Newsdump ~ Whodathunkit?

Procrastination is the thief of time.
Edward Young

Americans Are More Than Labels

      Class envy. A term that has followed Yuppie, the Establishment, and is now part of Gen-Xers. Where do all these labels come from? The media.
      Media hype on any given day talks about us as if we were not in the room. It tells us what we should look like, how we should think and feel, and what we should do. This all in the name of free speech and free enterprise. But I wouldn't want it any other way.
      Still, one wonders if we have lost sight of what this country stands for, and what basic freedoms this country was built on. Immigrants have come here since the mid-1700s. We have aliens flooding across our southern borders taking death-defying risks to be here. Boat people have died on the high seas headed for this country. Jews have fled Nazi Germany, Hungarians and Cubans have fled communism, many leaving vast fortunes behind just to live here - free.
      Regardless of previous wealth and social standing, their only dream - the American Dream - was to be safe in their homes, have food, education (not indoctrination) for their children, clean clothes and living conditions, and adequate medical care.
      For this they were - and still are - willing to face death just for a chance at an honest day's work for an honest day's pay. They do not concern themselves with what their neighbors think about their houses, their cars, their clothes.
      It seems that those of us who have not fled an oppressive government, seen the indiscriminate slaughter of our countrymen, experienced starvation or even lived outside this country for a short time have lost sight of our personal freedoms and everyday riches.
      We are constantly led to believe that the glass is half empty (in some cases totally empty) because we are not living the lifestyles of the rich and famous. Or the latest round of celebrities who are on television 24 hours a day falsely raising our expectations and lowering our sense of self-worth.
      Whatever happened to having an average family with children who grew up to be kind, Golden Rule adults who respect their parents and are considerate of the elderly, pay their bills and taxes, mow their lawns, give to charities, vote in elections?
      They are here, all around us. But to listen to the media they are nowhere to be found.
      Look around. Notice the friendly waiter or waitress serving you your morning coffee, the courteous receptionist in an office, the gentle medical technician, the helpful phone clerk who helps correct a computer error on a bill, the honest car mechanic who makes your car hum, the dry cleaner who gets your clothes spotless, the cable TV installer, your hairdresser or barber, the telephone repair person, the carpenter, the electrician, garbage men and women, the plumber, the nurse's aide, the highway workers who endure dreadful weather conditions to build better roads, firemen and women, camp counselors, paramedics and ambulance drivers, policemen and women, Meals-on-Wheels volunteers, utility repair people, foster parents and grandparents, military personnel, heat and cooling repair people, factory workers, and the strangers who helped at Oklahoma City, the World Trade Center, and the Pentagon.
      The list is endless.
      Our children, most living average everyday lives, sometimes in extraordinary ways, make it better for all of us just by their being here, doing what they do every day.
      If you are one of the legions of American workers who put a roof over your family's head and food on the table, pat yourself on the back in spite of the constant negative media message. The message is, you are not smart enough, rich enough - or worse, important enough. And if you know Americans, young or old, native or foreign-born who do a good job in everyday situations, reward them with kind words. Thank them and tell them you're glad they were there when you needed them.
      We know who and what we are. We're good men, women and children from all walks of life, and we're proud to be the fabric of the tapestry that makes America the great country it is.