Exactly seven score and seven years ago a young President addressed a small crowd in a small town in Pennsylvania. Abraham Lincoln said “Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.....that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Last week a young and hopeful candidate for a seat in the United States Congress addressed a small crowd in a small town in Pennsylvania. Tim Burns said that he “believes this country is in a fight for its very life.”
Our Nation has endured many crises during the 147 years between these two short speeches, but none more similar, more representative of the same Nation divided in a civil war.
The opposing sides in the current conflict do not wear distinguishing colors of blue and grey uniforms. They do not battle with cannons, swords, and rifles. Today’s conflict, no less divisive, no less dangerous, is a battle of ideology. Like its predecessor it divides brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor, friend against friend, and to a certain extent State against State. A country, Tim Burns said, is in a fight for its very life.
A fight means to engage in battle or in single combat; to attempt to defend oneself against or to subdue, defeat, or destroy an adversary. Life means the force that makes or keeps something alive.
Tim Burns told the small crowd that the force that keeps our Nation alive is the Spirit of America, and we needed to fight to preserve the opportunity that allows people who want to succeed the ability to work hard and achieve everything they want. That it was not for the Federal government to determine what someone’s living wage should be. He said that the government needed to stop punishing job creators, that corporations employ people and we should not prevent them from profiting. He said that he favored a balanced budget, fiscal responsibility and a smaller federal government. Tim Burns pledged never to raise anyone’s taxes.
His opponent in this election represents the other side in this civil war. The side that wants to subdue, defeat or destroy the Spirit of America. He does not believe that people who want to achieve and corporations that employ people are the defenders of our nation. He said “that if it weren’t for unions and the Democratic party that we would not have minimum wages, a 40 hour work week and health insurance. That corporate America is only concerned about profits and they are not concerned about working men and women.” That he will fight like heck to never raise taxes on working men and women and “what I can promise is I am not going to raise any of your taxes, just his!”, as he pointed at Tim Burns and laughed at the Spirit of America, a self made millionaire, a young man that started with nothing, formed a corporation and created over 400 jobs.
Over 40 million people in our country now receive government aid in the form of food stamps. One side in this civil war wants to blame, punish and tax the rich and corporations. The other side thinks that federal deficits, fiscal irresponsibility, larger government, government bailouts and favorable treatment of unions is destroying the Spirit of America, that our country is in a fight for its very life.
My father was a small business owner, a neighborhood pharmacist, for 50 years. He never worked a 40 hour work week. He left the house Monday through Saturday before I woke up, and returned home after I had gone to sleep. There were four other local small business pharmacies in the community where we lived. They joined with my father to provide seven day a week service to the local residents by each taking their turn and working every fifth Sunday. So four weeks out of five my dad worked six days, eighty hours a week, and the fifth week he worked seven days. My dad sent four boys to college and provided a good home, married to my mother for over fifty years. My dad was the Spirit of America.
I have been a small business owner, the owner of an insurance agency, for over 35 years. I never remember working just 40 hours a week. I do remember at times working seven days a week. I love my employees and I believe if you asked them they love me too. They are not in a union but they never work more than 40 hours, make substantially more than minimum wage and are covered by a very generous health insurance plan. I am very proud that I sent my only daughter to private college, didn’t ask for financial aid, and she graduated without any student loans. I have a loving wife, believe in God, have wonderful friends and I am the Spirit of America.
I also believe that our country is in a fight for its very life. I travelled cross country from Walla Walla, WA in January to volunteer in Boston, MA to help elect Scott Brown, and as I write this I am on a plane travelling cross country from Walla Walla, WA to Washington, PA to volunteer to help elect Tim Burns.
If you believe that capitalism is preferable to socialism, that hand ups are better than hand outs, that our Federal government should not spend money they do not have, that lawmakers should be required to read legislation and understand it prior to voting on it, that back room deals to secure votes to pass legislation are criminal, that the United States of America does not want to be the same as France, that helping the needy should come first from family, then neighbors, then the church, then the States, and never from the federal government, that protecting our borders is the responsibility of the federal government, that our founding fathers were inspired by God and that we should abide by the Constitution….then you and I and Tim Burns are all on the same side of this civil war to preserve the Spirit of America, and that together we can stand united and fight for this country’s very life.
Please cast your vote for Tim Burns on May 18th in the 12th district of Pennsylvania to be your representative to the United States House of Representatives.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
You, like Time Burns, have an ideologic point of view that is based on naive logic. Having owned 2 successful businesses in my lifetime, I can hardly be said to be anti-capitalist. My wife finds people who call me a socialist amusing. But that is exactly what people who share your naive point of view call me.
ReplyDeleteWhat you are really supporting is a game with no rules. You aupport Law-of-the-jungle capitalism which is NOT the capitalism of Adam Smith. In YOUR form of government, the corporation is always right and the worker is always subject to the whims of the corporation. In fact, we have seen what happens when your gang is successful in undoing the carefully constructed set of economic rules that provided the prosperity the US enjoyed between 1940 and 1980.
For the past 30 years, we have suffering from the crises that Reaganism, characterized by deregulation and privatization, has caused. America can no longer afford to continue this failed experiment and, if we are to survive as a nation, we must return to the governing philosophy that says government is NOT the tool of the corporation to subject the middle class. We MUST return to the governing philosophy that sees the government as the referee who protects those weak from the excesses of the powerful.
In the absence of this return to sanity, we will go the way of all super powers, having our assets stripped by the powerful who will, when we are no longer of use to them, move those assets to foreign lands. In fact, the process has already begun and unless reversed, our time is short.
Bravo People's Seat. Thanks for yours and your family's contributing to the American Dream. The 12th District of PA near Pittsburgh could certainly use Tim Burns in his devotion to the region and his ability to add to the economy.
ReplyDeleteDespite his wanting to distance himself from President Obama, Tim Burns' opponent is lockstep with the administration that ridiculed voters in rural Western Pennsylvania districts calling them “bitter” and stating they “cling to their guns and religion.” Now the President is asking these proud Americans to vote for one of his Washington insider, career politician cronies.
Let's Complete the Change the President asked for in 2008. Start over with Tim Burns. Refreshing Change....rather than career politician, Washington insider, scandal and continued Great Recession from Burns' opponent.
Robert, let's be honest, you ARE a socialist.
ReplyDeleteI would agree with part of your statement...
"if we are to survive as a nation, we must return to the governing philosophy that says government is NOT the tool of the corporation...
We MUST return to the governing philosophy that sees the government as the referee who protects those weak from the excesses of the powerful."
The "excesses of the powerful" refers to Washington, DC and its unchecked power over average Americans. The average Americans are "the weak".
And bear in mind, Wall Street and the big banks are comprised mostly of Democrats.