possibly put sodas in the same risk category as alcoholic beverages (which can lead to cirrhosis of the liver and many other issues) or tobacco-containing products (which have been shown to cause cancer and other maladies).
And don't even get me started on the fact that they want to take more and more money out of our paychecks to give to other people. I wouldn't mind that if it were a little more discriminant as to who they qualify for such benefits. All too often, I've seen women who continue to have more children just to stay on welfare and continue receiving WIC. Or able-bodied men & women that would rather collect unemployment than actively search for a job. Or people who won't get a job making food at McDonald's because they think it's beneath them. A job is a job. And, in order to provide for yourself and/or family, you NEED to have one! So get up off your couch, get the job at McDonald's and work hard at it until something better comes along...until you EARN it!
And don't even get me started on the first time I went shopping by myself in college and there was a woman in front of me at the register trying to use her food stamps to buy dog food. When the cashier told her you couldn't buy dog food with food stamps, she got a very bad attitude, snatched the bag off the counter, and marched away saying "fine, I'll put this back and get steaks to feed my dog since that IS covered!" And I barely had enough money to buy hamburger meat and Kraft mac & cheese for myself...the person who was working hard at 2 jobs while going to college full-time. Ugh.
Now this is NOT to say I don't think there are people truly in need OR that I mind helping people truly in need. By all means, people with debilitating illnesses who are physically/mentally incapable of working need help. Most assuredly, the men & women who've defended our country deserve help in their time of need. Definitely, there are more who do as well that I'm not mentioning at the moment. But I'm sick of the abuse of such a well-intentioned system. Especially when the government is trying to tell me what I can & cannot do in so many areas of my life. Why should people be able to use benefits paid for by my hard-earned dollar to feed their dog steaks when I soon may not be able to buy sodas or put salt on my food?
