"Lately I have been thinking about
Some tenets of democracy, that is,
Checks and balances versus the slippery slope of greed
I believe freedom must have bounds or a society cannot peacefully exist, or prosper
For us, the tricky part is where to draw the boundaries..."
He went on to say; "What does it mean when the common turtle is subjected to mandatory drug testing in order to draw welfare, as it is in Florida... especially when the incidence is so low while the program costs for taxpayers is so high?
If this is justified, and the incidence of crime is higher than the incidence of drug abuse, why would we not next subject the poor (or all of us?) to wearing electronic monitoring devices so we can prevent crime?
Yes, it is a slippery slope my brothers of the shell
It is lined with threats to the dignity of the common turtle
And a curious disregard for simple economics
Letting passion come before reason."
The elder turtle held forth; "I am by nature an optimist
Many would contend that I am to a fault
So lately I have been feeling the acutely rough edges of societal upheaval
And I can only conclude that the majority of turtles may be feeling worse
What does it mean when I see Goodwill collection outlets everywhere... four within two miles of our home?
What does it mean when I see Congress ignore our elected President?
This man named Barack Hussein Obama
Refer to him as "traitor"
Swiftly react with "no" to his every overture, no matter the merit
What does it mean when the birth rate declines to its lowest since 1935?
When the middle class begins to disappear?
When a college degree often signifies an opportunity to join welfare rolls?
When college loans hit the trillion dollar mark and burden our children for a lifetime
When global warming is confirmed by scientists but denied by politicians?
This seems to be a time when contentious atmosphere is the fare of the day
When emails full of unsubstantiated accusations abound with petitions to "send this to 20 more"
When recipients believe what they want to believe instead of questioning... even when accusations are so extreme they beg for proof.
Refer to him as "traitor"
Swiftly react with "no" to his every overture, no matter the merit
What does it mean when the birth rate declines to its lowest since 1935?
When the middle class begins to disappear?
When a college degree often signifies an opportunity to join welfare rolls?
When college loans hit the trillion dollar mark and burden our children for a lifetime
When global warming is confirmed by scientists but denied by politicians?
This seems to be a time when contentious atmosphere is the fare of the day
When emails full of unsubstantiated accusations abound with petitions to "send this to 20 more"
When recipients believe what they want to believe instead of questioning... even when accusations are so extreme they beg for proof.
When the common man ignores Reagan's plea to "trust but verify."
When we spend over $3 trillion to fund futile wars in countries that have waged religious and tribal wars for over seven centuries... and we hand the bill over to our baby turtles
(those who survive the war we send them to that is...)
Where is the sense of responsibility for the future of little turtles... for the future of America?"
The little turtle said; "I do not understand why the elder turtles I look up to cannot fix things.
Why have they done this? Why aren't they trying to take care of our future?
They are our parents, our aunts, uncles, cousins, relatives, friends and colleagues
They are Americans just like us
Yet they are plundering our economy, our air, our water, our educational system
Leaving us with dark days ahead
How will we survive? How will America survive like this?"
"Ok, get a grip..." - elder Turtle says to self privately...
Must. Think. Of. Way to end this on positive note...
So that young turtles
(us elder snappers like to call them "whippersnappers")
Are left with a sense of hope.
Ok, here goes...
"Fret not whippersnappers!
We have faced similar challenges in our history
And prevailed each time
First and foremost
You must fix our political system
We elder snappers are too embedded in habit
To do it our selves
The only thing we elders can give you is our advice
And our advice is,
Do it quickly."
Burma Shave! (Google it... you will get my drift...)
Signed,
Curious to discover the punch line.
(those who survive the war we send them to that is...)
Where is the sense of responsibility for the future of little turtles... for the future of America?"
The little turtle said; "I do not understand why the elder turtles I look up to cannot fix things.
Why have they done this? Why aren't they trying to take care of our future?
They are our parents, our aunts, uncles, cousins, relatives, friends and colleagues
They are Americans just like us
Yet they are plundering our economy, our air, our water, our educational system
Leaving us with dark days ahead
How will we survive? How will America survive like this?"
"Ok, get a grip..." - elder Turtle says to self privately...
Must. Think. Of. Way to end this on positive note...
So that young turtles
(us elder snappers like to call them "whippersnappers")
Are left with a sense of hope.
Ok, here goes...
"Fret not whippersnappers!
We have faced similar challenges in our history
And prevailed each time
First and foremost
You must fix our political system
We elder snappers are too embedded in habit
To do it our selves
The only thing we elders can give you is our advice
And our advice is,
Do it quickly."
Burma Shave! (Google it... you will get my drift...)
Signed,
Curious to discover the punch line.
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