I Believe...

You know, soon after the dust settled from my last post, someone asked me a question. The question was, "Your posts are all over the place. You say you are a Democrat and voted for Obama but your posts seem to lean right. So, what exactly do you believe?" I've been contemplating that question for a few days now and I think I'm ready to lay out what I believe.

I believe in an honest day's work for an honest day's pay. I believe if you are good in your profession, you should be rewarded appropriately meaning a paycheck and a benefits package.

I believe in education; I believe educational opportunities abound in this country and it is only the fool who doesn't see that. Even public schools offer opportunities to learn and get ahead, one just has to work a little harder to do it.

I believe one makes one's own luck; it is stupid to sit there and blame bad luck when bad things happen.

I believe religion is the opiate of the masses; I believe religion nowadays is nothing more than a tool used by unscrupulous people to manipulate the weak-minded.

I believe if there truly is a God, He will speak to me directly, not through some stupid email chain letter or prayer chain email or virtual candle emails. I do believe, however, in treating others how I would like to be treated.

I believe if one is going to CHOOSE to do drugs and later becomes addicted, it is not my fault nor my problem so I should not have to pay even more taxes to take care of that idiot.

I believe homosexuality is NOT a choice; marriage should be for EVERYONE.

I believe if one feels the need to advertise their Christianity by putting a fish on their car, obtaining a personalized license plate for their car, putting a bumper sticker from the local Christian music station, or placing the word "Christian" anywhere in their business logo is anything but a Christian.

I believe driving a vehicle is a PRIVILEGE, not a right and society should act accordingly, meaning HANG UP THE DAMNED CELL PHONE!!!!

I believe in helping the poor...to an extent; supporting the poor for their entire lives is NOT what we had in mind. I believe if one collects a welfare check or food stamps, one must act accordingly i.e.- with HUMILITY, not flashing credit cards while driving in a Cadillac Escalade or a Hummer yakking away on a damned cell phone!

I believe if a person decides to drop out of school for any reason (other than it is completely necessary to support the family) and therefore cannot find employment beyond a minimum wage job, one gets what one deserves; it is completely unfair to expect the productive members of society to pay more in taxes and increased prices because of the federal government raising the minimum wage.

I believe everybody should be able to expect to live a healthy life BUT I do NOT believe in paying even more in taxes and even losing some veterans' benefits to pay for the healthcare of the idiots I described above...you know them, they contribute nothing to society except a burden.

I believe ALL military veterans are due the benefits they receive and ANY attempt to reduce them is an egregious offense. Further, I believe teachers, police and firefighters should also be eligible for benefits like veterans because THEY put THEIR LIVES on the line everyday just like the military.

I believe the "tax the rich" ideology is inane; increasing taxes on the rich only means the rich will spend less in order to not have to pay extra taxes...much like the "luxury yacht tax" of the 70's...the rich simply stopped buying yachts which almost killed an entire industry.

I believe human beings should be expected to display at least some sort of modicum of common sense; tort reform, to me, means if one orders a cup of coffee one must reasonably expect the coffee to be HOT...as such, if said coffee is spilled one does NOT sue the server of the coffee.

I believe personal injury attorneys are a scourge on this nation; if one jumps a fence that has a WARNING SIGN and is subsequently injured as a result of jumping said fence and ignoring the posted WARNING sign, any attempt to sue should result in the offending personal injury lawyer being disbarred and then tarred and feathered.

I believe in the rule of law; I believe in the right to self-defense; I believe that when seconds count, the police are only minutes away; therefore I believe wholeheartedly in the Second Amendment. If one argues the need to repeal the Second Amendment "for our own good", said individual should be forced to live in the ghetto for six months with no bodyguards, guns, knives or anything else that could possibly be used for self-protection...they must only rely on the local police department. This way the sadly misinformed individual will learn a very hard lesson in the need for the Second Amendment.

I also believe in the following: opening gifts on Christmas DAY not Christmas Eve, there should be a law outlawing astro-turf and the designated hitter (yes, I loved the movie Bull Durham).

Lastly, I believe Huckleberry Finn, Atlas Shrugged, David Copperfield, Band of Brothers, Catcher in the Rye, 1984, Animal Farm, Moby Dick, Job:A Comedy of Justice, and Stranger in a Strange Land should be required reading for all high school students prior to graduation.

So there it is, the core of my beliefs; so why don't you sit down and really think about what you believe in and share with the group?