Subject: "I'm 63 and Tired", By Robert A. Hall. Worth Reading

> I'm 63. Except for one semester in college when jobs were scarce and a
> six-month period when I was between jobs, but job-hunting every day, I've
> worked, hard, since I was 18. Despite some health challenges, I still put in
> 50-hour weeks, and haven't called in sick in seven or eight years. I make a
> good salary, but I didn't inherit my job or my income, and I worked to get
> where I am. Given the economy, there's no retirement in sight, and I'm
> tired. Very tired.
> I'm tired of being told that I have to "spread the wealth" to people who
> don't have my work ethic. I'm tired of being told the government will take
> the money I earned, by force if necessary, and give it to people too lazy to
 earn it.
> I'm tired of being told that I have to pay more taxes to "keep people in
> their homes." Sure, if they lost their jobs or got sick, I'm willing to
> help. But if they bought McMansions at three times the price of our
> paid-off, $250,000 condo, on one-third of my salary, then let the left-wing
> Congress-critters who passed Fannie and Freddie and the Community
> Reinvestment Act that created the bubble help them with their own money.
> I'm tired of being told how bad America is by left-wing millionaires like
> Michael Moore, George Soros and Hollywood Entertainers who live in luxury
> because of the opportunities America offers. In thirty years, if they get
> their way, the United States will have the economy of Zimbabwe, the freedom
> of the press of China, the crime and violence of Mexico, the tolerance for
> Christian people of Iran, and the freedom of speech of Venezuela.
> I'm tired of being told that Islam is a "Religion of Peace," when every day
> I can read dozens of stories of Muslim men killing their sisters, wives and
> daughters for their family "honor"; of Muslims rioting over some slight
> offense; of Muslims murdering Christian and Jews because they aren't
> "believers"; of Muslims burning schools for girls; of Muslims stoning
> teenage rape victims to death for "adultery"; of Muslims mutilating the
> genitals of little girls; all in the name of Allah, because the Qur'an and
> Shari'a law tells them to.
> I'm tired of being told that "race doesn't matter" in the post-racial world
> of Obama, when it's all that matters in affirmative action jobs, lower
 college admission and graduation standards for minorities (harming them the
> most), government contract set-asides, tolerance for the ghetto culture of
> violence and fatherless children that hurts minorities more than anyone, and
> in the appointment of U.S. Senators from Illinois.
> I'm tired of being told that out of "tolerance for other cultures" we must
> let Saudi Arabia use our oil money to fund mosques and mandrassa Islamic
> schools to preach hate in America, while no American group is allowed to
> fund a church, synagogue or religious school in Saudi Arabia to teach love
> and tolerance.
> I'm tired of being told I must lower my living standard to fight global
> warming, which no one is allowed to debate. My wife and I live in a
> two-bedroom apartment and carpool together five miles to our jobs. We also
> own a three-bedroom condo where our daughter and granddaughter live.
Our carbon footprint is about 5% of Al Gore's, and if you're greener than Gore,
> you're green enough.
> I'm tired of being told that drug addicts have a disease, and I must help
> support and treat them, and pay for the damage they do. Did a giant germ
> rush out of a dark alley, grab them, and stuff white powder up their noses
> while they tried to fight it off? I don't think Gay people choose to be Gay,
> but I damn sure think druggies chose to take drugs. And I'm tired of
> harassment from cool people treating me like a freak when I tell them I
> never tried marijuana.
> I'm tired of illegal aliens being called "undocumented workers," especially
> the ones who aren't working, but are living on welfare or crime. What's
> next? Calling drug dealers, "Undocumented Pharmacists"? And, no, I'm not
> against Hispanics. Most of them are Catholic, and it's been a few hundred
> years since Catholics wanted to kill me for my religion. I'm willing to
 fast track for citizenship any Hispanic person, who can speak English,
> doesn't have a criminal record and who is self-supporting without family on
> welfare, or who serves honorably for three years in our military.... Those
> are the citizens we need.
> I'm tired of hearing wealthy athletes, entertainers and politicians of both
> parties talking about innocent mistakes, stupid mistakes or youthful
> mistakes, when we all know they think their only mistake was getting caught.
> I'm tired of people with a sense of entitlement, rich or poor.
> Speaking of poor, I'm tired of hearing people with air-conditioned homes,
> color TVs and two cars called poor. The majority of Americans didn't have
> that in 1970, but we didn't know we were "poor." The poverty pimps have to
> keep changing the definition of poor to keep the dollars flowing.
> I'm real tired of people who don't take responsibility for their lives and
> actions. I'm tired of hearing them blame the government, or discrimination
> or big-whatever for their problems.
> Yes, I'm d--- tired. But I'm also glad to be 63. Because, mostly, I'm not
> going to have to see the world these people are making. I'm just sorry for
> my granddaughter..
> Robert A. Hall is a Marine Vietnam veteran who served five terms in the> Massachusetts State Senate.

This hit home for me since I share many of these viewpoints in my book:
Essays From a Fed-Up Middle Aged, Middle ClassAmerican"
Excerpts on Amazon at:
http://www.amazon.com/Essays-Fed-Up-Middle-Class-American/dp/1453640460/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1288013011&sr=1-1