Change?

It looks like a lot of the country is looking for change and hope. Hope is good, if you're hoping for the right thing, but we should all have hope. This country was founded on hope and the quest for the fulfillment of the American dream. Practically anyone can take their piece of the American pie without asking for it to be handed to you. When you rely on the government to take care of you, you're asking for substandard living arrangements. Take a look at any socialist society. I'm not saying that everyone in America has everything they desire, but the poor have food, shelter, heat, televisions, microwaves, computers, at least basic medical care, educational resources, and some form of transportation. With the exception of criminally negligent parents, when was the last time you saw a skinny, starving American child? Compare our poor to practically any nation in the world and you'll find a middle class or better financial situation. It's folly to rely on government for anything beyond national security and transportation infrastucture. Do you want personal protection? You had better buy a handgun. The government will not protect you. If you think so, talk to someone who has been threatened by someone else. Better yet, find someone who has attempted or who has filed a restraining order. Were they protected? Did they actually station a police officer or marine guard escort with them? They were still in danger of physical harm or worse should the offender decide they were going to ignore the order. The police are there to capture criminals. There's a criminal to capture as soon as you're assaulted or killed. Not before. There's also a outcry for change in this country. It would be a change for government to provide healthcare. Personally, I don't want the same people running the IRS and the MVA to be in charge of my healthcare. It would also be a change if the government raised taxes on corporations. Wouldn't it be grand if they didn't make us pay any taxes at all and instead made Big Oil, Big Pharmacutical, Big Computer, Big Bread, or any other Big Corporation pay them all? Big Bread could pay an extra dollar on any loaf sold, Big Oil could pay an extra dollar on each gallon they sell, and Big Pharmacutical could be forced to give away one free pill for each pill sold. Then, Big Bread could raise the price of a loaf of bread by a dollar, same for Big Oil, and Big Pharmacutical could double the cost of one pill to make up for the loss of the "free" one they had to provide for the poor. Think it won't happen? Just ask any smoker. Who is paying the cigarette taxes and the fine on Big Tobacco? Corporations must make a profit or they will go bankrupt. You'll pay over and above any taxes and fines until the corporation makes a profit. The government can't cover the loss. After all, they're getting their money from the same company you're expecting them to give it to. So, before you start asking for change, think about what that change will do to your society, not just what it will do for you. Change can affect us in ways we've never imagined. If we're not careful, all we'll have left is the change in our pockets!